The play did not exactly follow the script, but there were still plenty of smiles from the fans.
The home-town hero was gone within five minutes, not one Black Cap hit the ball over the rope and the wind was, how shall we say, fresh.
But New Zealand won, and in the end that was all that mattered for most of the 3217 people who packed Dunedin's University Oval for the one-day international between Zimbabwe and the Black Caps yesterday.
Ideally, it would have been better if New Zealand had knocked up 350, with skipper Brendon McCullum leading the charge.
But McCullum faced only three balls before he departed, and the Black Caps rather limped along to 248.
The men from Africa - despite the urgings of a group of supporters who sang and danced throughout the day - never looked likely once captain Brendan Taylor departed, with the Black Caps eventually winning by 90 runs.
There was plenty of entertainment on the sideline though, with some skinny white boys dressed as Zulu warriors and some Mexican waves.
And the hot dogs sure tasted nice.
Otago Cricket Association chief executive Ross Dykes said he was happy with the match.
"We got a full day of cricket, reasonable weather and the crowd has really enjoyed themselves," Dykes said.
"Sure, the wind was there all day, but having that wind can keep the rain away."
The pitch played well and it was all set up for next month's test match at the ground between New Zealand and South Africa.
