David Leggat rates the New Zealand players for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy
Martin Guptill
8 Brilliant century in Sydney would have been a matchwinner but for Australian skipper Steve Smith’s even better knock. Got starts in both other matches. New Zealand’s best by a distance.
Jimmy Neesham
7 Showed he can do a job higher up the order. Filled in for Ross Taylor at No 4 and did well. A clean striker who looked the part, until smacked on the forearm in Canberra by Mitchell Starc. Should get more chances to follow this. Trent Boult 6 New Zealand’s best bowler, six wickets at 30 apiece. Knocked the top off Australia’s innings in Melbourne and really good in Sydney until the death.
Kane Williamson
5 Lovely innings in Canberra in vain bid to climb a mountain. Caught at slip first game, lbw on leg stump in third. Needs 20 runs to be, easily, New Zealand’s fastest batsman to 4000 ODI runs. Tried hard as leader, some inventive field placings at Sydney but badly let down by his bowlers in first two games. Got it way wrong at the toss in Canberra. Others had a say but he’s the boss. Big learning experience.
Tim Southee
5 New Zealand missed him in game one. Steady and tidy. Best spell in Melbourne on Friday.
Colin Munro
5 Evidence of a maturing in his batting came in Sydney where his 49 might have gone on to threaten Australia but ran out of quality partners. Should have benefited from the trip.
Mitchell Santner
5 For his bowling only. Batting poor. The one guy who could keep a check on the more belligerent Australian batsmen. His education continues.
BJ Watling
4 Ordinary batting return although to be fair fell to a stunning catch by Smith in game one which could have been crucial to the outcome. Dropped a hard catch down the leg side off Smith early in Sydney, and took a similar good one to get rid of George Bailey in the same game.
Lockie Ferguson
4 Gets a point on potential. Was what had been advertised, genuinely slippery. He went through the likes of David Warner, Bailey, Smith and Travis Head at times just with pace. Got a wicket in his first international over. Really encouraging signs but took some punishment in between. Good starting point.
Matt Henry
3 Played the first two games and had a rough time, two wickets at 82.5. Clobbered for three sixes in final over at Canberra. Good start in Sydney but lost his way.
Tom Latham
2 Poor series. The one time he got going, in Melbourne fell to a soft catch behind square when set in striking the ball impressively. Disappointing.
Henry Nicholls
2 Just one chance and unlucky to get a Mitchell Starc yorker out of the coaching manual, full swinging in and crashing into leg stump. Two slick catches in Melbourne and one tough drop off Warner in the deep.