Latham goes under selection spotlight
It might only be a domestic oneday match, but Tom Latham requires a significant innings in Whangarei to smooth the national selectors’ worry lines.
Latham pads up for Canterbury in Saturday’s Ford Trophy knockout semifinal against Northern Districts, who have test gloveman BJ Watling keeping their wicket for the first time since October.
While Watling’s ability to crouch for 50 overs with his troublesome hip will be closely monitored, as he races to prove his fitness for the first test against England on March 22, Latham’s recent form puts him under the spotlight.
His three Ford Trophy knocks for Canterbury were worth 46 not out, six and two, while in one-day internationals in New Zealand his baffling lack of runs hasn’t gone unnoticed by coach Mike Hesson and co-selector Gavin Larsen.
Since Latham’s 137 against Bangladesh in Christchurch on Boxing Day 2016, he’s batted 14 times in home ODIS for a top score of 37, and nine single-figure innings. That dropped his ODI average in New Zealand to 20.89 from 33 matches (his career ODI average is 33).
Why he’s struggled in New Zealand has been a head-scratching discussion topic for Hesson and Larsen as they prepare to name their team next week for five ODIS against England. In home tests he averages 35 (compared with a career mark of 38), and he was the star of the India ODI series in October with a matchwinning 103 not out in Mumbai followed by 38 and 65 on slower pitches where he seems to excel.
Before that India tour, Hesson labelled Latham the country’s best limited-overs gloveman and that won’t have changed.
But it’s all about runs in the top six and, while Latham will likely retain his spot in the squad, if his drought extends into the England ODIS Hesson could face a big midseries call with an eye to next year’s World Cup in the UK. Either Tom Blundell or Tim Seifert could warrant a try with the gloves and move Henry Nicholls up to Latham’s No 5 spot.
Nicholls joins Latham in a Canterbury side who snuck into fourth spot with a 38-run win over Auckland at home to keep their title defence alive.
Northern were pipped by Auckland for second place and a second life in the playoffs, and are without regulars Seifert and Ish Sodhi on Black Caps Twenty20 duty.
Runs haven’t been a problem for the hosts with Daryl Mitchell (341 at 68), Nick Kelly (310 at 44) and Watling (298 at 43) in the top six on the competition charts.
Central Stags still look the best side, after six regular season wins and a nine-point lead on the ladder, and will be awfully hard for Auckland to beat in New Plymouth.
A win will propel them to another final at Pukekura Park where they won one-day titles in 2012 and 2016. The losing side in New Plymouth will host the winner of Northern and Canterbury in the elimination semifinal on Wednesday.