Black Caps may turn, turn, turn to triple spin option
Just days after Ajaz Patel spun New Zealand to victory, coach Gary Stead is tempted to double down in Dubai and stack the lineup with three spinners, including debutant Will Somerville.
Ahead of his first look at the pitch late yesterday, Stead said a triple-spin attack was one of several options under serious consideration for tomorrow’s second test (7pm NZ time).
The radical – by New Zealand standards anyway – selection move was planted in his mind when they were at Dubai International
Stadium for the one-day series.
Stead expects this pitch to be as spin-friendly as Abu Dhabi which turned throughout, and man of the match Patel (7-123) and Pakistan legspinner Yasir Shah (8-164) were their respective teams’ most effective bowlers.
‘‘It [a series win] is a great opportunity for us and I expect there will be two more results so we still have to win at least one more of them,’’ Stead said.
‘‘What I saw of the Dubai wicket was it looked very abrasive at one end. And when we’re back in Abu Dhabi [for the third test] that pitch is the same that Australia played a test on five or six weeks ago [a 373-run win to Pakistan].
‘‘There’s more chance of it being abrasive and spinning.
‘‘It will certainly be a challenge for the batsmen, and who can play spin well and adapt best.’’
Which brings us to selections, and the likelihood at least one change will be made despite the Black Caps’ four-run victory in a cliffhanger – just their fourth in 25 away tests against Pakistan.
Stead and captain Kane Williamson will chew over several scenarios but if the coach’s hunch is correct then Somerville could be clutching his first black cap at age 34 after 18 first-class matches.
‘‘I don’t necessarily subscribe to the rule that you never change a winning team. Conditions dictate what’s the best team to give you the best chance of winning a game,’’ Stead said.
‘‘One consideration could be whether we play three spinners. Will has been really impressive in the nets and we’ll have to put that in the mix.
‘‘If you look at other teams who’ve gone over there and it’s a way they often go. It’s not a norm for New Zealand cricket teams but it could be an option. It’s one of four or five we’ll be considering.’’
If they went with offspinner Somerville, leftarm orthodox Patel and legspinner Ish Sodhi as a spin trio then Neil Wagner, after his Abu Dhabi heroics in a support role, could be the sole pace bowler which would raise the bizarre prospect of senior duo Trent Boult and Tim Southee both missing out.
Then Colin de Grandhomme’s role comes up for discussion.
The allrounder – whose photo
graces the cover of the New Zealand Cricket Almanack as its player of the year – scored 22 runs from seven innings on tour including 0 and 3 in Abu Dhabi. His confidence against spin looks low but his game-changing qualities and lack of a backup allrounder might earn him a reprieve for one test at least.
‘‘Even though we’ve been here for a few weeks it’s only one test match and Colin has played some really important roles for New Zealand in the past,’’ Stead said.
‘‘Yes, we’d like to get a few more runs out of him and he’s working on that in the nets.’’
If de Grandhomme was dropped the tail would be long, with either Tim Southee, Sodhi or Wagner at No 7 as a stop-gap.
Or New Zealand could play four frontline bowlers and Tom Blundell could come in at seven to bolster the batting in tough conditions.
‘‘They’re all factors Kane and I will definitely talk about,’’ Stead said.