That was close: Munro confident of bounce back
For Colin Munro, the most encouraging part was having less than 48 hours to put things right.
After waking from their nearly seven-month cricketing hibernation with a two-run defeat in Abu Dhabi, the Black Caps hit the road to Dubai to try to avert Pakistan’s 11th successive Twenty20 series victory tomorrow (5am NZT).
The nature of T20 cricket means any defeat can be quickly erased with a bounceback performance, which Munro knows all too well in his cricketing year with four different franchises and two titles in the Caribbean and Afghanistan leagues.
‘‘I don’t think we can look too down. We’ve only got two days to turn it around so we’ll be taking the positives from tonight. There were plenty of positives,’’ he said.
Fair comment. In coach Gary Stead’s first match at the helm New Zealand didn’t look a team which been idle since that test series-winning draw with England in Christchurch in early April.
Pakistan, in contrast, completed their 14th T20 international since early April and notched their 13th win, affirming their status as world No 1 after wiping the floor with Australia.
Still, being first up from a break against a red-hot team can only be used once as an excuse.
New Zealand should have chased down Pakistan’s 148-6, especially after Munro took on Imad Wasim’s spin and raced to 58 off 42 balls before holing out to the long-on boundary.
It sparked a match-deciding period as Pakistan’s spinners circled, captain Kane Williamson offered Imad a return catch, then Colin de Grandhomme was run out to a risky call by Ross Taylor, who ended unbeaten on 42 off 26.
From 79-1 in the 12th, the Black Caps lost 3-10 in 14 deliveries. As the required rate soared, Corey Anderson holed out off the impressive Hasan Ali and Taylor couldn’t clear the rope with a daunting task of taking 17 off the last over from 18-year-old Shaheen Afridi.
‘‘I lost my wicket, then Kane got out, it went bang bang and their spinners came on after the power play and squeezed. You’ve got to give them credit,’’ Munro said.
‘‘They know these conditions really well and it suited them. We got outplayed, just. We didn’t really lose our way anywhere they just bowled really well and capitalised through the middle.’’
New Zealand took pride in their world No 1 ranking in T20 cricket; now they’re on the slide to fifth after losing seven of their last eight. Five of those defeats
came when batting second which suggests a lack of confidence closing out a tight chase.
The next World T20 in Australia is two years and more than 30 matches away, and defeats in T20 internationals can be taken with a grain of salt.
Timing their run chases right, pinching a confidence-boosting win and getting players in form for the three ODIs and three tests to follow is now the priority from games two and three tomorrow and Monday (NZT).
They weren’t surprised by conditions at Sheikh Zayed Stadium (slow, difficult for batsmen to get started) and more of the same looms under lights at Dubai International Stadium where Australia plunged to successive T20 defeats last week, scoring 136-8 then 117 all out when chasing.
New Zealand’s fielding was outstanding, bar a dropped catch in the final over from Ish Sodhi and a Tim Southee fumble of a run out chance earlier.
Their bowling attack was well balanced and effective with
‘‘We got outplayed, just.’’ Colin Munro
Southee and Adam Milne good, and spin duo Sodhi and debutant Ajaz Patel well worth another go.
They just need more bowling punch from their allrounders de Grandhomme and Anderson (who wasn’t used) and for one or the other to get the chance to show their power with the bat.
Said Munro: ‘‘We were outstanding in the field, with the ball we were pretty good and with the bat we were OK. There’s some areas where we can get a bit better but tonight was pretty good without getting over the line.’’