Openers’ sudden switch
When he had his second turn at bat in the second test against England, Tom Latham did something he hadn’t done in any of his past 16 innings.
He faced the first ball, bowled by Stuart Broad, with his out-of-sorts opening partner Jeet Raval waiting at the non-striker’s end.
Since the pair came together at the top of the order for the Black Caps towards the end of 2016, they have walked out together on 35 occasions.
In nine of those innings, including last Monday’s, Latham faced the first ball, while Raval did so in the other 26 – including 16 in a row from last year’s series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates to the first dig in Hamilton.
So why the change?
‘‘We just thought we would change it up,’’ was Latham’s response when asked.
‘‘In terms of the first ball, there’s no reason why he takes it, but we just thought we would try change it up.’’
Was it because Raval had been having a tough time, scoring 61 runs in five innings going back to the tour of Sri Lanka in August, and his partner wanted to ease his burden, even if only slightly?
‘‘No, not at all,’’ Latham said. ‘‘You’ve got to face your first ball at some point and I just decided to take it first.’’
While that’s true, the decision to change routines is still a curious one – and it will be interesting to see who heads to which end the first time the Black Caps bat against Australia, when their three-test series begins this week.
Latham and Raval’s 35 innings together at the top makes them second-most experienced opening partnership in New Zealand’s history, behind only Bruce Edgar and John Wright, who had 56.
They will make it 36, and potentially 37, in Perth, where the first test starts on Thursday, but if Raval’s form doesn’t improve – he’s been dismissed for single-figure totals in 12 of his last 21 innings, though he did score his first test century in that time – they could soon be consigned to the history books.
Having cemented himself as one of the best openers New Zealand has had over the past 12 months, Latham was sure Raval would bounce back sooner rather than later.
‘‘He’s a quality player,’’ Latham said. ‘‘He’s got a lot of experience at first-class level and he’s done really well in his test career so far. It’s just one of those patches you go through, where the harder you try, the worse it gets.
‘‘For him, it’s about going back and doing the basic things really well. From my point of view, he’s been training really hard and doing all the right things, so it’s just a matter of when really, rather than if.’’
This week’s test in Perth will be the second day-night fixture Latham and Raval have played together and they don’t have long to prepare to face the pink ball, having flown out from Auckland on Saturday.
‘‘Starting well is always important in a test series, but for us the next few days are going to be vital in terms of adapting to conditions and getting used to the pink ball,’’ Latham said.
‘‘[Australia] have come off a pinkball game against Pakistan last week, so they’re obviously a little more familiar with it and I’m sure most of them have played at Optus [Stadium] before, but hopefully we can start well and adapt to the conditions and go from there.’’