Recent test upsets justify Williamson’s characteristic caution
HAMILTON: The Black Caps, newly promoted to second in test cricket’s world rankings, do not have to look far to see the perils of their new position.
It has been a summer of upsets in cricket’s longest format — starting with the Black Caps toppling Pakistan overseas for the first time since 1969, and followed by the West Indies stunning England. But, the biggest surprise of them all came earlier this month, when Sri Lanka visited South Africa and
shocked everyone to claim a 20 series win.
At the risk of this becoming one of those bleedingly obvious — the Black Caps won’t be taking [Weaker Opposition X] lightly — pieces that get penned far too often, when taking those recent results on board, there is perhaps more merit than usual to the publicly
stated caution Black Caps captain Kane Williamson likes to administer.
Considering how unappealing Sri Lanka looked on these shores, it is a reminder of how quickly things can change in cricket, and the demise of the forsolongdominantathome South Africans — formerly world No 2 — could serve as a gentle warning.
Surely, though, Bangladesh cannot produce the same shock? The visitor is a 341 outsider to win the series and it would be one of the biggest upsets on these
shores for years if it was to produce a test triumph, and with Shakib AlHasan out injured, and Mushfiqur Rahim likely to join him with a mixture of maladies, its topheavy lineup is already in danger of toppling over.
Coincidentally, those two are the players who put the Black Caps in trouble the last time these two sides met in a test series, in 2017. AlHasan and Rahim added a record 359 for the fifth wicket in Wellington as Bangladesh racked up 595 for eight, but somehow, all that was
good for was to set the record for biggest total scored in a losing effort.
If that pairing was fully fit, Bangladesh would be more of a threat, and while Monimul Haque (test average of 44) is a classy operator, the visitor’s other main weapons — its spin bowlers — are likely to be largely negated by seamfriendly wickets.
The Black Caps will utilise just one spinner, as custom in New Zealand, with Todd Astle making his return to the test side as Matt Henry and Will Young miss out
from the 13man squad. He likely will not see too much time at the bowling crease, but could provide added value with the bat, with the Black Caps looking finely balanced as they attempt to kick start their quest to win five straight test series with a victory at Hamilton’s Seddon Park today.
Of course — as is also custom — Williamson is not looking that far ahead, and has taken note of test cricket’s recent results.
‘‘Overseas there’s been some upsets with some very strong teams, and every team in international cricket is a threat —
they’re all very talented. Anybody can beat anybody,’’ Williamson warned.
Two weeks ago, there would be reason to quibble with that argument — and yes, it would still be stunning if Bangladesh won even a match in this series.
But after what Sri Lanka managed to prove, a safe approach might also be a sound strategy for the Black Caps to continue their rise through the ranks. — NZME
OTAGO has sprung a few changes as it looks for a way to combat its miserable form with the bat.
The Volts have lost all five firstclass games this season and will go into the match against Central Districts in Napier tomorrow with a rejigged top order.
Out of form batsman Shawn Hicks and equally out of touch middle order dasher Josh Finnie swap places on the conveyor belt.
Neither have been anywhere near their best this summer. But the latter returns to the team while the former joins the discard pile.
Hicks was one of Otago’s better performed batsmen last season but has struggled, particularly against the short ball.
He has played in all five games, so he has had plenty of opportunity to work through his technical issues. But he just has not been able to generate the volume of runs required from a No 4 batsman.
His replacement hardly mounts a compelling case for inclusion, though. Finnie has played just one innings of note — a dogged 72 against Central Districts before Christmas. But with just 120 runs at an average of 15, he clearly still has a lot to prove.
It is a move which may raise a few eyebrows among seasoned observers. Veteran opener Brad Wilson would have seemed the obvious player to bring in to add some much needed experience and starch to the batting lineup, particularly with experienced middle order batsman Anaru Kitchen unavailable due to family commitments.
Wilson was not in great touch earlier in the summer and he is retiring at the end of the season. But he would have been a good stopgap for an Otago team which surely must be desperate to reverse its fortunes.
Three of its five heavy defeats have been by an innings. It is tough times and those times have also led to a reimagining of the mix.
The Volts have been very keen to see what backup keeper Max Chu can offer, so he gets his first opportunity.
Regular gloveman Mitch Renwick keeps his spot in the side but will play as a specialist batsman. He has scored 207
runs at an average of 20.70 this season, which is not much of a resume.
One change which will strengthen the Otago lineup is the return of allrounder Nathan Smith. He was rested for the last game and dined out with a sixwicket bag and an undefeated knock of 82 for CarisbrookDunedin in the club competition. He replaces Christi Viljoen in the 12.
Former international spinner Mark Craig was not considered fit enough for selection. He played his 100th game for Albion in the weekend but is still nursing a back complaint which has kept him sidelined for most of the season.