Latham takes on Aussies in the form of his life
Tom Latham left for Australia with the rest of the Black Caps test squad yesterday, safe in the knowledge that he’s a far better player than the one who made the same trip four years ago.
Back then, he was 23 years old, had played 11 tests, was averaging 39.52, and had two centuries to his name.
Now he is 27, has played another 36 tests, lifted that average to 44.02, and scored nine more centuries.
That kind of improvement can be seen everywhere you look in the Black Caps, who have won six of their past seven series and are eyeing a second series win in Australia to join the one Sir Richard Hadlee and co claimed in 1985, after falling to a 2-0 loss there in 2015.
Six players remain from the XI that started the first test of that series – Latham, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, B J Watling, Tim Southee and Trent Boult – and all of them have better batting or bowling averages than they did back then, while the newcomers to the squad have, for the most part, been upgrades on those they replaced.
The team’s departure for Perth, the setting for next week’s series opener, came just four days after they wrapped up a 1-0 series win at home over England with a rain-affected draw at Seddon
Park in Hamilton, where lefthander Latham notched up test century No 11, scoring 105 in the first innings.
While that means the Black Caps haven’t had a lot of time to rest between assignments, it also means they are right in the swing of things, and Latham was hoping that would help them make a strong start across the Tasman, where they begin with a daynight fixture.
‘‘We’re playing some really good test cricket at the moment,’’ he said yesterday at Auckland Airport.
‘‘Guys are sticking to their roles for long periods of time, which has made us successful.
‘‘The biggest thing for us is trying to adapt to conditions and we’ve got a challenge when we go to Perth, playing with the pink ball at a ground that hasn’t had a huge amount of test cricket, so for us to adapt as quick as possible is going to be really important.
‘‘Guys have been to Australia and we know what to expect and they’re coming off some good cricket, so it’s certainly going to be an exciting series.’’
Latham has flourished in the past year in particular, scoring five centuries in that time, including a high score of 264 not out, on his way to piling on 975 runs in 11 innings across four series.
When asked to explain the purple patch, he put it down to having more trust in his own game. ‘‘I think the biggest thing is trying to stick to a plan and trying to do that for long periods of time and it’s nice that I’ve managed to do that over the past 12 months.
‘‘We’ve played a fair bit of test cricket as well, so it’s nice to get in a rhythm with the red ball, but we’ve obviously got a big challenge coming up in the next few weeks, which is really exciting.’’
While Latham is going from strength to strength, the form of his opening partner Jeet Raval is the one major concern the Black Caps have heading to the threetest series, which begins at Optus
Stadium on Thursday, continues at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Boxing Day, and concludes at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the new year.
Raval has scored just 61 runs in his past six innings and looked especially out of sorts in the second test against England, but Latham backed him to come right against Australia, saying ‘‘I’m sure he’s not far away from a decent score’’.
Boult and Colin de Grandhomme were both cleared to make the trip to Perth after missing the test in Hamilton with injuries, but still have work to do to be ready to play on Thursday, though bowling coach Shane Jurgensen said they were progressing nicely.
‘‘I observed them yesterday bowling some overs and doing some light fielding,’’ he said.
‘‘When we get to Perth we’ve still got five days so hopefully they’ll progress further and be in a position to be selected.’’
New Zealand have only won three tests on Australian soil – those in Brisbane and Perth that gave the 1985 team a 2-1 series win, and the one in Hobart in 2011 that secured a 1-1 draw.
‘‘Guys have been to Australia and we know what to expect and they’re coming off some good cricket . . .’’ Black Caps opener Tom Latham