Blundell backed to make opening statement at MCG
Opening the batting in a test match will excite Tom Blundell, says his long-time coach who believes he has the skill and temperament to succeed if summoned for the Boxing Day test.
New Zealand’s squad had their first full training session at the Melbourne Cricket Ground yesterday, five days out from a potential career highlight in front of a predicted day one crowd of close to 70,000.
Still nursing weary and sore bodies from their 296-run hammering from Australia in the first test in Perth, the Black Caps need to find a way to combat Mitchell Starc and company and will consider changes to their toporder.
Notably, do they persevere with struggling opener Jeet Raval (66 runs at 7.33 from his last nine test innings), reshuffle the order or bring in Blundell as a straight swap?
Former New Zealand batting coach Craig McMillan last week called for Raval to be jettisoned and Blundell to open despite being a middle order player in his 55 first-class matches. That includes two tests, both against West Indies two years ago when he scored a debut century at No 8 in Wellington.
Glenn Pocknall, the Wellington Firebirds coach who oversaw his emergence from the Karori club, said Blundell showed he had the game to succeed at international level and had kept improving since that debut.
‘‘If given the opportunity to open it’s something he would be excited about,’’ Pocknall said.
‘‘He’s shown he rises to the occasion and has prepared himself to bat in any position and conditions through his training.
‘‘That’s why he’s in the squad and the Black Caps have seen that same versatility and skill that we have, to be able to bat in multiple positions and succeed.’’
In the past year Blundell toured the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka as backup batsman and wicketkeeper without playing a test, and at the World Cup batted superbly in a warmup match but didn’t play at all in the tournament.
The 29-year-old carried the drinks and fielded in Perth, and in his last first-class innings scored 60 and 8 for New Zealand A at against England at Whangarei, batting No 6. His first-class average is 37.18 with six centuries.
Said Pocknall: ‘‘He loves the ball coming into the bat, has a good defensive game and over the last few seasons has shown he has the ability to ride the different stages of momentum that long form batting throws at you.
‘‘One of his biggest assets is that he is extremely determined to do well and when backed into a corner he will accept the challenge and do everything he can to come out on top.’’
As Melbourne sweltered in 44degC on Friday the Black Caps canned day one of their scheduled warmup match and stayed indoors. They trained yesterday in pleasant early 20s, with a 22degC maximum predicted today when they play a Victorian XI at Scotch College.
The batting order they use will tell a story, with Blundell in serious consideration to open. If Raval is dropped, other options are to promote Henry Nicholls or BJ Watling to partner Tom Latham, and slot Blundell in at five or six.
Asked if he’d be comfortable opening, Watling said: ‘‘I’ve done it in the past. I don’t think it’s a comfortable position in general – we’ll discuss things over the next few days and see what eventuates.’’
Watling said pace spearhead Trent Boult looked sharp and ready at training ahead of his likely injury return, and nicked him out a couple of times in the nets.
Excitement rather than any concern over their Perth performance was the overriding feeling.
‘‘We’re obviously disappointed at the loss and we need to make some improvements, but it is a dream for every young cricketer to play in a Boxing Day test. Thirty years since New Zealand’s been here, I know the group is very excited to get this opportunity,’’ Watling said.
The off-water advantages Cambridge offered in terms of ‘‘hot-housing’’ high performance services saw Karapiro scoring the highest rating.
A Sport NZ briefing document in May, 2013, to the then minister for sport and recreation says CRNZ had come to accept this view. ‘‘With our encouragement the CRNZ board endorsed the report and developed a strategy to centralise its high performance programme.’’
The CRNZ experience raises further questions over Sport NZ’s big push for centralised training programmes. Earlier this year HPSNZ undertook a review of its approach to centralisation as part of a broader inquiry into athlete welfare. Miskimmin says the big lesson is there is no one-size-fits-all approach to elite sport.
‘‘I think it is sport specific, for some sports it has worked incredibly well, for others – swimming would be a good example – it hasn’t been the right approach. The benefits of centralisation has been openly debated, and quite rightly so, but I guess the big learning for us is that the athlete voice is really important as well.’’
Carrington politely declined to go into the reasons why she did not want to base herself out of the new training centre, referring inquiries back to CRNZ.
‘‘I don’t want to add to that conversation,’’ she said.