Latham solves batting headache in middle order
Tom Latham’s cricketing reinvention is complete, three years after he last batted five in a one-day cricket international.
Just in the nick of time, too, for the Black Caps who face mission improbable against world No 2 India in the first of three ODIs in Mumbai on Sunday (9pm NZT).
The test opener and captain-inwaiting backed up a knock of 59 off 63 balls in the tour opener with 108 off 97 in New Zealand’s final President’s XI shakedown - a 33-run victory.
After their middle order woes at the Champions Trophy, coach Mike Hesson bit the bullet pretour. He dropped Neil Broom and Jimmy Neesham, pushed Latham down the order and promoted Colin Munro to the blazing opener role formerly occupied by Brendon McCullum and, briefly, the nowretired Luke Ronchi.
The jury remains out on Munro, who’s had four scores in the 20s in the past fortnight, although he’ll likely get all three ODIs to prove himself at the top. Latham’s return to the middle order has been akin to donning a comfy old pair of slippers. The lefthander and first choice ODI wicketkeeper debuted at No 5 against Zimbabwe in Dunedin in
2012 and last filled that spot against Sharjah in the ODI series win over Pakistan in 2014.
‘‘It’s a bit of a change from the last couple of years but it’s something we’ve discussed and moving forward it could be a position where I bat. It’s nice to spend some time in the middle and get familiar with that role,’’ he said.
‘‘Having Colin at the top can be very destructive and if him and Martin [Guptill] get going they can be unstoppable.’’
At their previous ODI assignment at the Champions Trophy in June it almost became four-out, allout as New Zealand struggled to finish off their innings and bowed out with defeats to England and Bangladesh.
Latham at five at least takes some heat off captain Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor - whose
102 off 83 was the other good news story of Friday morning - to set up a platform for allrounder Colin de Grandhomme’s power hitting at the end.
Latham’s expertise against spin and past success in India is a key, too, after he scored 244 runs at 61 opening in the 3-2 series defeat a year ago. He can strike comfortably at better than a run-a-ball.
‘‘It’s nice to come over to these conditions and feel you’ve scored runs before. That’s the confidence I take from that last series and the team as a whole, we was pretty close.
‘‘We took it down to that last game and couldn’t quite get over the line. This group is pretty confident and we played some good cricket today.’’
Certainly a total of 343-9 was healthy and timely, although depending on the Wankhede Stadium pitch the spin threat still looms large.
Without Ravi Ashwin and Ravi Jadeja who are both rested, India still boast legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal, left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and left-arm orthodox Axar Patel alongside a high class pace attack.
In two home ODI series this year India beat England 2-1 and Australia 4-1 earlier this month.
With the ball New Zealand look likely to play Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Adam Milne with Mitchell Santner their only frontline spinner, unless the pitch looks a raging turner and Ish Sodhi comes into consideration. The legspinner was dropped from the one-day squad because of Todd Astle’s superior fitness and all-round skills, then earned a reprieve when Astle suffered a tour-ending groin injury.
Munro is seen as a potential sixth bowler and snared 2-25 off four overs on Friday with medium pace.