Anderson in red-ball U-turn
Caaron.goile@stuff.co.nz
orey Anderson is set to do a U-turn on redball cricket, as he strives to do everything possible to make the Black Caps ODI World Cup squad.
Having at the start of the season proclaimed he would take a break from the longer form of the game and concentrate on the limited-overs versions in order to give him the best chance of making the global showpiece, it’s now ironically in the Plunket Shield where the injury-plagued all-rounder could be pushing his case.
After back surgery in 2017, Anderson made his Black Caps return in two T20Is against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates last November, before a heel injury had him head home as a precaution.
A bout of shingles followed, and when it flared up a second time it saw him sit out New Zealand A’s final one-day game against India A in Mt Maunganui and the Knights’ opening match of the Super Smash T20 competition.
Now finally returned to 100 per cent, the 28-yearold has been back at the bowling crease in the Knights’ last two matches, impressing with two wickets in each, and good control and variation, in an important sign he’s still got both strings to his bow.
But the clock is ticking for his involvement in the World Cup in England and Wales, which starts on May 30 – the issue being a lack of 50-over cricket on offer in the meantime, with the Ford Trophy ironically this season moved forward in the calendar and already completed.
It leaves Anderson with the rest of the Super Smash campaign (the final is on February 17) to stake his claim, with the three-match home ODI series against Bangladesh starting on February 13 set to be the main final World Cup trial.
Whether Anderson would be considered ready for that – with still a couple of weeks until his New Zealand Cricket-monitored load-building should have him ready to bowl 10-over allocations – is questionable.
He has a deal with the Lahore Qalandars for the Pakistan Super League T20 competition (February 14-March 17), but the white clothing now has appeal.
Having talked with Black Caps coach Gary Stead, Anderson said the Plunket Shield – resuming on February 21, and finishing on March 20 – is looking an option worth taking.
‘‘We’re trying to come up with possibilities of what may work, and different kind of situations I can put myself in,’’ Anderson told Stuff.
‘‘It may mean playing a couple of the four-dayers. It’s still up for discussion and it’s just trying to piece together what that looks like. But that may mean doing that to get the loading up and having a bit of time in the middle.
‘‘I know it’s a red ball and it’s in white clothing, but I think for the sheer purpose of loading it’s definitely a consideration that we’ve got to look at.
‘‘It’s not something I’m thinking I’m being forced into or I’m clutching at straws to try and do something.
‘‘I think it’s more one of those things [looking at] what’s going to be the smartest option at the time and what’s going to give me the best chance to be able to make that World Cup side.’’
And it’s certainly the World Cup that’s been a driving force, as the race for the all-rounders spots heats up. Anderson was of course part of the Black Caps’ run to their first-ever final, in 2015, but has played only 14 ODIs since then, his last being in mid2017 at the Champions Trophy.
‘‘I’d be lying if I said you don’t think about it and it gets in your head and things like that,’’ he said. I know over the past couple of weeks, when you’re not getting runs, you’re thinking about things and you try and force the issue more than probably what you need.
‘‘And with cricket, such a fickle game at times, I think you’ve got to strip it back.
‘‘I haven’t obviously forgotten about the end goal, but I’m trying to forget about the short-term selections, in terms of putting pressure on myself to feel like this is the game I’ve got to get runs or this is the game where I’ve got to bowl overs.’’
There’s no doubting the match-winning abilities of a fully fit Anderson. A then-world record fastest ODI hundred (36 balls) against the West Indies on New Year’s Day, 2014, in Queenstown thrust him onto the world stage, with that big-hitting ability so valuable in finishing an innings; while a bowling average of 25 is excellent for an all-rounder, as wickets become an important method of run prevention in the modern day.
‘‘I’m feeling really, really good, and I just want to make the most of it while I’m back in this position,’’ he said.
‘‘I’ve been at 100 per cent before and I know what I can do when I’m fully fit, but I’ve just been a little bit unlucky with that being taken away from me pretty quickly.
‘‘It’s been frustrating not to be able to play for New Zealand. I know I should be playing more. It’s probably been frustrating for New Zealand Cricket as well, but I’m the one who’s having to deal with it at home and in the rehab and in the gym and things like that.
‘‘I know I can perform on the big stage and I did it in the last World Cup so I know I can do it again. I think just trying to play my best cricket for Northern Districts at this stage for the Super Smash is the way to go, and then whatever may be may be.’’
Aaron Goile