Fans are expecting more, says White
Auckland pull ace from pack with Sussex quick
New Zealand’s cricket public now have a heightened expectation of performance from their national team, according to cricket boss David White.
He’s been disappointed with New Zealand’s form in India, which now runs at four straight defeats in test and ODI formats going into tonight’s second 50-over clash at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla, but doesn’t agree that unless they stop the rot they’ll have lost a chunk of goodwill with the fans before the start of the home international summer.
“I’m not sure about that,” White, who was in India for part of the test series, said yesterday. “The team would agree they haven’t performed to the level they’d like to.
“Our fans have higher expectations now and that’s good. We accept that. That’s been on the back of what the team has done in the last two or three years. It is a challenge for our guys, they need to turn it around and I know [coach] Mike Hesson and [captain] Kane Williamson are desperate to do that.”
New Zealand are ranked third in the ODI game, one point and one place above India. That will change unless something dramatic changes within the Black Caps, starting tonight. New Zealand’s ODI record at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground, with its distinctive sloping grandstand at one end, is poor — played two ODIs, lost both, in 1994 and 1999. They’ve had a draw (1955) and loss (1965) in the two tests there. Auckland have made a move for an overseas signing largely unknown in this part of the world, which they hope can give them an edge in this summer’s domestic T20 competition.
Sussex left arm quick Tymal Mills will be available for the full competition, which starts on December 4.
Mills has a rare congenital back problem.
So on medical advice, he’s finished with first-class cricket at 24. He is restricted to T20 cricket, where the demands are far less stressful for fast bowlers, .
The Auckland connection came through Sussex players, Chris Nash, Craig Cachopa and Luke Wright, all of whom have spent time playing for the Aces. Indeed, the talented Cachopa is heading back to Auckland too, after a couple of years in England, and may figure in the team’s plans.
India seem to be holding all the aces right now and New Zealand are in a funk.
Once again the scrutiny will be on the batsmen.
The bowlers have been steady, the fielding tidy but the batsmen have let the group down repeatedly.
Captain Kane Williamson, senior
Mills is seriously fast, took 15 wickets at 19.7 with a strike rate of a wicket every 15 balls in this year’s English domestic competition. He played one T20 international against Sri Lanka this year and his overall record in the shortest form, 41 wickets in 35 games at 21.41, is appealing too.
“He’s different,” Auckland coach Mark O’Donnell said, adding he had been impressed by the feedback he had had from players who have played with and against Mills.
“It is exciting. If you come up with someone who no one has seen or faced, it does take a few balls to have a look. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Mills confirmed it’s just T20 for the next couple of years and “I've just turned 24 so hopefully have quite a few years left in me”.
— David Leggat man Ross Taylor and opener Martin Guptill must deliver. Williamson is ranked fifth in the ODI game, Guptill, for all his red ball worries, is sixth and Taylor 14th.
Expect bowlers Trent Boult and Matt Henry, who sat out the opening ODI, to be in the frame for tonight, on the basis of rotation in the early stages of a long season, with batting allrounder Anton Devcich and BJ Watling to get a chance at some point.
New Zealand were rolled for 190 with 6.1 overs unbowled in Dharamsala, the batting a major disappointment, save Tom Latham’s unbeaten 79 and Tim Southee’s lusty 55 late on.
It wasn’t as if the pitch was poor or the spinners were too good.
In fact with ace turners Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja sitting out the first three ODIs, India’s standins were average.
Unfortunately New Zealand’s batting was worse and they had trouble coping with quality fast-medium bowling from Umesh Yadav and debutant Hardik Pandya.
Winning a first toss on tour would be handy, but New Zealand have no excuses now in a format they are generally good at.