Caps in market for keeper
Phillips has excelled but Latham looks a more solid bet
With Luke Ronchi’s international retirement, the search resumes for the country’s next limited overs wicketkeeper(s). Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips, Tom Blundell and Tim Seifert will soon all be on the ground in India as the New Zealand A tour morphs into the Black Caps itinerary later this month.
The nine-man one-day international squad — including Latham — heads off tonight.
Six players from the A squad will join them from their weather-blighted tour, which has two rescheduled oneday matches remaining.
The tourists secured a tie yesterday in a rain-shortened fixture against their Indian counterparts at Visakhapatnam. Both teams finished on 269 from 42 overs, with New Zealand losing six wickets and India nine. Phillips stamped his mark with 140 not out from 130 balls, while Blundell took the gloves and conceded one bye.
“The newer ball was coming on nice, then I worked through the middle of the innings with Tom [Bruce] and Henry [Nicholls],” Phillips said. “I was just ticking things over to do whatever was needed, and firing at the end. They bowled straight, which was effective on that deck. Their spinners used pace well and as the evening went on, it stuck and turned a bit.”
Phillips made his T20 international debut against South Africa last summer as a specialist batsman but could continue as wicketkeeper in the three matches against India next month.
He played seven innings for the Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League this season, including a 51 off 47 balls to help defeat the Amazon Warriors.
However, Phillips’ 50-over game is in its fledgling stages. The 20-year-old Aucklander has played 13 List A matches to average 41.91, including three centuries, with a strike rate of 92.
Latham seems a more solid bet to be annointed as Ronchi’s ODI successor. If that proves the case, the 25-year-old will be responsible for manoeuvring the side’s totals through the middle order as opposed to his more accustomed role of opening.
It’s an area which will challenge him. In 57 ODI innings, Latham averages 32.48 at a strike rate of 80; 15 of those knocks have been in the middle order for an average of 21.15 and strike rate of 73. Each of those averages drop further on the eight occasions he has kept.
Blundell, aged 27, and Seifert, 22, remain development options, particularly at first-class level behind BJ Watling. Blundell has averaged 38.80, including four centuries, in 36 firstclass matches and enacted 75 dismissals. The Wellington keeper’s selection for New Zealand A’s weather-thwarted first-class fixture against Pakistan last summer indicates he is held in high regard. He
Tom Latham Pros:
Experienced. Stops at nothing to hone skills and use his instinctive competitiveness to improve. Needs to improve his ability to manoeuvre and coax the side into late runs from the middle order. The likely successor to
Cons: Selection prospects:
Luke Ronchi in ODIs
Glenn Phillips Pros:
Explosive strokemaker who can extinguish fear in pursuit of the boundary at the top of the order.
Limited time as a provincial gloveman, but lack of ball-glove contact in T20 might work in his favour.
Cons: Selection prospects:
The strong contender to replace Ronchi long-term in T20Is
Tom Blundell Pros:
Handy ability to adapt between formats, with first-class centuries and sound T20 strike rate.
Cons:
Could he end up being a jack-of-all-trades who, at 27, can’t dominate in one format? A prime contender to take over if BJ Watling is injured, and a possible T20 option.
Selection prospects: Tim Seifert Pros:
Getting quality wicketkeeping time behind the best provincial bowling attack (when at full strength). Can he convince the selectors of his international value with numbers? Picked more on promise at present. A contender to take over
Cons: Selection prospects:
if Watling is injured. was also picked but not used in the Chappell-Hadlee ODI series. Selector Gavin Larsen said Blundell was a “frontline” option to keep, although Latham was eventually preferred.
Seifert was listed as keeper in both the first-class fixtures in India last month. He has averaged 34.65, including two centuries, in 23 matches and secured 66 dismissals. The Northern Districts representative’s glovework looks sound, judging by first-class footage behind the stumps last season which included sharp catches off Tim Southee’s pace and Ish Sodhi’s leg spin.