Neesham’s batting a boost amid the gloom
There were glum faces and terse words in New Zealand’s dressing room at Manuka Oval, the strains of Australian singing audible nearby.
A very poor show with the ball and in the field ensured the Black Caps’ reign as Chappell-Hadlee Trophy holders was over, and coach Mike Hesson and captain Kane Williamson were forthright. ‘‘They made it pretty clear they weren’t all that happy with the performance and that’s fair enough,’’ said Jimmy Neesham.
After the 116-run loss, chasing a monster 379, Neesham sat nursing a sore and badly bruised right arm from a 148kmh Mitchell Starc thunderbolt. He wasn’t immune to the criticism of bowling and fielding, but amid the gloom provided a glimmer of light.
Neesham’s knock of 74 off 83 balls was his highest score in his 25th ODI, and a breakthrough in terms of being viewed as a serious top-five batsman. With Ross Taylor absent due to eye surgery, Neesham stepped into the No 4 spot and enjoyed it, with the exception of the Starc bouncer and accompanying verbal spray.
Still he wasn’t satisfied. ‘‘You come over to these shores not knowing how you’re going to go and not knowing if you have the skills to stand up to pretty hostile conditions. To come over and get two starts is positive but would like to have gone on to three figures in one of them,’’ said Neesham, averaging 54 in the series.
The No 5 batting spot in both ODI and test formats continues to cause headaches. When Taylor was in doubt for the Hamilton test, options were so thin that coach and chief selector Hesson summoned Dean Brownlie, now an opening batsman.
For this series Neesham was preferred at No 4 to Henry Nicholls, with Colin Munro at five for the massive run chase in Canberra.
With just his second ODI halfcentury, Neesham’s average crept up towards 25 and sent a message for the home summer where Bangladesh, Australia (again) and South Africa loom.
‘‘In the first 20-odd games of my ODI career I’ve been down at six, seven and eight and finishing off games where it’s a little bit harder to make a big impact. Obviously we’ve got Kane and Ross there for the long term but I wouldn’t mind making that No 5 spot my own.’’
Getting back in the test team, after he lost his spot to Colin de Grandhomme, is another goal and he confirmed he’d like a crack at No 5, where Nicholls is the incumbent.
Neesham scored centuries in his first two tests, against India and West Indies, and still averages 38 from 10 tests.
‘‘When I started in test cricket I just played my natural game and batted how it came easiest to me. The last few months in test cricket I tried to be a proper test batsman which didn’t work all that well. Now the goal is definitely to go back and play my natural game in all forms.’’
Still, he’s an allrounder and his bowling remains a worry. After the past two games he’s not alone in the must-do-better category in this New Zealand team after they were savaged at the death by Australia’s power hitters Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh, among others.
Neesham felt nerves and the big occasion in Sydney contributed to the sloppy fielding, and some loose bowling which just snowballed. Canberra was the nadir after Australia set a solid platform and then launched.
‘‘We started quite well but going for 170-odd in last 15 overs is not what you want from a team that have shown they have the skills to bowl well at the death.’’
Avoiding a 3-0 whitewash at the MCG, scene of their 2015 World Cup final defeat is what remains. Taking control of the game early and maintaining it is the obvious goal against the world No 1 side.
‘‘We set pretty high standards in this team about putting our best on the park every game. It’s not often you get to play the Aussies in their backyard so there’s certainly no lack of motivation.’’
OPINION: Normal transmission resumed in trans-Tasman cricketing relations, and what a crystal clear picture it was.
At home Australia are awfully hard to get past, and they played like the world’s No 1 team and dominated a patchy Black Caps side to snatch the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy with a game to spare.
New Zealand arrived with high hopes but hardly gave themselves the best chance of retaining the silverware, or even pushing Australia to the wire.
We look at five ways the Black Caps got it wrong and gave the hosts a leg-up: It’s too important just to let this slide. Kane Williamson’s decision after winning the toss in Canberra didn’t quite rival Brendon McCullum’s bat first blunder in the Cape Town 45 test of 2013, but it was significant.
Yes, it’s easy in hindsight but the Black Caps didn’t do enough homework and relied on weather reports and simply pressing their sprigs into the pitch.
The Channel Nine commentators knew all about the pitch via their technology provider which scanned the surface and reported there was minimal moisture and was definitely a bat first (as history overwhelmingly suggested).
Australia had an early look at the pitch while the New Zealanders were slightly later to the centre and arrived when the hessian cover was on. They either didn’t ask for, or weren’t offered, the pitch reading data by the broadcasters.
Batting first is always Australia’s preferred option and Steve Smith would have done so again.
By not taking them out of their comfort zone, thereby offering them a chance to grab the initiative, the game got away from the Black Caps in a hurry when they could have tried to seize control with bat in hand.
TAYLOR MADE
Eye surgery should have waited a week for Ross Taylor, under instruction from team management.
The way he batted against Pakistan after some eye specialist advice and eye drops was nearly the Taylor of old and his presence, particularly in the Sydney run chase, would have provided a massive boost at No 4.
By not rushing Taylor back, delaying this non-urgent surgery till next week then taking their chances with his recovery time, it devalued this series.
It may not mean much to Australia, and crowds voted with their feet, but the hosts managed to front with a full-strength side when they could have rested their gun fast bowlers.
SLOW DEATH
With Mitchell McClenaghan injured, and Tim Southee unwanted for game one, New Zealand left themselves exposed when bowling at the death.
In Sydney they conceded 113 runs in the last 10 overs, and in Canberra a mammoth 126 as Southee was bowled out before the carnage right at the end.
Matt Henry is excellent with the new ball but his work-on remains coming back for later spells, and variations of length and pace.
Trent Boult also suffered in Canberra on a very flat pitch, but has been good at the death previously.
Jimmy Neesham’s bowling remains borderline at international level.
By not putting the foot on the throat after a slick first 25 overs in Sydney, and making the wrong call at the toss in Canberra, they were exposed at the death and it crippled them in both matches.
FLAT FIELDING
‘‘We’re a very good fielding side,’’ we keep hearing. They are, but not at the moment. Dropped catches, poor throws, outfield confusion, not hitting the stumps, it was poor all round when they needed it to be at their best to compete as past New Zealand sides have.
Fielding practices looked sharp with coach Mike Hesson and assistants Craig McMillan and Shane Jurgensen running outfield sessions in Sydney, so what went wrong?
Neesham believed nerves were a factor. ‘‘Sometimes cricket is one of those sports where the harder you try the worse you do on the park. The lads were pretty fizzed up for this series and possibly a bit of nerves playing in front of a decent crowd at the SCG.’’
DRS DRAMA
The Steve Smith not out on 14 in Sydney (he made 164) should be another nail in the coffin of player challenges. If umpires on and off field were given control of the decision review system Smith would have been out, and the first ODI would have taken on a far different complexion.
New Zealand’s DRS reviews have been largely poor this summer (and they were also not great under former skipper Brendon McCullum). Against a team’s best batsman like Smith or David Warner it’s always worth a go, but with only one challenge in ODIs and past blunders it gets a lot tougher for a skipper. Williamson was uncertain and Smith heard another New Zealand player say he’d inside edged the ball.
Removing challenges from the players’ hands will give more credibility to the system (assuming umpires use it properly) and avoid these guessing games and blind gambles.