Southee backs middle order to start firing
Senior Black Cap Tim Southee believes there’s too much quality in their middle order to keep underperforming against England.
New Zealand enter must-win territory at Dunedin’s sold out University Oval tomorrow, trailing 2-1 in the five match ODI series.
Skipper Kane Williamson did all he could to almost lead New Zealand to victory in Saturday’s match in Wellington, hitting a superb 112 not out in the four-run loss.
A middle order collapse crippled the Black Caps’ chances, going from 80-1 to 103-6 and losing four wickets for six runs to English spinners Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali during a horror 21-ball span.
Henry Nicholls (one run from three innings) and Colin de Grandhomme (43 from three innings at 14.33) both find themselves under pressure and in desperate need of a handy contribution in Dunedin.
The manner of de Grandhomme’s wicket in Wellington frustrated, whacking the ball to long on, when he really needed to consolidate and build a decisive partnership with Williamson.
While he failed to make an impact with the bat, de Grandhomme excelled with the ball on a tricky batting wicket, taking 1-24 from 10 overs.
Southee defended the middle order batting and said while they had disappointed in the last two matches, they had proved in the past what they were capable of.
Nicholls impressed in the Pakistan and West Indies ODIs, while de Grandhomme was instrumental in leading New Zealand to a clean sweep against Pakistan. He smashed an unbeaten 74 off 40 balls in the fourth ODI in Hamilton, hitting five sixes.
‘‘It’s not a soul-searching moment. I think guys just need to go back and be a bit more clearer on their roles and what’s needed at the time.
‘‘Obviously, the batting effort wasn’t anywhere near where we wanted it to be. The guys know they probably didn’t achieve what they wanted to in the last game, but they’ve all had success at this level.’’
New Zealand’s top order should receive a major boost with veteran Ross Taylor expected to slot back in at No 4 after missing the Wellington match with a thigh injury.
Despite losing two straight matches after a nine-game ODI winning run dating back to the Pakistan and West Indies series, Southee said morale remained high in the group.
‘‘The beauty of this side is throughout the whole summer and throughout the last number of years we’ve prepared the same whether we’ve won or lost. We’ve looked to do what we do before each game and don’t get too caught up with what’s already happened ...
‘‘I don’t think it’s panic stations yet.’’
The Black Caps will take comfort from knowing they have yet to lose an ODI at University Oval or the venue for Saturday’s fifth match, Christchurch’s Hagley Oval.
They have won six from six at the Dunedin ground dating back to 2010, including their most recent clash, a 183-run thrashing of Pakistan in January.
‘‘We have had a lot of success here. I can’t put my finger on what exactly it is, maybe the weather, but we enjoy coming down here.
‘‘It is something different and we’ve played some good cricket down here.’’
Southee and the bowling unit will need to be on song against England’s potent batting line-up at a ground, where anything short or wide can sail for a boundary given its small dimensions.
His new ball bowling partner Trent Boult has enjoyed strong success there, taking 5-17 against Pakistan and 4-44 against Sri Lanka in January 2015 before the World Cup.
‘‘We’ve played enough cricket over the last number of years to know a little about the ground,’’ Southee said.