Latham passes Asian spin test, once again
NEWDELHI: “It’s one of the greatest chases I’ve seen, certainly in my time as a Black Cap,” said Kane Williamson, who witnessed two of his mates achieve something that no team or player has been able to do in the past two years – overshadow a Virat Kohli ton.
At 80/3, and with Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal in stupendous form, nobody would’ve expected New Zealand to come even close to the target.
But Tom Latham and Ross Taylor had other ideas and batted away everything that India’s newest spin attack could throw at them.
Taylor, New Zealand’s most experienced campaigner, faced 100 balls -- hitting eight boundaries in his 95-run knock. But it was Latham’s ton that had everyone talking about.
Latham, their new No. 5, not only pushed his side closer to a historic series win in India but also provides the flexibility the team is looking for.
Williamson’s ploy to go with three spinners against India during the 2016 ICC World T20 game in Kanpur was termed ‘Bloody Genius’ and now the Latham move is nothing less than that.
The left-handed batsman made the Indian spinners ineffective with solid sweep, reverse-sweep shots and deft placements. In subcontinent conditions, hardly an overseas batsman has employed the sweep shot -- both with and against spin -- to perfection in the past few years. But Latham’s ton is an example why he could master the Asian conditions in future.
On the last tour of India, Latham – who was New Zealand’s highest run-getter in the ODI series -- was criticised for having failed to convert his fifties. He’s back in India in less than a year and has scored back to back hundreds, the first one against Board President’s XI. The first impression of him being a good player of spin came during an ODI against Sri Lanka in 2013. Chasing a revised target of 198 in 23 overs, it was Latham’s 68-ball 86 that countered the spin duo of Rangana Herath and Sachitra Senanayake and guided the Kiwis to an unlikely win at Hambantota.
During the Test series against Pakistan in UAE in 2014, Latham slammed two tons in three games as New Zealand drew the series 1-1 against Misbahul-Haq’s men, who had hammered Australia 2-0 before this series.