Siddons: Black Caps need faith in Franklin’s batting
CRICKET
FIREBIRDS coach Jamie Siddons believes there is not enough faith being shown in James Franklin’s batting ability at the Twenty20 World Cup in Pallekele.
After opening earlier in the tournament, Franklin’s batting was relegated to a sideshow against Sri Lanka yesterday, coming in below Jacob Oram and Nathan McCullum and scoring 8 not out.
Franklin’s treatment surprises Siddons.
‘‘I’m not sure why he’s down the order below Oram and Nathan but I’m sure they have their reasons. I think a fair bit of planning would have went into it and as the game unfolds things change.
‘‘Hopefully they give him a chance [against England] to show a bit more with the bat.’’
Siddons thinks the Black Caps are carrying an extra batsman in case of a top-order collapse, rather than trusting Franklin.
‘‘Franky [Franklin] is a great insurance policy. He won’t get out if you don’t want him to get out and he’ll score at a run a ball and finish for you.
‘‘They’ve got Kane [Williamson] and Franky and they’re trying to fit both into one team.’’
Franklin is not alone in having a rocky ride in Mike Hesson’s Twenty20 setup but Siddons believes he will be handling the uncertainty just fine.
‘‘His role is to be versatile and no-one does that better than Franklin ... it’s not perfect for anyone but you need someone to be able to do that in Twenty20.’’
That versatility had him turning back the clock to his bowling days against Sri Lanka, the lefthander sending down four overs at the death.
Siddons said Franklin could come back to Wellington knowing there was a more settled place in the Firebirds waiting for him.
‘‘We’re not sure how many games he will be playing for us but he’ll be batting three or four and he’ll be permanent there.’’