McCullum turns up heat on spinners

CRICKET

THE batsmen and seam bowlers got a tick but the spinners and fielding unit got ‘‘could-do-betters’’ from Brendon McCullum after the drawn first cricket test with Bangladesh.

The New Zealand skipper set the home side 256 in 46 overs but Bangladesh bailed out of the challenge in Chittagong, reaching 173-3 in reply.

The teams meet again in a week in Dhaka and McCullum obviously wants improvement.

‘‘Fielding: we can improve on our fielding,’’ he said. ‘‘I thought we were a bit patchy and that’s something we pride ourselves in.

‘‘The bowling: I thought the seamers were outstanding right through the test match in trying conditions and the spinners; I thought they got better as the match went on.’’

Although McCullum may not have acknowledged it, the spin bowling will be an issue within the Black Caps’ camp. Supposed No 1 spinner Bruce Martin bowled 27 wicketless first innings overs and ended with match figures of 2-175 from 43 overs.

More damning perhaps was the fact McCullum threw the ball to part-time spinner Kane Williamson before Martin in the second innings. Debutant Ish Sodhi was the most successful of the spinners with three wickets in the match.

New Zealand have 15 players in Bangladesh and could make changes. Dean Brownlie, Mark Gillespie, Neil Wagner or Tom Latham did not play in Chittagong and Wagner looks an option for Martin or Doug Bracewell.