Worker finds his feet at international level
THINGS could only get better for George Worker as his new team-mates teased him about wandering barefoot through the Koru Lounge on his first Black Caps cricket tour.
Now, after a few hefty swats of the willow in Harare, Worker looks destined for a spot in the New Zealand middle order in the one-day international series against South Africa.
The 25-year-old left-hander, summoned at short notice to replace the injured Mitchell Santner, was shamed by team-mate Jimmy Neesham on Black Caps TV for removing his footwear in the airport lounge on the trip to Africa. Worker took the hit with good grace and laughed it off, explaining he’d got blisters from walking the airport to wear in his new dress shoes purchased at the last minute.
There was nothing wrong with his feet at the crease, though, as Worker overcame a nervy start to blast 62 off 38 balls, including four sixes. The thirdhighest T20 debut innings by a New Zealander guided them to 198-5 and an 80-run win in the Twenty20 match.
Former Black Cap Jacob Oram has coached Worker in Palmerston North and said his cool-headed debut pointed to a lengthy international career.
‘‘I debuted against Zimbabwe and it doesn’t matter if it’s them or the world champions, the nerves and the anxieties of playing your first match for your country will still be the same.
‘‘I liked the way he was able to perform, especially after such a tentative start [eight balls to get off the mark],’’ Oram said. ‘‘In T20 that can just compound the nerves. The way he came through that and ended with a strike rate of 140-odd shows how much talent and mental fortitude he’s got.’’
The Black Caps fly to South Africa for two T20s, the first on Saturday morning (NZT), followed by three ODIs in the rematch of the epic World Cup semifinal. With Ross Taylor’s tour over after taking a nasty hit to the groin, Oram believed Worker could excel at No 5 in the ODI side against the Dale Steyn-led Proteas attack.
‘‘I don’t think there’s a better time. Last summer he had a whale of a time and was MVP in the Ford Trophy [538 runs at 49 including three centuries] and did really well for us in the T20. In terms of his white ball cricket and statistics he’s confident.
‘‘He’s been selected so they’ve told him he’s good enough, then he goes and gets 60 at a really good clip. South Africa will be a level up, but he does play pace well and if he slots into that middle order he won’t do himself any injustice.’’
Worker’s
main
scoring
shots
in Harare were leg-side in his power hitting zones but Oram said the regular opener had shots all around the wicket.
A laidback character who bowls tidy left-arm spin, Worker took a while to find his feet after debuting for CD at 18, and moved to Canterbury where he struck up a rapport with then-coach Bob Carter. He returned to the Stags a different player, Oram said.
‘‘He needed a change of scenery to give his first-class career a kick up the backside. It really took his game to another level.’’
The other encouraging sight was fast bowler Adam Milne scaring a few batsmen in taking 2-10 off four overs in his first international since the World Cup quarterfinal. Oram worked with Milne during his long rehab from a heel injury and breathed a sigh of relief after management took an ultra-cautious approach. ‘‘He’s got that x-factor, that absolute 150kmh-plus pace that probably only four or five guys around the world have. They’re doing whatever they can to manage him and get him on the park for big games.’’