Southee calls for calm
When the Black Caps packed their bags to leave Hamilton two months ago, it was amidst smiles and back-slaps.
Should they leave around midnight tonight 3-0 down in the Twenty20 series to India, it’s likely to be a far more sombre departure.
However, veteran opening bowler Tim Southee insists the New Zealand side try to treat those two impostors – triumph and disaster – just the same.
When New Zealand wrapped up a test series victory over England with a draw at Seddon Park, the side was riding a high that had accompanied their heroics at the World Cup.
But Kane Williamson’s side was flattened by Australia in a test series rout across the ditch and any hope that could be quickly removed from the fans’ memories were brushed aside by India’s dismissal of New Zealand’s challenges in the opening two games of the five-match T20 series at Eden Park last week.
Southee said yesterday the team’s mental status didn’t need a massive upgrade however. ‘‘I don’t think it’s something you all of a sudden have to search for.
‘‘One of the traits of this side is that we stay level. We didn’t get too far ahead of ourselves when things were going well, and the same thing when things aren’t going so well.
‘‘You can’t dig yourselves into a hole, you’ve got to stay that level mentality as often as you can. It is a strength of the side – we’re not far away, we’re one performance away from a W.’’
That didn’t appear likely on Sunday when a below-par batting effort at Eden Park allowed India to chase with minimal pressure, but Southee said the squad won’t fret if the sporting public has viewed them as slipping from champs to chumps in short succession.
‘‘Everyone’s entitled to their opinions – there’s fans, I guess, that ride the emotions and the disappointments and the highs when it is going well.
‘‘But as a group you have to stay as level as you can. When times are like this and it isn’t so easy, guys can’t go insular and beat themselves up.’’
Southee said the opening game was ‘‘probably one that got away from us.’’ ‘‘We should have defended that, but we can’t look over our shoulders.’’
Hence why there won’t be a huge inquest into the tactic of batting first on Sunday against an opponent that loves to chase a T20 target. ‘‘The decisions are based around the surface and what we think is best to do – we thought it was to bat first in those first two games.’’
‘‘We’re not far away, we’re one performance away from a W.’’ Tim Southee