Kuggeleijn gamble didn’t pay off
Two wickets in a 172-run loss isn’t going to convince anyone that the Black Caps brains trust didn’t make a capital mistake in Wellington.
The selection of Scott Kuggeleijn for the first test of the two-match series against Australia was fraught with danger.
Its initial impact was explosive – knowing he wasn’t going to be in the XI for the game at the Basin Reserve, Neil Wagner decided to call it quits.
As fans dealt with that fallout, they quickly faced the unappetising prospect that the one-cap pace bowler would play against the world test champions, with left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner set to again be omitted from the side.
So it proved, as Kuggeleijn bowled as second-change on day one, with the assistance of a juicy pitch. He picked up a worthy wicket in dismissing the scratchy Marnus Labuschagne, got a gift for his second, but otherwise couldn’t make an impact with an older ball.
Kuggeleijn was given only three overs in the second innings, but another injury blow means he’s still likely to play in the final test starting in Christchurch on Friday.
After getting the call-up when Kyle Jamieson’s back again failed him in the series against South Africa, Kuggeleijn may maintain his spot at Hagley Oval after rookie Will O’Rourke was ruled out yesterday with a hamstring injury.
That has seen uncapped speedster Ben Sears drafted into the squad, leaving head coach Gary Stead and captain Tim Southee pondering their bowling line-up. The only way Kuggeleijn realistically misses out on a second crack against Australia tourists is if Santner gets a recall and Sears usurps his fellow quick.
That’s a huge headache looming for the team leaders – after misreading what the pitch was going to do for the past two tests, the howls of outrage will be heard from Christchurch to Canberra if the Black Caps persist with four pace bowlers and spin again becomes prevalent.
The rationale given for picking Kuggeleijn was that he was the best-qualified replacement for Jamieson – he’d taken the most Plunket Shield wickets this season and performed well for New Zealand A against their Australian counterparts late last year.
But Kuggeleijn’s sole test – a defeat to England in Mount Maunganui last summer – and his lengthy domestic career hadn’t indicated the 32-year-old would bring the spark required to push Australia.
Wagner, who will turn 38 next week, was no longer in his prime and was rightly under the selection microscope. But the same spotlight could probably have been applied to the skipper, and the man with 260 test scalps was still just a year gone from his match-winning heroics against England at the Basin.
It also meant the New Zealand attack in Wellington desperately lacked variety, with four right-arm pace bowlers in the absence of the left-arm Wagner and his targeted short-ball exam of opposing batters.
Australia’s selectors also opted to simply choose their best bowlers – but it helps greatly when one of them bowls left-arm swing at rapid pace, and another has 527 test wickets with his off-spin.
An under-fire Stead defended Kuggeleijn’s efforts on Sunday. “Scott, to be fair, put his hand up to bowl into the wind and, and we’re always gonna see slightly different speeds when you see someone with a northerly at their back or running into it.
“He will be better for the run. None of our cricketers have had a first-class game – unless they’ve been in a test match – since November, and he’s in that boat. So, for Scott, I think he will be better for the run and hope to see more of him coming into the next test,” Stead said.
Home team fans may wish differently. New Zealand Cricket seem intent on doing everything right by a player who was found not guilty of rape after two trials, by judging him solely on his cricketing ability. But in doing so, the majority of fans believe NZC is doing everything wrong.
Clearly those with grievances are the most prominent and loudest on social media – but it’s still impossible to ignore the weight of opinion posted on a player they vehemently dislike because of his behaviour that lead to him standing trial.
That meant if the Black Caps were going to replace one of the most-loved cricketers in the game’s history here, his replacement would face the severest scrutiny.
So far, it’s a move that’s badly backfired.