Sideshow or not, heat's on Bleak Caps (+video)

The changing face of the game was no more evident than the Black Caps' arrival at London's Heathrow Airport.

No captain, vice-captain and three senior players. An active media barely noticed. The bedrock county system attracted more interest. Fanfare and festivity lay elsewhere, in the subcontinent. By comparison we are "unsexy", "only" New Zealand', a team England will "surely dispatch".

So the Bleak Caps began (historically) the most important tour on their schedule by stirring up apathy.

England regard New Zealand as a sideshow to sterner tests against South Africa later in the summer – a modest short-term demand. THE goal is the Ashes of 2009.

They're right though. It's a raw and mediocre-looking side made increasingly fragile with the retirement of Stephen Fleming and the available yet unselectable Shane Bond. A green team for May's green and seamy tracks.

Factors have conspired to reduce options for the selectors – stick with the status quo and stall development further, or embrace youthful exuberance and hope? This is the catch 22.

Consistent sides include perhaps one youngster with talent. But five? Forget Tim Southee for a moment, all ours are batsmen. I am fearful if we perform poorly that England may send us to that place Zimbabwe and Bangladesh reside – a two-match test series. Australia perhaps begin to see us in this context already. How has this happened?

The reasons vary. Some are more easily controlled than others. Natural attrition is always a factor in team construction (Fleming), cricket's refurbished marketplace has inspired a new-found love of the subcontinent (Craig McMillan, Lou Vincent and Scott Styris) and rumoured problems at coach and board level have annoyed some players (Nathan Astle, Chris Cairns, Fleming and Hamish Marshall).

Selectorial policy should never permit such an influx of inexperience. A long-term view introduces new players carefully in an ordered way so that a balanced structure of new and old exists.

In an ideal world, Jamie How and Ross Taylor would be two of our young stars poised for development. An England tour is an ideal place for them to progress. However, compared to their top- order teammates, they are senior statesmen. And Taylor himself was dropped as recently as the Bangladesh series. Is this the way to develop long-term players?

Despite circumstances, the squad looks unbalanced. Five seam bowlers (an aging population of 29-33) and Jacob Oram. It does appear heavily weighted – six into four (test requirements) when the batting looks so inexperienced and unknown is a luxury. The top five batsmen register 19 tests between them. Similar batting positions for the Bangladesh side that played New Zealand recently held 115 tests and their current opposition 221. All England whiff crumbly collapso.

Batting has been a concern. Over the past 10 tests, New Zealand have batted, on average, 76 overs in their first innings. With such limited scope, there's a need to score above a one-day rate to remain competitive. But they actually score 3-3.5 runs per over.

Oram, Daniel Vettori and Kyle Mills may need to bat their trousers off to keep this side afloat. And that merely delays the inevitable time when they remove the pads to go out and bowl.

Anyone will tell you when the market is weak it is an opportunity. The players will give as much of themselves as possible. Because the bowling is more settled and backed by energetic fielding, this tour may hinge on whether our younger players can score runs. It is a high-risk strategy.

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Paddy Brtiggs   #4   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

I posted the story about Coney's remarks on the BBC website. I did this because I had heard Coney on the BBC's "Test Match Special" and was shocked by what I heard. It was more than a slip of the tongue and very disturbing. I am not, I think, being unduly "Politically Correct" here - the comments were shocking and Coney needs to give some answers - not least to Ross Taylor!

Shay   #3   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

I'm not going to beat around the bush - We are going to get thumped in this series.

How did James Marshall get a call up? He has a first class average of 30. He has scored 9 hundreds in 169 innings. He is batting in the pivotal position of 3. This is THE most important position in the order.

The blame for NZ crickets demise lies on the shoulders of the selectors. They have been making these boneheaded selections for years now.

I'm tired of this rubbish.

Jordan   #2   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

I'm an Australian and I can say that I have never dismissed the NZ team as easy-beats. Whenever they play Australia they always lift their game and before the last world cup they thrashed us in the Chapell-Hadlee series. As a small nation, NZ has done a bloody good job at producing some great cricketers and I have nothing but respect for Vettori and Co. Go Black Caps!

simon   #1   05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Jeremy: I usually enjoy your cricket writing and commentary. So I was surprised to read on the BBC blog that you had referred to Ross Taylor as "not a New Zealander", because of his Samoan heritage.

It would be helpful if you could clarify these unfortunate comments (if you made them), because they are now going around the world via the popular BBC website. Did you really say that, or mean it?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tms/2008/05/aggers_day_one.shtml

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