Black Caps need change in attitude

Fairfax Media

Last updated 23:38 01/12/2008

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At lunchtime yesterday the future of Australian cricket flocked in an orderly style on to the Adelaide Oval for a series of fast-paced games.

The five- and six-year-olds were all dressed in green and gold and one little nipper, only the height of the nearby picket fence, promptly provided the best batting of the morning.

Little Johnny can't have seen the horror show that the New Zealand top order had just performed, or perhaps his mother had told him over his cereal and juice that the young men from across the ditch were only there for entertainment.

Granted the wee bloke played every shot in the book over the space of five minutes but he kept the ball on the carpet, ran like the wind and had his socks pulled up. He looked every bit a cricketer, something no one in the New Zealand top order did yesterday.

Even accounting for their inexperience and the quality of opposition, New Zealand's specialist batsmen were an embarrassment to their country.

The pitch is one of the best batting surfaces in the world, Australia's attack is still below its best but New Zealand's batsmen lacked the bottle, the belief, the technique and the game plan to stave off the Aussies.

The plan should have been based around all-out survival in the first session to break the hearts of the three quicks because there is money for old rope when offspinner Nathan Hauritz is in the attack.

But New Zealand can't have had a plan. The alarm bells were ringing as early as the previous evening when at the after-match press conference Iain O'Brien suggested New Zealand would take a more positive attitude into the fourth day, that after being 35-0 in nine overs before stumps.

Aaron Redmond is clearly a good listener because he played extravagantly through mid-off on the first ball of the morning and then looped a catch to point from a second harmless offering from Lee.

The rest came and went at steady intervals and you wonder how they look their hapless skipper Daniel Vettori in the eyes when they walk through the dressing-room door.

Even taking into account the bulk of the New Zealand side are learning their games at test level when others have the luxury of coming to grips with this difficult game on the first-class stage, losing five wickets for 48 runs in the first session was a disgrace.

There are also expectations of them, like catches will be taken (Daniel Flynn), that batsmen will get themselves set (Redmond, Jesse Ryder) before bringing out the million-dollar shots and that the lower order (Tim Southee, Iain O'Brien and Chris Martin) will put a price on their wicket.

We are in this situation for a variety of reasons - a group of senior players departing about the same time and the advent of the Indian leagues, but it doesn't mean we have to wave the white flag.

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A change in attitude not a change in personnel is required for next week's test against the West Indies in Dunedin.

The best players available have been identified, now they just need to rally behind their leader (Vettori).

For all that, the batting needs strengthening and the return of Jacob Oram and James Franklin, both under slight injury clouds, could rectify that and provide some variation in the attack.

There will be consideration given to a change at the top of the order and new selector John Wright is known to prefer Jamie How at No 3, thereby possibly opening the way for a call-up for Tim McIntosh or a return for Matthew Bell.

My team: Redmond, How, Ryder, Taylor, Oram, Flynn, Brendon McCullum, Franklin, Vettori, O'Brien, Martin, with Southee to carry the drinks.

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34 comments

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John #34 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Until we teach our batsmen to bat for long periods it wont matter who you pick, our domestic/club cricket is rubbish because of wet/slow wickets that give bowlers too much assistance. Domestic cricket should only be played in Canterbury/Central Districts and North of Auckland....where the wickets are faster and harder, where batsmen get the chance to bat for long periods and bolwers have to work for there wickets. Is it a shock to people that..Astle/Cairns/harris/flemeing/bond/mcmillian/oram/taylor/how/sinclair/ryder...and there are more all come from CD or canterbury originally? Why is this? The wickets are better and people bat for longer periods.

We must get our demostic game to a new level...until this happens you can all pick the any team you like...the results will be the same.

WD #33 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

I am not sure how fiddling around with a few bowlers can fix the real problems with this team - absolutely pathetic batting technique and lack of patience (concentration). Given that we have a variety of coaches including batting it is unbelieveable to me to see the most fundamental errors in batting technique by top order batsmen (particularly in the early stages of their innings!) - virtually no foot movement - just standing on the crease, putting a foot straight down the pitch and trying to hit through the off side, playing cross bat shots within five minutes of getting to the wicket, playing straight out defensive shots, which are never going to get a run, with the bat finishing over the batsman's head, trying to turn straight balls through square leg early in the innings and the list goes on. The problem is that our 'batsmen' don't have the commitment and concentration to wait until their innings gets under way before they go berserk with this range of amateurish techniques that would, frankly, be unacceptable in a junior schoolboys team. You may be able to get away with some of them when you have 30 or 40 runs but not when you have been at the wicket for less than 5 minutes. As for Chris Martin - it is beyond belief that after playing so many games and practising every day he can't show even a modicum of technique "foot to the ball" "eyes over the ball". Remember Ewen Chatfield who, with a similar natural batting ability, gutsed it out game after game. But hey, don't let's blame him overly - if you are expecting your number 11 to be your batting saviour you are in serious trouble!!

Dansirob #32 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Jamie How - 16 tests 30 innings 23.62 average, no centuries. Time for him to go.

James Franklin is a top cricketer and should be in the team, especially once he can bowl full spells again.

Let Southee, Ryder and Taylor grow into their positions.

Roger J (Jeakings) #31 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Can you imagine in any shape or form the Australian cricketing public allowing their team getting away with what the Black Caps have got away with? Can you imagine the Australian cricket media making soft "tut tut" noises they way our media does? The whole New Zealand cricketing circus really is a joke. How they the Black Caps put their hands for their pay time after time, failure after failure is beyond me. Will someone stand up and say "enough!"

allan arthur brown #30 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

thisteam has not improved over the last few seasons,same old story nc continuity in the batting on makes a reasonable score the rest flop with the money the are getting afew questions need to asked about their commitment and ability a bit discipline is needed.bring back glen turner.

Ben #29 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Oh yes, Ideally my team would go:

Bell, How, Ryder, Taylor, Flynn, Oram, McCullum, Vettori, Franklin, Mills, O,Brien.

Atleast this batting line up could bat out 3 or 4 sessions (touch wood).

Ben #28 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Embarrassing. I fell really sorry for Dan Vettori, he seems to be the only player we have with back bone.

Jamie Mustard #27 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Peter Ingram should be in that team. Been showing class for sometime now and has been completely overlooked. Redmond has no future with NZ cricket and Bell has proven too many times that he can't step up to the international plate. Ingram will be a breath of fresh air for all.

Greatbatch of Pikelets #26 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

Give Southee a break. If we want to build a team for the future then we have to nurture young talent. Vettori wasn't that special as a 20 year old, but this rare show of foresight from the NZ selectors has given us an experienced and capable player and captain. I'd rather see more young blood than digging up old fossils. Next thing you know Skippy Sinclair will be in the mix. Southee should be on the park for the entire WI series - experience in the 5 day game is paramount for our test cricket future.

Zane #25 05:26 pm Jan 28 2009

What are you on about with Franklin? He is ordinary. Bowls pies, and never seen him do anything consisently at Test Level with the bat, save for one fluke performance when the pressure was off.

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