Published: Mar 04, 2011, 10:37 AM (IST)
Edited: Aug 16, 2014, 10:41 AM (IST)
By Nishad Pai Vaidya
New Zealand have traditionally been a very competitive one day unit. They have always had players typically suited to the 50-over format. However, their recent performances have plumbed new depths. They have struggled to find consistency over the last year which has really affected their build-up to the World Cup.
Firstly, New Zealand haven’t been very lucky since the 2007 World Cup. Some of their players injured themselves that kept them out of the game for quite some time. Shane Bond, Kyle Mills, Scott Styris, Daryl Tuffey and Jacob Oram were out of the team at different points of time in the course of the last four years. Shane Bond, arguably one of the best one-day bowlers of the decade, retired from the game as injuries took its toll.
When such key players get sidelined in quick succession, it certainly affects the team-building process. The team management had to find new faces as replacements time and again.
New Zealand’s pace bowling department has suffered a lot. Quite a few have come and gone since 2007 with none finding a permanent spot in the team.
The most disappointing aspect of their cricket, off late, has been their batting. On most occasions their batsmen haven’t been able to post a significant total on the board, putting a lot of pressure on their bowlers. Even when the bowlers have restricted the opposition, the batsmen haven’t been able to chase successfully. New Zealand have some really good players in their batting line-up such as Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder, Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill, Jacob Oram and Scott Styris. Some of these players have shown the ability to play long innings in the past, but haven’t produced such performances recently. Taylor, Ryder and Brendon McCullum have the ability to tear apart any bowling attack on a given day and Styris and Guptill are innings-builders.
Watching the New Zealand top-order crumble against the Aussies at Nagpur, I just felt that none of the Kiwi batsmen plays the role of a sheet anchor. In the one-day game, you need at least two players who can wait in the middle and build an innings. The other batsmen are required to bat around them and play their shots. Guptill and Styris are my picks for that role but they too haven’t been consistent off late. They are more technically sound that the other Kiwi batsmen and they need to take this responsibility.
New Zealand have quite a few aggressive batsmen, but sometimes they play too many shots and end up losing their wicket. McCullum has the license to go after the bowling early on. He is to the New Zealand side what Virender Sehwag is to India. If he can be a little more selective in playing shots then he will be able to score big more consistently. Ryder can really take it to the opposition and I feel he should open the batting instead of Guptill. He forms a very dangerous combination with McCullum. A stable batsman is required at No 3 and Guptill can do that for the Kiwis, instead of Ryder. Therefore, what this line-up needs is a backbone around who hitters like Ryder and McCullum can bat. If Guptill comes down at No 3, followed by Styris at No 4, the batting may become more solid.
The problem that the New Zealand team have with their bowling is that they do not have anybody to lead their pace attack. In any form of cricket, you need a senior fast bowler to lead and guide the pace battery. Kyle Mills is a good one-day bowler, but he hasn’t played in the World Cup games so far. Since the retirement of Shane Bond and constant injuries to the other pacers, they haven’t been able to find a leader for their pace attack. Luckily for them their spinners Daniel Vettori and Nathan McCullum have been good, but they alone cannot do the job. The fast bowlers are required to get the early breakthroughs or put pressure on the top order.
I think New Zealand need to assign some players to take key responsibilities. Vettori is in the side primarily for his bowling but has been doing the job with the bat far too often, which highlights the failures of the top order. They need to tell Styris and Guptill to anchor the innings so that the others can bat around them. Mills needs to come into the team as he is their senior most fast bowler and can lead the attack. If the Kiwis can tighten these areas they should find consistency really soon.
(Nishad Pai Vaidya, a 20-year-old law student, is a club and college-level cricketer. His teachers always complain, “He knows the stats and facts of cricket more than the subjects we teach him”)
