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Loading ...The wilting New Zealanders
By Will last year, mid-November Leave a comment on this post
What a tour New Zealand are having. Hammered in the first Test, after which their changing room resembled a hospital waiting room. And now today, when they plummeted from 84 for 1 to 187 for 8 and, in the process, have almost certainly lost Craig Cumming (right: Dale Steyn broke his cheekbone) for the remainder of the match.
The pitch was a beast, the fast bowling even beastlier. When Daniel Vettori won the toss and chose to bat, it reminded me of Mike Atherton’s tenure when winning the toss mattered so little. Either England were rolled over in a couple of sessions, or their bowlers would concede 350 in a day for a couple of strangled wickets. They were hopeless and hapless, much as New Zealand now are.
But here’s a stat: in the past two years, New Zealand have played eight Tests. Eight. South Africa on the other hand have notched 19. What on earth is going on? Are New Zealand a Test-playing nation or not? The very fact they can field an international side is remarkable enough, given that they such a tiny pool of players to choose from. But if they don’t play Tests, how can they expect to compete? The only man to cope with Steyn’s pace, and the pitch’s vagaries, was Stephen Fleming who has strode out 105 times for his country.
It’s a shame for New Zealand but also for South Africa’s fans. Who wants to see them roll a side over this easily, this meekly? The matches are sparsely attended and who can blame them?
If you have any thoughts on the series, let me know.
Tags: craig cumming, new-zealand, new-zealand-in-south-africa, south-africa, test-cricket |
