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Loading ...I must have watched cummings face hook 22 times. One of the better fast bowling incidents for a long time.
The wilting New Zealanders
By Will 3 years ago, mid-November Add your comment below
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 |
5 Responses to “The wilting New Zealanders”
November 17th, 2007 at 10.01 am
November 17th, 2007 at 6.04 pm
Canada seem to get more cricket than NZ.
I think it’s cos the country is so far away, and with its small pool of players and supporters, it’s very expensive for the NZ Cricket Board to fly the team to matches.
Rugby also gets in the way. The rugby season encroaches ever futher into the cricket season, tearing up the fields and hampering support and availability.
November 17th, 2007 at 10.56 pm
I don’t think money has anything to do with it – I’d be surprised, anyway. They ought to receive a shed load from the ICC at any rate. But you’re right about rugby for sure. I imagine donkey racing is as popular as cricket in NZ
November 17th, 2007 at 11.07 pm
*Was joking about the cost of flights.*
Daniel Vettori has bemoaned the lack of Test action for NZ. It’s bizarre that they get so little, given the packed international schedule for every other team. Perhaps they were pencilled in to play Zim a few times in the last two years.
There is a terrific article on Cricinfo, showing how badly NZ have performed in overseas Tests in recent years. I hope the new regime works towards building a squad who can play equally well at home or away. They seem to produce endless numbers of dibbly dobblers, who serve well in one day cricket, but get trounced in Tests.
I think they should study how England worked its way of the rut of the mid 1990s. Duncan Fletcher for coach, perhaps?
November 17th, 2007 at 11.15 pm
Yeah, two great pieces, one by Rajesh and the other Andrew McLean – both worth checking out. Bracewell is certainly accountable (or rather he should be)…
I did ask Duncan about his future coaching, and he’s definitely up for it…but not until next year. Can’t see him going to NZ somehow though.
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