Cricket: No major changes expected in New Zealand team
After suffering two back-to-back series whitewashes, New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has blamed senior players, including himself, for his team’s “embarrassing” performance. The Kiwis lost their series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 4-0
(one ODI was abandoned due to rain) and were then also unable to win a single match against India out of the five played in that series.
“It’s about players standing up and performing,” said Vettori upon returning to his home country. “If we look at the reasons for the losses being because of selection or management structure we are absolving the players and myself
included, so the players need to stand up.”
It is being suggested that Vettori is unable to cope with the pressure of playing multiple roles in the team. (He is the captain, a selector, and a key all-rounder.) But Vettori dismisses these claims, saying that his teammates
are “comfortable” with his many functions in the team.
He did concede, however, that Kiwi fans may be losing patience with the 31-year-old skipper.
"Yeah, of course I don't blame them,” he said. “This team is hurting itself. It's a miserable time for New Zealand cricket.”
New Zealand has lost 11 ODI matches in a row, its second longest losing streak ever (after the Kiwis lost 13 consecutive matches in 1994-95). New Zealand Cricket has launched a review of the team’s performance in order to pinpoint
where the problem lies. Vettori – who has said that the tour of India was “one of the worst tours” he has played as New Zealand cricketer – is not in danger of losing his captaincy, according to New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan.
However, the role of team coach Mark Greatbatch will be under close scrutiny. Many cricket commentators in New Zealand have called for Greatbatch to be replaced by former http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 coach John Wright, considering him a preference for
the job due to his experience in the subcontinent, where next year’s World Cup is to take place. Vaughan, however, believes time may be short for such a major change as that.
"The danger is obviously that significant change could sometimes be extremely unsettling,” said Vaughan. “It doesn't mean to say you can't do it, but you need to go in with your eyes open."
Vettori, while acknowledging that Wright’s successful international record may prove to benefit a team that has been consistently failing abroad, does not believe the former http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 opener’s appointment is likely.
"We are comfortable with the process we went with around the appointment of Mark and the way the team is operating with [performance director Roger Mortimer] and the others,” said the Kiwi skipper.
The New Zealand cricket team will now be hosting a series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Auckland-c766.
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