New Zealand woes against spin – Opinion
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 entered the series with their backs against the walls, and they are now finishing the tour with the same sense of underachievement. They have shown brilliance but that have come sporadically, and another failure at Colombo will mean that they
have lost three consecutive away series by 2-0 margins.
On all occasions, spin has been their chief tormentor; http://www.senore.com/Cricket/R-Ashwin-c2228 and Pragyan
Ojha accounted for 31 of their 40 wickets in the subsequent two-match series.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/HMRKB-Herath-c1559 then displayed his prowess by taking 11 in the first match to maintain his impressive record at Galle. More is to follow and another submission of similar sort surely won’t be acceptable back home.
They had given themselves a head start following the conclusion of the first two days. Though the batters failed to take advantage of the favourable conditions, the fast bowlers indeed caught the Lankans by surprise. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/TG-Southee-c2659 has now firmly asserted himself
as the leader of the attack and the supporting cast looks good in the presence of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/JS-Patel-c1747.
However, their batsmen failed to show enough conviction, as they have for the best part of the current year, and handed ascendency to their opponents, which then pounced on their advantage to earn a 10-wicket win. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/LRPL-Taylor-c1849 and Brendon
McCullum were largely at fault for their own dismissals and showed considerable lack of confidence against the spinners.
They cannot blame the track for their poor showings either, as one expects the Lankan pitches to remain on the slower side and further offer turn as the match wears on. They need to address their failings against spin and that simply does not mean that they
show attacking instinct.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Taylor-c92915 highlighted this fact and wanted his batters need to score big runs, and convert their starts into substantial knocks, and his advice was that they attack the opposition. While that may turn out to be fruitful, as witnessed during Taylor’s counterattacking
knock at Bangalore, they must devise a feasible strategy in overcoming their troubles against spin.
That comes with being patient at times, and aim to maneuver the ball in the gaps, which in turn keeps the opposition guessing. The disappointing fact remains that they hardly put up a fight when they are put under pressure. The Kiwi sides of the past tend
to flourish under such circumstances but the current crop of players easily get distracted if things are going against them.
They certainly will need to hire the services of a top class spinner or a premier yesteryear batsman who can rub of his own knowledge on the team. Shane Bond’s appointment as the bowling coach has already paid dividends with the bowlers looking in great
touch but if the batters fail to compliment, the Black Caps will always struggle.
Such remains their confidence that they failed to tackle the Lankan seamers. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ranaweera-Mudiyanselage-Shaminda-Eranga-c83939 troubled them with extra pace.
Surely after spending the best part of the past six months on sub-continent pitches, the Kiwis must learn from their mistake and overcome the psychological barrier against spin. As for now, they are all set for another series defeat.
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