The Black Caps are climatic bunnies - Opinion
Cool conditions, seaming wickets and blustery winds sum up the conditions that touring teams encounter in New Zealand. For a side such as Pakistan, with a history of producing top quality bowlers, New Zealand has been a happy hunting ground. For the Black
Caps, this entire fact has been counterproductive to their objective of becoming consistently ranked as one of the world’s top teams. They are currently ranked 7th and 8th in Test and ODI rankings respectively, which is a result of being
exposed to conditions which they are not only unfamiliar with, but are uncomfortable with getting adjusted to.
The recent record for New Zealand in sweltering conditions, barring their Semi-Final place in the 2011 Cricket World Cup has been abysmal to say the least. Thus, it comes to no one’s surprise that the Kiwis are struggling in the Caribbean at the moment against
a side which lacks professionalism. A slow and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Andrew-John-Trevor-Miller-c44458 wicket, compounded with pressing overhead conditions, has historically troubled New Zealand to the point of being completely eliminated from the competition regardless of whether it is bilateral or global
in nature. The West Indies have managed to thrash New Zealand 4-1 in the recently concluded ODI series, yet this entire score line tends to overshadow the off field issues that the visitors have historically grappled with.
First and foremost are the injuries woes that the team tends to endure when playing in such conditions. At the start of the recent series in the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Usa-c759 and Caribbean, New Zealand were already handicapped by the absence of key players, that was further compounded
with the existing ones succumbing to injuries under the extreme heat. This is not a novel trend for New Zealand however, as tours to places such as India, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/United-Arab-Emirates-c3033, have meant that a plethora of problems have come
their way. Even the most astute of Kiwi cricketers, of whom many understand that the game can be won or lost through wit instead of physical fitness, believe that the conditions are always a worry for their team.
In contrast, teams such as Australia and South Africa, with comparatively warmer climates have performed sensationally well in conditions which are taxing. Places such as Perth and Durban, have similar climatic conditions to cities such as Chennai and Lahore,
which helps South African and Australian cricketers perform well. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758, which is characterized by a rainforest climate.
For New Zealand, the warmest area in the twin islands is Napier, which has an average temperature between 16 to 20 degrees on an annual basis. This in itself becomes sickeningly prophetic for a nation which has a poor cricket heritage. It seems implausible
that the current set of players are not fine tuned and indoctrinated with regards to playing in tough conditions, something which is mandatory in commercial times.
With the recent record of losing to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754, playing in tropical conditions or in a rainforest climate, and performing
well, borders on the preposterous. For a side that was once ranked the second best ODI outfit in the world, this is indeed a damning indictment.
Disclaimer: Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely of the author and do not represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: