Notes from the Oval #2
PLUS: The Week That Was and the Weekend That Will Be
Three top-of-the-head reflections from day two at Hagley Oval.
Sri Lanka 355
NZ 162-5
1. Did Ross Taylor put a hex on the No4 position?
In the pre-Bazball era that would have been described as an absorbing day's play. As it was, it felt like a case of after the Lord Mayor’s show.
New Zealand struggled mightily against a Sri Lankan attack that was quick and relentless and a wicket that was offering enough to keep them interested.
The day also featured some fairly average batting, lowlighted again by New Zealand’s inability to get any runs out of the No4 position, one of the premier positions in the lineup.
Henry Nicholls was out when he was late on a pull shot to Lahiru Kumara, spooning the ball to mid-on for two (pictured).
In the two-test England series New Zealand got 21 runs across four innings in the position.
In the two-test series against Pakistan, 53 runs were scored at No 4 in three innings.
In the three-test series in England just 88 across six innings.
Against South Africa, 151 in the two-test series.
New Zealand have scored 315 runs at 18.5 at no4 since Taylor retired. Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls and Will Young - good players - are all accursed in the position.
It has to be a hex.
2. Conway, the enigma…
Devon Conway is becoming one of those players who the more I watch, the less I understand his game.
The Johannesburg-born batter scratched around for 30 today before he was correctly but a touch unluckily given out. He was by no means the worst performer, with Kane Williamson (1) and Nicholls playing a pair of dreadful shots on a wicket New Zealand just couldn’t get a handle on, but he was the one I was most interested in.
This is what I can tell you: he’s very good.
These are the questions I struggle to answer:
Is he elegant, or idiosyncratic?
I’ve gone nearly 180 on this. When he first came into international cricket he was silky, especially those divine cover drives and flicks through square leg, but it doesn’t take long for analysts to work out where you like the ball and not long after that for bowlers to stop feeding that area. Since the right-armers have gone nearly exclusively around the wicket to him, Conway has developed a few strange cramped habits, like dropping the bat one-handed onto balls aimed at his hip.
Answer: I don’t know.
Has he already peaked?
Well, when you start with a double-ton on debut at Lord’s, there is only one way to go, but without stating the obvious that he’s never going to average 200 again, I’d be hugely surprised if he doesn’t score heavily over the next three to four years, his average hovering around the mythical 50 mark that separates the good from the great.
Conway is approaching his 32nd birthday and although he’s by no means young, he hasn’t been ground down by the grind of a decade on the international and franchise circuit.
Answer: Probably, but it should be a broad peak before he drops off significantly.
Is he an opener?
Answer: Probably not in a classic nose-over-the-ball style of a Wright, Edgar, Richardson or even Latham, but he’s definitely more suited to it than Will Young.
3. The fallout from day one continues.
I was given access to a WhatsApp chat group last night that contained at least one former test player and one first-class player.
It was not complimentary.
My favourite line, from the test player: “We literally have two bowlers,” followed quickly by, “How is the high performance at NZC going?”
The more one thinks about it, the more perplexing New Zealand’s approach to this series is. While no test series or even a single test is meaningless, this World Test Championship cycle is gone and you’re never getting a better chance to build for the next cycle.
Gary Stead’s one nod to the future is a gun-barrel straight, 29-year-old bounce bowler who struggles for long periods to get into the 130-click range.
NZ v Sri Lanka, 1st test, Christchurch, tomorrow-Sunday starts 11am, Spark Sport
THE WEEK THAT WAS
I’m trying to imagine if this pans out and Joe Schmidt not only applies but gets the role as next All Blacks coach.
Schmidt is no doubt a good coach, having taken Ireland to unscaled heights, but you’d have to say they are a better side now under Andy Farrell than they were under him.
Mostly, though, you can cue up the “inside job” screams from the Mainland.
Graham Henry passes the baton to his loyal assistant, Steve Hansen. Shag passes the baton to his loyal assistant Ian Foster. Fozzie passes the baton to his loyal assistant Schmidt - an assistant so loyal he effectively kept him in a job.
If you’re going on international credentials, Schmidt is likely the best option, but The Bounce almost dreads the noise should the favourite adopted son of Christchurch not get the gig.
The Press’s Richard Knowler has nailed his red-and-black colours to the mast.
Are pitch invasions a genuine “issue” in New Zealand, as The Guardian reports, or just a bit “boring”. Without wanting to encourage illegal behaviour, what is the point of a clothed invasion? Isn’t the whole point to streak.
Annie Davis said she hates guns, and that a friend of Michael's was killed by gun violence. One time, during a conversation with her son, she questioned the need for people to have guns. He told her that nobody fights with their hands anymore.
THE WEEKEND THAT WILL BE
What I’ve got a lazy eye on this weekend
There’s an extra grind of salt in the wound when you’ve had something built up and it doesn’t deliver. I was basically promised a Breakers game two victory by blood relatives who had driven 4.5 hours to the south and west to watch them win. I met them in town for an expensive ale before sending them happily on their way to the arena. A couple of hours later I felt miffed that I had been sold such an outrageous dummy, but that changed to pity for the cuzzies as they broke up their long journey home with a night at the Rosetown Motel, where the sound of Te Awamutu had a truly sacred ring1.
Anyway, the Breakers are still alive and have the chance to kick back across the Tasman. The Kings beat them in Auckland because Justin Simon smothered Breakers’ offensive conductor Will McDowell-White, who had more turnovers (6) than assists (4) at Spark Arena. His unproductiveness led to the Breakers taking a bunch of uncharacteristically bad shots.
This series is a long way from over - I’ve been promised that, too.
Kings v Breakers, Sydney, tonight 9.30pm, Sky Sport 3
A couple of derbies to look forward to this weekend… well there would be if the Highlanders weren’t so bad that the venerable Otago Daily Times has already taken a pitying tone with them. From sports editor and Boston Red Sox historian Hayden Meikle’s lead:
The Highlanders are hurting. And they feel your pain.
Two heavy losses is not how the camp imagined starting the season.
Tonight’s game against the Chiefs in Hamilton shapes as another mountainous challenge.
A lot of people will be pencilling them in for a third loss.
That stings.
You can watch their Aorakian challenge against the Chiefs tonight if you wish, but I’m more intrigued about the clash between two teams coached by blokes near the top of the list of Scott Robertson’s preferred assistants should he get the role that has dominated the sports news cycle for at least the last few years or so.
Hurricanes v Blues, Wellington, tomorrow 7.05pm, Sky Sport 1
by Dai Henwood2
As the age old saying goes, “There is nothing more dangerous than a Rooster scorned.” The boys from Bondi took quite a hiding by a cohesive, focused Dolphins side that contained few stars. This week I expect to see James Tedesco at his best and the forward pack of East Sydney laying a great foundation for Sam Walker and Luke Keary who in turn will set the backline on fire. The Warriors will be coming into this game with their tyres pumped up. After an early defensive lapse against the Knights they controlled the next 75 minutes and took away the chocolates. The Warriors appear to be playing to a no-frills gameplan from new coach Andrew Webster that is focused on defence and running good lines. My brain expects this to be close early with the Roosters running away in the second half; my heart sings a different song. It sees Jackson Ford scoring early and Bunty Afoa crossing the line in the 78th minute to give the Warriors a two-point win and a clear path to the finals.
Easts v Warriors, Sydney, tomorrow 4pm, Sky Sport 4
The next generation of tintops starts in Newcastle, Australia, this weekend. It will be the first without the famous Holden marque. The Ford blue oval is still out in force, with 11 cars on the grid, but the General Motors brand has shifted to Chevrolet.
Shane van Gisbergen (Chevy) is still favoured to win, but there is much mystery around the performance aspects of these Gen3 cars. The big questions ahead of Race 1 are addressed here.
Supercars, Newcastle, race 1 & 2, tomorrow-Sunday 5.20pm, Sky Sport 5
The Six Nations is simmering nicely towards a boil, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s a disappointing England side and a slightly disappointing France, Le Crunch always delivers on the emotional front.
England v France, Twickenham, Sunday 5.35am, Sky Sport 1
An absolutely atrocious round of EPL matches, but there is a Monday morning derby that has title and European implications.
Fulham v Arsenal, Craven Cottage, Monday 3am, Sky EPL
There’s a bit happening. The ANZ Premiership has a full slate of matches, with the Tactix v Mystics on Sunday probably the pick of the games. If there’s one phrase that is banned at Bounce Towers it is “Unofficial Fifth Major”. There are four men’s major golf championships, The Players isn’t one of them. Ryan Fox is at TPC Sawgrass, with its gimmicky island-green 17th, but may not be for much longer after shooting a first round 74. The fourth test in the enthralling but really not very good India v Australia series at Ahmedabad, and South Africa hosts the Windies in the second test.
Courtesy of NM Finn.
No joke.
Three Waters, A&E wait times and climate change are all over the news but if either of the major political parties came out and said they'd abolish PlayHQ in favour of CricHQ, I believe they'd win in a landslide.
Possibly (definitely) a controversial take but hear me out - Losing to Sri Lanka will be a good thing.
If we lose two nil, it means (provided Aussie win - off to a good start) India miss out on the WTC final and Sri Lanka get there instead. Pretty good underdog feel good story and a bit of an F U to the BCCI.
From our perspective it might be the kick up the butt NZC needs to make the changes the public is screaming for. Something has to change whether it be Coaching, selection and/or players.
Maybe I'll pop a cheeky 2 zip for SL at the TAB...