There will rightly be a collective wailing and gnashing of teeth at New Zealand Cricket HQ following what can best be described as a par-boiled world cup campaign in a tournament that feels half-baked. But there could just be a silver lining on this particular cloud, writes Scotty Stevenson.
There is consensus that New Zealand’s build up to the event was more empathetic than energetic. Head Coach Gary Stead believed his IPL cohort would benefit more from time with family than time on the warm-up field.
Requests to have warm up matches deferred to a later date than originally scheduled were denied, according to Stead, but for how long was that eventuality in play, and was there any thought to alter original plans? If this was an 11th hour outcome, that feels at odds with Stead’s reputation for meticulous planning.
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That not insignificant fact aside, it should not have been beyond reasonable expectation to think this current iteration of the Black Caps had the talent and the experience to move swiftly past logistical inconvenience and lock in their match mentality when it mattered – as it was always going to against a side like Afghanistan on a pitch like Providence’s.
Among the casualty list from this latest misadventure: Trent Boult’s world cup days, Kane Williamson’s ability to hide disappointment, and a hand sanitiser dispenser, upon which Tim Southee unleashed his frustration.
Another could yet be Gary Stead’s time as head coach across all three formats, but that would and should be based more on the workload than this campaign. Stead is an outlier in modern cricket, and while his results have been heretofore laudable, the toll this takes on him must be enormous.
Stead, apart from being a tireless worker, is a fiercely loyal selector. However, regeneration will be the name of the game from this point forward. Or, maybe a recalibration is the better term. This might be the perfect time to look at the game plan and ask, ‘is this the way we want to play? Or are we playing this way because of how we select?’
As it stands, New Zealand’s gameplan makes a number of assumptions, especially on the batting side of the equation. A few here: Finn Allen has to fire, Williamson and Conway need muscle at the other end to augment their strengths, and chasing rates need to be more comfortable than challenging.
Since January this year, New Zealand has played 16 T20 matches, chased in six of them, and won two of those. That does not present a compelling case for fielding first, which is what New Zealand decided to do against both Afghanistan and West Indies.
Cricket is a sport of prolonged failure punctuated by pockets of success, and this New Zealand generation has enjoyed plenty of the latter. But these reminders of cricket’s cruelty do offer opportunities for change at a time when it feels like loyalty is a limiting notion in T20’s continual evolution.
One of the key questions to be asked is how New Zealand can create players of genuine franchise appeal. Apart from Trent Boult, the Kiwis contracted to the IPL teams were almost without fail fodder for the training nets. That’s not a bad outcome for the bank balance, but it does have a destabilising effect on confidence.
The reality is, whether we like it or not, the format’s engine room for innovation is franchise-based. The IPL has already gobbled up the franchise game in South Africa, and it will come as a surprise to no one that the league’s influence on the global game is directly responsible for the USA being handed co-hosting rights for this world cup.
This is, after all, the home of Major League Cricket, effectively the latest plaything of the IPL owners. The one thing all the IPL-controlled leagues have in common is this: they want game breakers and superstars, a style more crass than classic.
There is a place for both types of player in cricket, but less so than ever in T20. That means the requirement for short form specialisation will continue to place pressure on New Zealand’s system, which currently rewards players capable of playing all three formats. Being capable of playing all three formats and being successful in each is a different story, but it’s the one that is required reading.
One thing is for certain, this has been a chastening fortnight for a team that has rightly borne the tag of a golden generation and at this juncture more is required than simply finding who might next fly the flag. This is a chance to figure out exactly how this team wants to play the game, and exactly who is best suited to see that vision through.
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