Friday, 10 March 2006

Not mentioning Scott Styris

It is pretty clear the New Zealand side is still in one-day mode. And this is not the first time it has started a series with a blaze of silly strokes and poor running either. Test cricket requires a very different mind-set and it really is asking a bit much of players to make the adjustment when the schedule allows no time between a one-day series and a test match.

At some point I think New Zealand Cricket and the boards of the other "minor" nations ("minor" being those that don't play glamorous five test series) are going to have to bite the bullet and insist on a return to the old warm-up matches of yore. Okay, so it might add another week to the schedule and that is going to cost money - but it is also going to result in better cricket. Not only that but having games against Second XIs and domestic teams will also expose a bunch of new players to international cricket and that can only be good for their development.

1 comment:

Ben said...

I wouldn't be too worried about an empty stadium in Auckland. They don't really get a crowd up there.

A couple of years ago at the Basin for the test against South Africa they nearly had to close the gates there was so much interest.