Crunch time for Parore (19 January 1999)

19 January 1999

Crunch time for Parore

The Christchurch Press

Adam Parore's place as wicketkeeper-batsman in the New Zealand cricket team is safe despite inconsistent form, says national coach Steve Rixon on the eve of the series-deciding one-day match against India at Jade Stadium today.

However, there could be fine tuning to the Black Caps middle order batting and Parore may drop down a place or two as New Zealand seeks to find the winning formula and a series-squaring win against India in the fifth and final BNZ game.

Pressure is mounting on Adam Parore to hold his No. 6 position after struggling for runs this season. Dion Nash and Chris Harris, batting impressively at No. 7 and No. 8, are in the sort of form to warrant promotion.

Rixon said some refinement would be considered, with Nash and Harris candidates for elevation.

"Dion could comfortably move up and Harry is a distinct possibility, especially playing on his home ground and the emotion that goes with that.

"But we like to balance our batting with an aggressor and an accumulator through the innings and Harris has proved he is exceptional in the final 10 overs. We don't want to lose that."

Rixon, who is a selector, did not feel Parore was under pressure to hold his place in the team, but conceded he had been inconsistent with both bat and, at times, with the gloves. Parore's past two innings in the one-day series have returned seven and 12 after a lean test and domestic series which produced just one half century.

"He kept well in Auckland in the last game, but there have been inconsistencies and I think a lot of it has to do with confidence. I don't see anyone else really challenging him for a place at the moment."

Rixon said Parore had a lot more to offer and more runs were required from a major cog in the batting wheel.

Meanwhile, Rixon said in hindsight he regretted remarks he had made about the Indian team being more concerned with heading home than beating New Zealand in the final two one-dayers.

"How I meant it to be interpreted was that at the end of a tour players thoughts naturally turn to home and we could use that to our advantage."

However, Rixon felt it was nothing more than a juicy wicket at Auckland that motivated the Indian players to perform so well, rather than his reported remarks.

Indian coach Anshuman Gaekwad said he was surprised by Rixon's comments. "If an opposing coach comments about the opposition it is usually to give credit. If they are critical, it is usually of their own team," he said.

The Lancaster Park pitch is unlikely to provide that much assistance, but Canterbury coach Garry MacDonald believes serious consideration should be given by the team winning the toss sending the opposition in.

"There's a bounce and seam early on and guys like Doull, Cairns, and Nash could exploit that. Later on it tends to flatten out and get a little lower," MacDonald said.

New Zealand: Dion Nash (capt), Matthew Horne, Bryan Young, Craig McMillan, Roger Twose, Chris Cairns, Adam Parore, Chris Harris, Daniel Vettori, Gavin Larsen, Simon Doull, Chris Drum (one to be omitted).

India: Mohammad Azharuddin (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Ajay Jadeja, Robin Singh sen, Nayan Mongia, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad, Nikhil Chopra, Hrishikesh Kanitkar.

Source :: The Christchurch Press (https://www.press.co.nz/)