G Longley: New Zealand may move level with Zimbabwe (3 Jun 1998)

3 June 1998

New Zealand may move level with Zimbabwe

by Geoff Longley

A test cricket series win against Sri Lanka would only lift New Zealand to equal - eighth with Zimbabwe on the world rankings, according to influential British publication Wisden.

Wisden Cricket Monthly editor Matthew Engel was at pains to acknowledge "a temporary unfairness" in his rankings system.

"I don't have it in for New Zealand, although people may think that," he said from England last night.

The system's quirk, which still has New Zealand behind a country it beat 2-0 earlier this year, is that Zimbabwe has not yet played Australia or West Indies in a test series at all or England in England -- series Zimbabwe might be expected to lose.

By comparison, New Zealand has played all the other eight test-playing nations in the 1990s. Engel's system is based on two points awarded for a series win and one for a draw.

"However, if New Zealand does win the series it will put it just one point behind Sri Lanka," Engel said.

The system often reflects long periods of time when teams last met each other. New Zealand last played Sri Lanka away in 1992-93 when it lost a series.

Engel believes his system is the only objective one available and he is hoping the forthcoming International Cricket Council meeting will sanction a world championship of test cricket, which means all nations would meet to allow fair rankings.

Another English magazine, The Cricketer, whose rankings system Engel says he is unable to fathom is more favourable towards New Zealand. It has the Black Caps at No. 8 well ahead of Zimbabwe.

New Zealand coach Steve Rixon believes the Black Caps are heading towards winning consistently.

Rixon said after the losses in Australia last summer, he believes what has been learned is being carried out. There have been an unprecedented three successive test victories, two against Zimbabwe and the latest against Sri Lanka at Colombo earlier this week.

"As we start to win more I think the side is capable of peeling off a succession of wins together," Rixon said from Galle where the side is preparing for the second test starting today.

"It's not just winning but how you win. Against Zimbabwe we beat them 2-0 in four days and then three days. And we won the one-dayers 4-1, it wasn't a close-run thing."

Rixon also believes captain Stephen Fleming, like the team, is on the verge of a major breakthrough with his unbeaten 176 in the second innings of the first test.

"Flem has been one of the biggest offenders in not going on, having scored some 18 test 50s but only getting one century. Now he has gone through the barrier and should do it more and more. It becomes a habit, just like winning."

Rixon likened New Zealand's plan to dominate the Sri Lankan spin bowlers as akin to India's desire to dominate Shane Warne.

"The top bowlers will still take wickets but if you can get them going for three and four an over, it's a big help."

Rixon said New Zealand's successful slow bowling pairing of Daniel Vettori and Paul Wiseman working in tandem during the test was "as good as I've seen for a long time".

He said Wiseman was a different bowler to the one that struggled at the start of the season with a shoulder injury in Zimbabwe. The Otago bowler became only the fourth New Zealand bowler to take five wickets in his debut test and the first since Bruce Taylor in 1964-65.

"He feels comfortable in the surroundings and in his demeanour is aggressive and confident at the bowling crease," Rixon said.

The key now was to maintain the psychological advantage and not let standards slip as New Zealand teams had at times in the past, he said.

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