New Zealand needs major changes
Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum are too inconsistent to be called world-class players, according to former New Zealand batsman Mark Richardson
Dustin Silgardo
25-Feb-2013
Ross Taylor averaged 27.6 in New Zealand's five-match ODI series against India • AFP
Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum are too inconsistent to be called world-class players, according to former New Zealand batsman Mark Richardson. New Zealand needs to bring in more players like James Franklin, who have been dropped and come back with a point to prove, he writes in the Herald on Sunday.
World-class players win matches through world-class performances but do it more than occasionally. Two of them are Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor. Yes, they are capable and occasionally do perform world-class deeds but far too infrequently to be labelled world class. Somehow these two players who are crucial to our success must find a way to become more consistent. That alone is a skill and they are both deficient in that area.
Andrew Alderson says, in the same paper, New Zealand's problems lie with the managing conglomerate of high performance manager Roger Mortimer, coach Mark Greatbatch, and captain Daniel Vettori. He questions some of Mortimer's decisions and says Vettori should lose his calm demeanour and erupt on occassion.
Former Indian coach John Wright was scouted out by Vettori in [Duncan] Fletcher's absence but is believed to have turned down the opportunity on the basis that, if he ever takes the team, it will be on his terms. That response was understandable given the approach came after the 4-0 one-day loss to Bangladesh. However, Wright's interest was piqued until he rang his former Black Caps team-mate Greatbatch to discuss it. A source told the Herald on Sunday that is when he realised the current batting coach knew nothing of the move and got quite a shock when he realised he'd been kept out of the loop.
Dustin Silgardo is a former sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo