Richardson lambasts Bangladesh
New Zealand's opening batsman, Mark Richardson, has laid into the standard of opposition provided by Bangladesh during their recently concluded tour
Cricinfo staff
24-Aug-2005
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New Zealand's opening batsman, Mark Richardson, has laid into the standard
of opposition provided by Bangladesh during their recently concluded tour,
and warns that a "slap in the face" awaits his team as they arrive in
Australia for a two-Test series later this month.
As befits one of the most attritional openers in the game, Richardson has
spent most of the tour advocating a patient approach to the Bangladeshi
challenge, but in his latest column for the New Zealand Herald, he
has finally let rip. "It's time to get the hell out of Bangladesh," he
declared, after watching his side squeak to a nervy three-wicket win in
the second one-day international. "You can only maintain your standards
for so long ... [we have slipped] right back to club level."
It was a measure of the New Zealanders' lack of enthusiasm at the end of
the series that Richardson - a notoriously sluggish runner - couldn't even
bring himself to compete in his now-traditional sprint-off against the
slowest member of the opposition. "I could have won," he reflected, "given
my length-of-stride advantage." Somewhat
tongue-in-cheek, he added that the only positive he could take out of the
four-week visit was the chance to stock up on pirated DVDs from the local
markets.
The first Test against Australia starts at Brisbane on November 18, and
Richardson is genuinely concerned for the competitiveness of his team,
after their recent uninspired efforts. "Your time in the middle against
two dribbly seamers and three left-arm spinners will mean spit against
four quicks and a leggy," he stressed. "And average bowling will not bag
you four wickets for bugger all."
Richardson, who did not play in the one-day series, endured a lean time
with the bat in the Tests, scoring just 43 runs in two innings. "The only
way you can view this Bangladesh series is as the launching pad into a
challenging summer of cricket," he added. "[But it's been] made only more
challenging by the lack of quality of the launching pad."
It is not only New Zealand whose performances have suffered after a trip
to Bangladesh. This time last year, England were the visitors, but after
five trouble-free victories out of five, they flew across the Bay of
Bengal to Sri Lanka ... where they were bundled out for 88 in the first
one-day game at Dambulla.
"For those who have scored runs or taken wickets there will be the
satisfying feeling of having boosted the averages, but I doubt how many
will feel they have gained much as a cricketer," added Richardson. "You
can bet your bottom dollar that the boys are itching to get on the plane
to Oz."