Runs keep flowing for Horne (15 December 1998)

15 December 1998

Runs keep flowing for Horne

By John Coffey

Matt Horne is clearly enjoying his cricket. A sequence of hefty early-season scores continued at Carisbrook yesterday when the New Zealand opening batsman reached 73 in the two-day, warm-up match against Otago.

So prolific had Horne been during the Shell Conference series that New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming retired him at that point so others could be given time in the middle leading up to Friday's first test against India.

Nathan Astle (75) and Craig McMillan (49) were also among the runs as the Black Caps were bowled out for 277 by Otago.

Rookie opener Matthew Bell looked the part in his brief innings, but slashed at a wide delivery from David Sewell and was caught for 11.

"I was pretty keen to keep going. But Flem wanted some others to have a hit and that's fair enough," said Horne. His early run-scoring spree assured him of one opening position. That soon became public knowledge, leaving several candidates competing to partner Horne.

That status might have been expected of a player upon whose mantlepiece sits the Redpath Cup, awarded to New Zealand's first-class batsman of the year, and who averaged 82 against Australia and 105 against Zimbabwe, and scored centuries at the expense of both last summer.

But Horne modestly describes himself as "very limited", and experienced the down sides of the game when averaging only 16 in the Sri Lankan series in June - slipping down the order to No.5 - and not even being offered a game during the one-day mini-World Cup in Bangladesh in October.

Back home, the runs flowed again, and Horne credits the advice given by New Zealand Academy coach Ashley Ross and the Conference series with boosting his, and other players', stocks leading up to the international season.

"It's very simple, just a matter of working out the best options in risk management and sticking to them. It's nothing fancy at all, just assessing things from ball to ball," he said. "The conference concept gave a lot of cricket to the top players early on. They had the chance to impress and that's showing through now. All of a sudden we've got quite a good cover in seam bowling and depth in batting.

"Others are putting their hands up and that can only be good for the top-tier players. It's like the Australian set-up. We need pressure on top players to bring the best out of them," said Horne.

While compiling his unbeaten 73 on a previously used strip, Horne had plenty of time to cast a discerning eye over the close-by test pitch which "looks like it will be a very good wicket".

On a horses-for-courses basis, Horne is eagerly anticipating only his second test at Carisbrook. He made 66 at first-drop - his maiden test half century - against Sri Lanka there in March 1997, sharing a 140-run second-wicket partnership with double centurion Bryan Young.

"A lot of us played in that game, we have only had one test here, and it went well." Indeed it did - New Zealand won by an innings and 36 runs.

Horne prefers opening, saying "maybe it's just suited to my personality and game plan. I enjoy being in a battle really, that tends to bring the best out of me.

"I'm very limited as a player, so I have to keep it very simple, to be patient.

"If I can occupy the crease for as long as possible it gives the strikers down the order a chance to play their natural games," he said.

Horne, 28, expects his new opening partner, Bell, 21, will take time to adjust to the demands of test cricket, but believes Bell has "got the goods".

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