Wiseman hopes a good stint in India could land him a Test place
It's not very often that you find a post doctoral student coming back to the library to brush up on what he learnt at high school
Anand Vasu
21-Aug-2001
It's not very often that you find a post doctoral student coming back
to the library to brush up on what he learnt at high school. It's not
often that you round up a bunch of Test and One-Day cricketers and
send them abroad on an A tour to play a tournament that is not even
first class. Well, for the New Zealand A team taking part in the MRF
Buchi Babu Tournament in Chennai, it's not a particularly new
experience - it's something they've done before. And for Kiwi off
spinner Paul Wiseman, it certainly isn't new - he toured India with
the Test team in 1999.
"I really enjoy India. Last time I was here, I learnt more in the six
week period I was here than in any other six week period in my life",
began Wiseman, speaking to CricInfo at the MA Chidambaram Stadium,
where the New Zealand A team is playing its second match in India.
"It's always good to come back to a place that is such a good learning
ground," he continued.
In the two Test matches Wiseman played in India then, he picked up two
wickets, giving away 205 runs in all. A clear indication that the
wickets in India offered a bit of assistance to the slow men, but that
wasn't the whole story. "It is good to come over here and bowl spin.
The wickets offer a lot of assistance, but on the flip side, the
Indian batsmen play spin better than anyone else in the world, so it's
a real challenge as well."
Despite being a team that has traditionally relied on seam rather than
spin, New Zealand now boast probably the best left-arm spinner in the
world. "Vettori is probably the best left-arm spinner in the world.
We've done pretty well together - although we haven't bowled together
as much as we would have liked. I'm keeping my fingers crossed, it
would be good to get together and have a crack at the batsmen,"
explains Wiseman.
Although perhaps not yet in the same class as Vettori, Wiseman is no
stranger to success. His Test debut, versus Sri Lanka at Colombo in
1997-98 was a high point. "It was a very special moment, something
that I was looking forward to, and even preparing for from very early
on in my cricketing career. My five wicket bag coincided with my dad's
birthday and he's been my biggest fan over the years. I think it was a
record haul too - seven in the game for a New Zealander on debut."
The recent success of the likes of Saqlain Mushtaq, Muthiah
Muralitharan and Harbhajan Singh has been a shot in the arm for off
spinners around the world. Wiseman however, is not one to get carried
away. "It's very encouraging to see so many off spinners coming
through. But I think the art of off spin has changed a bit in recent
times. All the Asian off spinners can turn the ball away from the
right hander, and that gives them a huge advantage. Just having the
ball that goes the other way can turn a good off spinner into a great
one," says Wiseman.
In naming 12 players for the tour to Pakistan, the New Zeland
selectors have left a window of hope for both the stumper and the off
spinner. "If I do well in the next couple of weeks and put pressure on
the selectors, then yes, I've got a good shot at a place in the
national side," says a guardedly optimistic Wiseman.
When the Kiwis were down in 1999, manager Jeff Crowe took it upon
himself to do all he could to make sure the team were happy tourists.
This is something that Wiseman seems to have imbibed, and is certainly
something that will hold him in good stead. "We've been looked after
very well over here. Some of the guys love Indian food as well, which
certainly helps. The heat is certainly a challenge, but we don't talk
about it much as there's nothing really anyone can do about it," said
a grinning Wiseman.
"I remember playing in Ahmedabad at about 49 degrees centigrade two
years ago. I mean if you've got an upset stomach, you're up all night
and nothing in the stomach the next day and Sachin Tendulkar is
getting a double hundred on the flattest wicket in the world... You
think to yourself, it's not going to get any harder than this!"
Wiseman is quick to acknowledge his biggest influence. "My biggest
influence without doubt was John Bracewell. He got hold of me at a
very early age and was my coach for Auckland as well. It's been
disappointing for me that he has gone overseas to coach... " said
Wiseman, adding quickly, that it was not a coincidence that New
Zealand has failed to produce too many top class spinners. "You have
to recognise that wickets back home have been produced basically for
seam bowling but this is changing now. This means that you don't have
just mediocre medium pacers getting wickets all the time. There's a
bit in it for everyone, but the seamers have to work hard as well."
Test cricketers or not, the New Zealand A team are not taking the MRF
Buchi Babu Tournament lightly. "We've come here to win, that's very
clear. You certainly learn a bit from losing too, but if you've got a
winning team under the national team, it really puts pressure on the
selectors and the members of the national team," ended Wiseman. A good
showing here in India could pitchfork him into the limelight, and that
is exactly what Wiseman is hoping for.