January 28, 2026 • 50 mins
Former Black Caps coach John Bracewell joins the podcast to analyse the coaching of Brendon McCullum and also voice his confidence in the current group of Black Caps.
Later, we review four T20 matches against India and identify who should be our No 1 side in the WT20.
Your views welcome: onthefrontfoot20@gmail.com
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
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On the Front Foot with Brian Waddell and Jeremy Coney,
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Speaker 3 (00:45):
Hello, nice to have you on the front put with
Jeremy Coney and myself, Ryan Model along with Razime Premium
quality paints and stains. This week analysis of a top
level coach, John Braithwaw's going to join us to assess
the record of Brendan McCallum by the Black Taps, gaining
much from the tour of India and down to the
(01:05):
deciding matches in the local super smash. Does that mean much? Well,
we'll have a chance later on in on the Front foots.
Jeremy Coney joins us. Jerry, I don't know whether you've
been watching through the night, watching the Tea Toties or
like me, having breakfast watching T twenty cricket and being
(01:26):
able to absorb the punishment that New Zealand took until
that fourth game when they managed to get a win,
and that sort of had the recipe, didn't it for
how you want to go about T twenty play?
Speaker 4 (01:38):
Yeah? It did. What I felt a little bit the
same after that third game where they were just getting
the margins between the two sides. We're getting larger and larger,
it seemed, And it wasn't kind of the idea. Ostensibly
the series was all about warming up and I guess
building some confidence in the team and getting some runs
(01:58):
and taking the odd wicket and so on as you
move towards the World Cup. But it was starting to
look as if it could actually do some damage after
those first three games. This one has perhaps turned it
round a little bit through particularly an opening partnership dominated
(02:19):
you'd have to say by Seiphered who likes the ball
as they were pointing out outside off stump, doesn't he
where he can swing his arms a little bit and
hit through the ball. As soon as it gets too straight,
then he's you know, he's okay, But when it is
on the stumps and that he has to be a
bit more careful. And I was interested in one of
(02:41):
the graphics that showed you the number of runs he
scores from those different sort of areas where the ball
is coming the line of the ball, but he hit
the ball very cleanly. Conway looked to get a bit
more confidence against the spin, didn't. He hit a couple
of slog sweeps. But he's still to me, has that
one handed discomfort and hasn't got around finding a solution
(03:07):
to that yet. When the Quicks are bowling, when you
think of the openers, there's one more possibility. Allan is
just arriving after winning that big Bash League competition this
year and fine Allen I think probably is. He looked
in good form and on the smaller grounds in India,
(03:28):
I think probably he would be the opener to start
with me. I think he'll be there for the next game,
I believe, and it's certainly worth a look at. I
do think as far as those they're concerned.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
The interesting thing is, I think Seifer has confirmed his place.
Conway probably hasn't. But that would break up what they
seem to want to do through the early part of
their order. Have the old left right combination. I know
that there's a lot of value in that, but breaking
that up will that impact on their performance in any way?
Do you think.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
I mean, the first thing is you pick your best team,
don't you wants Yeah, you pick the players who are
most likely to make a difference over the shorter number
of overs in the game, and so you need to
use those power playovers. I think New Zealand are a
side that like to do that. He's been in the
New Zealand side and then has chosen a casual contract
(04:23):
and plays around the world, and he's had good form recently.
As I say in the Big Bash, I think it's
worth a look at. And so to me, that overrides
the right left. In fact, that seems to be quite
a theme of theirs as you look at the team
that they've been playing. It's kind of right left, right left,
(04:43):
the whole way down, isn't it. Rather than the grouping
a number of players of like minded handedness together. I
think of that just goes the way it does. It does,
And as long as you're picking your better players, I
think that comes first and far as selection. For me,
(05:04):
I think alan and ciphered for me to open what's
at the moment? Then I think you can now they
have a little question about revenge at the moment, don't
they that seems to be developing.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Yeah, I just wonder whether he's surviving on his reputation
and we know how well he can play in India,
But do you consider dropping him and making a change,
perhaps say Mitchell up from six, Whether there's any value
for him being down there? Well, certainly in game four
he had the strike rate and the ability to turn
(05:38):
out a big total, turn what looked like being under
two hundred to winning two hundred and fifteen.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
Well he was the difference at the end, wasn't he
Because New Zealand were looking like sort of one eighty five,
that's that kind of thing. But showed the ability also
to hit down at number six. Now, I mean I've
heard them saying on the telly too that they think
he's a bit low there, and maybe they're right, But
I think number three, number four and five have for
(06:06):
me in a twenty two and he match have to
look after those middle overs, don't they over say seven
through to sixteen, the ten overs there. You need to
be able to attack the ball hard if it's a
poorer ball, or you need to score from good balls
let's call them those length balls on the stumps. You
(06:27):
need to have the number of shots to score from those.
They may not go for boundaries, but they can go
for twos, they can go for ones, anything in between.
So and I think it's very clear this selection group
want to play Phillips at four, isn't it. He's playing
four every game and he hasn't really let them down yet,
(06:47):
not too badly. He can play the power game and
they want him higher up, so he could play six
as he has in the past, but they want him
up at four. Well that's fine, that's up to this
group to work those things out. But I think Mitchell
should be one of those two four or five in
(07:10):
that those ten overs between seven and sixteen overs they
can bat on if they have a good day. Well
that's the role of those two players, I think. And
so I would think for me, I'd have Alan and
Seifered at the moment, I would have Ravendra or Chapman
at number three or number six, and then I have
(07:31):
four and five. I'd have Phillips and Mitchell. I mean,
there aren't many other choices. All you've got really is
niche and and that's I mean, the other players aren't
in the squad, are they. He's the only other one
or Bracewell, who again has been injured. So those are
the other only two options at number six, so they're
(07:53):
a bit limited. Robinson played the first match, didn't he
He's not in the squad. Bark has had a game,
He's not in the squad. Bracewell's injured. Folks has had
what two or three games, he's not in the squad.
It's not you know, Nisham hasn't had a game, So
I mean, you can't really. While it's a good idea
(08:15):
to have warm up games, it's pretty hard to fit
them in.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Yeah, And the thing that they probably need from the
remaining game is the continuing confidence that they would have
gained from match four, because I think that confidence was
dented in the first three games. They were totally outplayed.
India never looked to be in any trouble. Two hundred
is bottom, isn't it in terms of the requirements. If
(08:41):
you're batting first, you've got to get two hundred plus,
and you know, sometimes it's looking two thirty two forty,
isn't it in terms of the total. And unless you
can do that against India, and remember, of course they're
not going to be playing India every game. But they're
up against some pretty good opposition. But if you're going
to base your performance on the games against India, then
(09:04):
that two hundred plus is the prime recipe, isn't it.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
It becomes past score you can't I mean, if you
look at the way India were playing two thirty nine
when they batted first in game one, Game two, they
got two hundred and nine for three chasing and there
was still four point four overs left, Well, that means
you get two sixty. And then the third game was
(09:30):
it was getting worse, wasn't it was rolling way for
New Zealand. And three you know they got one fifty
five for three or ten over, so that's you know,
they were up to over three hundred if you carry
that runs per over right through.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
So but that also is the scoreboard pressure, isn't it.
They had no scoreboard pressure, But when there's two hundred
and fifteen or so, that provides the pressure. And that
showed in game four, didn't it when they got a
wicket they got abershek you know, I mean he runs
riot and he was out first ball. Once you're able
to do that because of the pressure of the scoreboard,
(10:05):
then you can create that pressure on the opposition, which
is the back backing for two hundred plus when you're
back first.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
It can be yet that's certainly right. That must become
a part of it. And that's why teams do like
to get a score even though I might be slightly
lower than you'd want. But if you can get to
that two hundred to two ten, it gives you a chance.
I just I mean, if you looked at the way
India batted first two thirty nine and then New Zealand
(10:35):
couldn't get runs, could they that we're really worrying because
the bowlers lost confidence. They didn't really know where to bowl,
they didn't have a place to go to. And I
noticed Duffy quite a lot in the first over or two.
He was going to Yorkers. He was going very full
and at the stumps and got away with the couple too.
(10:57):
So every bowler decides, I think, where do I go
when I'm under pressure. It's what we talked about last week.
And you need to have a lot of confidence in
that ball at your bowl, and whether it's length thing
like a yorker, or whether it's a low full toss
or if it's a slower ball, you know, so then
you're talking about pace of the delivery or whether it's both,
(11:20):
whether it's a slower bouncer in other words, as well
as another option. And the Indians use that a lot
at the end, don't they an extra They picked an
extra bowler in the fourth match and it cost them.
Really they didn't bowl. Who was the guy who got
the runout? Yeah? Part at Pandia, he didn't bowl at all.
(11:44):
So I mean those are those are the issues, aren't they?
And then New Zealand are going to have to make
those choices themselves. I think Santana should be seven myself. Ye.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
Well, then strike rate, he's got a strike rate that's
as good as anybody. I mean, he's he's basically second
to folks. Well, folks are not going to be there
in this current series. Center strike Rate down the order,
Mitch down the order and Phillips. They're the top four
strike rates for New Zealand. And. While strike rates not everything,
it is important in T twenty games when you're under
(12:17):
the pump.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
And to towards the end, setting the target. Once you've
worked hard to get to one hundred and eighty one
hundred and eighty five and you've got three overs left,
you know, and they are I think one hundred and
eighty five something like that. Yep, So they ended up
getting twenty five or thirty off the last three overs
through Mitchell.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
That's right, it was Mitchell. So what do we want
to produce in terms of bowling for this World T
twenty Henry and Duffy, to me are certainties Jamison and
Ferguson and Center of course as the spinner. Do we
want four seemas or do we want three seemas? Two spinners?
Speaker 4 (12:58):
Well, that'll depend a little bit on the size of
the ground ones and I think it will also depend on.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
The pitch.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
Obviously to them look pretty similar, don't they hardly any grass,
slightly cracked, pretty flat. And then so Jubie then becomes
comes into the equation. A weab it. You'd love to
win the toss and and you know you don't want
to be bowling second, so you tend to want to
chase a bit more. But that's you know, those are
(13:30):
a bit in the lapse of the god, aren't they really.
I mean, you pick your best players. Now the question
is do New Zealand know their best team? So I
mean we've got down to seven on our best site,
well my best team. I don't know whether you might
have different ideas, but number eight becomes the issue, doesn't
it is graceful going to be fit? The chances are
(13:53):
you'd have to say at this stage probably not. Well
maybe maybe later in the tournament, don't know. Nichem is
an option at number eight, then that means you're going
with four seemers or Sody. That means you're going with
two spinners, the same as the Bracewell option as well.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
Yeah, we'll say that's the next question. Isn't it because
he's a wicket taker but he can be expensive? Does
he get almost a first choice slot within the side
alongside Santa.
Speaker 4 (14:29):
Got to be bowling well though, doesn't he? Because he doesn't.
If he's not going to give you runs, that lengthens
your tail quite significantly. So you bat down to number
seven with Santner and then there's not a lot you
can rely on after that. Secondly, he's a wee bit
of a liability in the field, isn't he that he's
down at that fine leg, he's down at that short
(14:51):
in a man it's forty five. He doesn't look safe
there to be honest with you, and he knows that,
and the players know that as well. You know that's
going to be conditions wads who you're going to select there,
and that's the choice at number eight, I think, and
I I think that you tend to have a look
at Bracewell first if he was fit, because I think
(15:14):
the two spin options is quite a good one, even
though you've got Revendra potential Mark, question Mark or Phillips.
They send to be looking to Phillips more at the moment,
don't they. And then Henry Fergus and Duffy.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
Well, I just think that you know, we've got to
pick Ravendra for his batting. Now. If his batting's not
up to it, somebody in the coaching team has to
be in his head, whether it's technique or whether it's
basically the mental approach to the game to make sure
he's right. Because we know he is a match winner.
But if he's only scoring fifty runs in four matches
(15:49):
and he doesn't even have the strike rate that some
of the others have got, then he has to be
considered to be left out. Yet I would be the
first person to say you don't leave a player a
class player like him out of the side unless he's
totally out of.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
Form, correct. I mean he's of the two as sheer batsman.
I'm talking about Revender and Chapman. I think Revendra for me,
can change a match, can't he. Yes, Chapman has had
some very good and things. That's why he's obviously in
the team. And he's a bit.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
He runs well. He does the chasing round the boundaries
and so on, probably stronger than Revender. But Revender, you
though he could feel if he really put his mind
to it, and I just feel though the confidence has
just slid out of his game a bit. He wants
to get runs very quickly. He's coming in usually in
(16:43):
the power play where they want to obviously target the
fielding options that they've gotten, the gaps they've got. He's
picked out deep square leg once, hasn't he Today he
tried to take on Boomra, who's their best bowler, and
probably instead of having twenty overs to get the target
(17:04):
and opposition leaves you with Boomra and your team you've
only got eighteen. You know, he's one of that good
as a bowler. I think he's going to give you
two tough overs, so I think he's just got to
be a bit smarter. If Bomber's bowling the first over
to you, you don't take too many risks. He just
turned the bat through the line of the ball, didn't
(17:25):
he and got a sort of a leading edge back
to the bowler. He's got to play nice, straight bat,
play solidly in his first part of his innings. I
think he's good enough to be there.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
I agree, yeah, but in terms of you know what
he delivers on the park, you've got to be sure
that he's going to deliver what his potential is and
I don't think he's done that in this series.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
So an interesting talence, no.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Interesting challenge for the team selectors heading into the World
T twenty. One of the things that will be interesting
to see is when they put their side together for
the fifth T Tweeddy, because I think that's when they've
really got to start looking at their number one side.
Everyone will be there and as we say, the only
issue is the fitness of braceball. But be nice to
(18:12):
be able to see Jamison in there because he's in
four milne now and Ferguson hasn't had a trick yet
and Fine Allen whether the international scene is going to
be proving difficult or different to playing for the Perth
Scorches where they scorched up the earth, Jerry and.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
They meet the Sydney Sixers, they were a better side.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
I didn't get excited. I've got to.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
Say, Okay, well you never do that, and that's a
good thing, Brian, to keep your levels of excitement down
when you was up with the age, the advanced age
you have, that's a good thing to be.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Yeah, I'm just not sorry. I'm back with you already,
nice and car Yes, move on. Coaches are very much
in the forefront of sport currently, the All Blacks searching
for a new coach to the encumbent apparently not meeting
the target set heading up to the next World Cup,
and former Black Cat Brendan McCallum battling rather than batting
(19:15):
to hold his role with the England team after the
disastrous Ashes series. And let's talk coaching a man with
vast experience internationally and domestically coaching cricket. Former Black Caps
coach John Bracewell, who joins on the front foot not
for the first time. We all know the pressures coaches
are facing. Braces it seems at the moment though, it's
(19:37):
a tough gig being a coach.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
There's so many people well, in particular with cricket, because
there are so many balls in the year all the time.
It's unique in that you have got players that you
are are or aren't available for you at certain times
of the year on the international calendar that are playing
(20:03):
for not just one but could be playing for a
seven or eight different team in one year.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Now.
Speaker 5 (20:10):
When we think about football as an international game and
you've got you know that they tend to play for
a club and then they tend to have international friendlies,
and then they tend to have world events, but they
only really played for two teams. You know.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
Cricket is really.
Speaker 5 (20:29):
Unique at the moment where our loyalty and our sense
of belonging is really being tested in terms of its
nationality and a national and an international national sport. It's
really putting the coaches under enormous pressure to try and
(20:49):
juggle this, manipulate egos, massage them and have your best
players available for you and be able to afford to
play pay them. And that's the difficulty in New Zealander
and more than anybody else probably.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Is a coach, or the term coach us and over
these days, how much coaching does the head man do?
Take Brendan McCullum. Does he do a lot of coaching
because he's got a lot of people around him to
do that job. Is he more a mentor or a
manager a football manager role sort of thing.
Speaker 5 (21:25):
Well, I think Brendan has a controlling mentality for a
start off, So it depends on the coach. Some guys
like to manage it like a boardroom and have this
quite democratic cratic approach where they act as the chairman
of the board and they gather that information and then
disperse it out to his lieutenants to be able to
(21:48):
and trust them to operate. If you have a look
at Brendan's style, he tends to put people around him
of either like minded or like a ball not necessarily
greatly experienced coaches, but just people who keep everything ticking
over and everybody feeling comfortable and not and happy about
(22:09):
how they go about their business. If you look at it,
he is the overriding czar of that group, so he
dominates that group.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
That's his style.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
He's acknowledged that mistakes were made in the ashes series
and everybody can see that from the outside. Is there
a danger that as a coach you can be locked
into believing in your plan and sticking with your plan
and not being prepared to make changes and is that
the problem that McCullum may be facing at the moment.
Speaker 5 (22:41):
Well, yeah, I mean there are two strategies and I
think I've always believed this that there are two strategies
that are available to you as a coach. Basically, you
either have the right players so therefore.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
You can choose the strategy. Okay, so.
Speaker 5 (23:02):
You go, well, we've got all this talent, let's say
Australia or the All Blacks for example. You know you've
got hurdles, the guys who are multi skilled, and a
heap of positions, and you've got a lot of guys
you can choose from, so you can say this is
the style we're going to play, and then you tell
your selectors to go out and find those players that
fit the style. New Zealand cricket, for example, you've got
(23:26):
seven or eight really good cricketers historically, and then you
make up the numbers with the best possible first class
cricketers around you and you go our strengths are here,
can I get the team to adapt and work towards
the greater cause. So let's go back to the eighties.
(23:48):
You had Martin Crowe and you had had Richard Hadley
as our leaders, and everybody goes Rodio, we're going to
be successful here.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
We need to.
Speaker 5 (23:59):
Be either bat or bowl around these guys and adapt
to be successful collectively. It meant that we had to
bury their egos, but we had to massage this.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Brendan. If you look at.
Speaker 5 (24:13):
The strategy that he's gone with, which is this aggressive
attacking style, I'd rather call it a sort of a
red bull style rather than a bassball style.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
He tries to give everybody wings.
Speaker 5 (24:26):
And he has this attitude because he coaches in his
style and the way he saw things, the way he
went about his business.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
He's an optimist, he's a.
Speaker 5 (24:40):
Challenger and he constantly believes that he is the guy
who can put on the cake, jump out of the post,
the telephone booth, and save the world. And that's kind
of the thing that attracts you to Brendan McCallum. You
need a guy like that in your team. But bloody hell,
if you've got a team full of them it's hard
(25:02):
to manage.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
Yeah, from your experience of coaching and the system, is
McCallum likely to be under pressure for his job still?
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Ah?
Speaker 5 (25:15):
Yeah, because you've always got a old boys network in England.
It's a very very tight network. So any foreign coach
is going to be under pressure.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
But equally, the English by nature are pessimistic.
Speaker 5 (25:32):
So having an optimist and a total optimist inside your
unit is refreshing but also fraught with danger because the
people you're selecting all the time generally come from a
very pessimistic county background. They always think that the county
grant game is under pressure. It's no one's ever looked
(25:55):
at you know. They always have are looking at the
dark side, whereas Brennan always looks at the bright side.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
And so he's trying to.
Speaker 5 (26:03):
Change a a mentality or find people who have a
mentality that will compliment his style, and they're just not
enough of them in England to constantly feed that. Because
the problem is is you revert to kind a lot
of a lot of the time when you put under pressure,
(26:26):
you actually tend to get caught between the idea of
the coach says I can but I'm not quite sure
if I.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Actually can.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
And the Australians exposed that over the summer, as they
were always going to do. They put them under constant pressure,
didn't let them off the hook, and the free wheeling
plate of the light mentality just did not work.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
Yes, and there was selection mistakes quite clearly went I
mean the off spinning one for a start off, the
idea of using Shahbasher and then or preparing him but
not using him and then going for a part timer
to do the spinning role. It didn't really work, did it.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
Well, It just showed that they blinked, you know, they
under pressure, they blinked. They backed the year.
Speaker 5 (27:22):
The year looked as though he was coming, looked as
though he was a good cricketer with promise. He hits bounce,
which would suit the Australian style Australians. But having said that,
the Australians didn't really produce those wickets that Lion was
able to has been taking advantage of for the last
twelve years. So you know, they predominantly went paced the
(27:45):
whole way as well and use part time spin or
part time.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
Slowish bowling themselves. So you know that probably.
Speaker 5 (27:54):
Sorry England did judge the wickets well, Australia out fox them.
They eliminated that year. But I still think that in
the end, under pressure, England blinked.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
In terms of your experience of coaching sides overseas, does
Australia sit as the toughest place to tour for any side?
And therefore you have to be right on your game
all of the time pretty much.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
In terms of collective in terms of a nation.
Speaker 5 (28:27):
And I'm talking only about playing the game as opposed
to conditions, because you know.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
Other countries obviously have.
Speaker 5 (28:38):
Difficulties in terms of conditions in terms of climate, health conditions,
et cetera, et cetera. But in terms of the intensity
of playing the game, nothing beats playing in Australia.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
And I say that as almost an everest mentality.
Speaker 5 (29:00):
You've got to take it on and you've got to
have a crack at it, but you know it might
kill you.
Speaker 3 (29:07):
Yes, the New Zealand side go to England. In fact,
that's their next test match series, isn't it in June?
What could New Zealand take out of it in terms
of preparing for that series? Can they expect that the
McCullum style will be retained or will they be able
to prepare themselves for a totally different style back in
(29:29):
England because that's where they're going to be at their
strongest England, aren't they.
Speaker 5 (29:33):
Well, I think that New Zealand actually have I think
they were the news. They were the first to actually
expose some of the flaws in that style. And I
will go back to Willow rourke spell at Seddon Park
last year where he bowled frighteningly quick in swingers at
(29:58):
the right handers who like to free their arms and
give themselves space, and he gave them no space. And
he showed real clues to the technical deficiencies as opposed
to the desire to want to strike the ball at
Test match level, they were really exposed with the ball
(30:20):
cramping them up, excessive excessive bounce and pace. Boomer had
also done the same thing, and funnily enough, another one
who had done it was Zach Folks this season, even
though it was only medium pace swinging a white ball
(30:40):
through the gate back into a planting style no seaball
hit ball see if I can ad a homer was
really exposed as a technical skill when they get on
flat wickets and the ball doesn't deb eight. You can
sit there and hit homers for all your life with
(31:00):
a good eye. And they all had good eyes. But
unfortunately that moving ball and the late moving ball really
exposed them technically, and the Australians gave them no room.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
They bowled middle rather than force.
Speaker 5 (31:15):
Stump, and they tucked them up and the English did
not like that being cramped up.
Speaker 2 (31:21):
They were exposed technically.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
And that's the lesson I guess that New Zealand can
take from that. And somebody like Kyle Jamison is also
a player with that skill that you were talking about
that could be useful in the English condition.
Speaker 5 (31:33):
Yeah, and you know, I'd look for a I'd look
for a left armor as well, if you could get
older one, because I think actually that you know, like Stark,
he exposed the left handers getting you know, getting open
in the stands with the back and across and keeping
it pitched up to them and wanting to clip the
(31:55):
ball either square of the work at both sides and
getting the ball to swing late. So technically they were exposed,
not technically technically. First and foremost, wooll England a place
where New Zealand can take a spinner.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
We've got spin resources. Have we got a spinner that
can do the job in a Test match arena in England?
Speaker 2 (32:21):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 5 (32:21):
I think Mitchell Satner has really evolved as as.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
A spin bowler in all three formats.
Speaker 5 (32:28):
And you know, basically initially in Test match cricket, he
just had not played enough red ball cricket when he
was introduced into it. And I know you can probably
say the same thing about Daniel Vittore, but Daniel Vittore
in those days was playing more Test match cricket than
he was anything else. There wasn't T twenty cricket compromising
(32:52):
his technique and his growth, so he was getting that
exposure to red ball cricket. Mitchell Satna missed out on
that in his formative years. Wasn't playing first class cricket.
He was off playing twenty twenty around the world and
come back and see as one of our best spinners
and play home games because he get better it and
(33:13):
he hadn't learnt those skills.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
I think that now is maturity and his growth.
Speaker 5 (33:17):
I think he's an outstanding bowler in all three formats
and leads outside in terms of that spin. And then
we have obviously Bracewell and Phillips who both build that role,
who can bat at seven maybe six, So they have
two options there that in England is more than sufficient.
Speaker 3 (33:41):
Is it a case that the longer you're playing career,
particularly spin bowling crupt craft, the better you can become.
We don't see a lot of the younger ones. I mean,
Basher has been around, but he hasn't really made it,
has it? But you look at those who've been successful,
the longer they've played, the more successful they've become, so
to speak.
Speaker 5 (34:01):
Yeah, because I think one of that is a sense
of belonging. You know that you actually you feel as
though you part of the unit rather than a spare
part of the unit. You know, it's it's not great
then a spare tire tire and stuck under underneath, underneath
the boot, you know what I mean. You feel as
(34:23):
though you want to be part of the car, not
just when everything breaks down. So it's it's one of
those things that Lion was seen as a choker initially
because he had been to India and he didn't bowl
in the style that the batters wanted him to bowl. Everybody,
(34:44):
every spinner that goes to India faces that first too.
Speaker 2 (34:48):
Where you go.
Speaker 5 (34:49):
The batter's come up to you and say why can't
you bowl like him? We go, well, I've never bowled
like him. This is what got me in the team.
This is what I do in Australia, this is what
I do in New Zealand, this is what I do
in England. This is my first go at bowling on
these sorts of wickets with will skids and you're wanting
it to hit them below the kneepad rather than hit
(35:12):
them high on the back or them on the gloves.
So that sense of belonging and sense of that being
an initial or a crucial part of the of the
operation is a really really important aspect.
Speaker 3 (35:29):
Are you confident that New Zealand has a side that
can compete with England and England in a Test series
and its development is progressing at a good level.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
Well, the thing that that's really surprised me is.
Speaker 5 (35:46):
The number of players who have been selected over the
last since I've been back in New Zealand, and in
particular the last five years, who have been.
Speaker 2 (35:58):
Selected and have almost immediately performed.
Speaker 5 (36:03):
Now that says something I know everybody criticized, its criticized
as our first class game and things like that, that
the plans are coming into it and are actually looked
like international cricketers.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
Now, that says something about the coaching or the coaches.
Speaker 5 (36:20):
That are preparing cricketers for the greater good, or the
attitude of.
Speaker 2 (36:26):
The cricketers themselves in terms of preparing themselves for a
higher purpose. I'm not quite sure what not.
Speaker 5 (36:34):
Probably a combination of both, because you know that if
you actually prepare yourself for a higher purpose, then you're
going to end up with a greater wage packet because
there's so much more available to you.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
Now.
Speaker 5 (36:46):
You know you're not looking at going back to work
at the end of the day and having ten minutes
in the nets and practicing hitting six because somebody's called
out last three. There's that sense of purpose that I
have a career and a financial career in cricket if
I take it seriously.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
Yes, you talk about that development too. We're seeing in
the a team that has performed well against Australia, India
and South Africa, players who are going to have to
wait their time to get into the New Zealand side,
although they are probably earning a shot up selection by
their very performances at a level and in the domestic game.
Speaker 5 (37:26):
Yeah, and then when they the thing is when they
are getting that opportunity, have a look at the side
that's just played India and India three zero in the
One Day series. You go, well, you know, practically a
B side. Yeah, you know, and all of those guys
bold and batted and fielded with great discipline, and you've
(37:48):
got to go somebody's got to take credit for that
because they were prepared to play. They've gone India, a
lot of them for the first time, and you know
how tiring it is in India. You know, shifting venues
is an exhausting thing. You've got two hours of the airport,
you've got an hour waiting and BVIP. Then you go
(38:08):
to bvb IP and you have another couple of hours
and then you get off the plane and they stick
you in another bbb IP room, so they get security
ready to take you to the You're absolutely knacked by
the time you get to the hotel and they stick
sixteen garlands and a chocolate cake in your face that
you can't eat.
Speaker 3 (38:29):
Yes, that's one of the tough experiences that players have
to go through. And Perheps lessened a little bit in
England to some degree. I take it from the chat
that you could probably spend the next month or so
trying to find a left armor. But I'm afraid we
haven't got left arm seema up to the mark just
(38:51):
at the moment, have we. But I take your point
Bolt Wagner. You've talked about Stark. The left armors have
have been of value to New Zealand probably two off
spinners John like yourself.
Speaker 5 (39:08):
Yeah, Well, the thing is that the left armors, they
tend to expose no feat better than anybody else, and
inn swing is doing that a little bit in swing
went out of fashion. And I remember when I first
came back into the New Zealand side to coach and
I looked at and I'd seen a lot of the
(39:29):
South Africans in the county game and England, and there
were big fans of what they called the press technique,
a lot of them. You know that they practice on
bowler machines. They set up in the same way all
the time. The interesting thing was that if you get
(39:50):
it slightly wrong, then it doesn't become a press, it
becomes a plant. So you end up going across yourself
and you get off balance, your head gets outside the line.
So I rang up Shane O'Connor and I said, how
do I come out of retirement? I need a left armor? Yeah,
and he said, can you give me twenty four hours?
(40:11):
So obviously he had to talk to the missiles and
he come back and he says, you know, I'm really flattered,
but no, no, I can't. And so I had a
chat with the selectors and I said, I need an
then swing bowler. And they said, well, Tommy Martin Chris
(40:33):
is the best, but we've you know, we've tried him
in the past. And I said, but if he can
spoil and swing, I'm going to take him. And I think,
you know, in his comeback test, I think you're gonna
live him for at Eaton Park, didn't he They're right, yep,
and you know, and he just kept either hitting him
on the pads or going through the gate and then
(40:54):
nicking off the left armor the left handers, swinging across
them and then coming round the wicket and opening them up.
You know, he was he was opening them up the
full flint off and those guys exposed Gilchrist to it.
Speaker 2 (41:14):
And so you know there's a time, and that time
has come around again.
Speaker 5 (41:19):
Where guys are planting in order to be able to
go six or three two one instead of being able
to build up through and qualify what a good ball is.
And so the time of the in swinger is back.
And I think Zach folks are bowling at one hundred
and twenty seven swinging in swing and exposing England really
(41:42):
really badly, Jamie Smith in particular, and Joe Root has
re emerged.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
Yeah, and the Duke's ball will do that too, won't it.
Speaker 5 (41:52):
Oh certainly will certainly will because if it doesn't swing,
it'll seem in that direction, you know. So Tim Saudi
been able to get that ball to come back, and
I know Jacob Duffy has really been working on that
Tim Soudy ball.
Speaker 2 (42:05):
The outswing of the outswing, of the outswing go a
little wider three quarter scene running back into the pads.
Speaker 5 (42:12):
You know, he's almost become a Timselding carbon copy, but
it's still maintaining the pace. So it's great to see
that carrying on and those skills being passed on.
Speaker 3 (42:22):
Thanks very much. Brace's ed great to have you join us,
and I'm sure we'll take that opportunity to talk to
you again Jeremy, you had to listen to John Braceman,
and I guess you're probably much of the same mind.
And while it's interesting his assessment of Brendon mccaum, I
think we probably all see him in much the same
(42:45):
light Brendan McCallum, but also Brace's analysis of the current
New Zealand side and players who are starting to develop
through to the futuries. He's got that confident voice about him,
hasn't he.
Speaker 4 (43:00):
Well, I think we all do, Brian. We've been saying
this for some time, the performance of our a group
of players. I mean, we're all pretty pleased with it,
aren't we In Bangladesh and how they went there, and
then a new couple of names come up and they
go to South Africa and they play well there and
they're beating decent sides, and so I think there wouldn't
(43:24):
be any other way we could look at it, really,
I mean, and you'd have to say that they're doing
something right at the you know, and here we are
terribly concerned about our T twenty group of New Zealand
based players. We're talking about that domestic level I am
referring to, but they're certainly they're certainly being able to
(43:48):
cope pretty well and very quickly against the next level up.
And so I'm very much of like minded to what
Brace was saying in that in that little interview there.
I think I think we're we're actually got quite a
few options at the moment. That that's why, Well, it
(44:10):
depends on how keen you are to introduce new players.
A lot of people that I chat to say get
him in, get him in, and you're a bit like that, yeah,
And whereas I'm saying, well, hang on a tick, let's
let's just really make sure we can get this guy
out before he you know, before he's replaced by a youngster.
(44:30):
And it's not losing the youngster that much in the meantime, No.
Speaker 3 (44:34):
And those that are there are doing the job. So
we can't really argue about those in terms of our
test match players, you know. I mean, there's a bit
of an argument about the regular reinclusion of Henry Nichols,
but goodness, when he gets out there, he generally does
a workman like sort of job. I know, we need
(44:55):
to look to the future for some of these younger players,
but you also got to make it harder for them
to get in than to.
Speaker 4 (45:02):
Get out to some extent, don't you yep yep. I
think that's probably fair. And that's been one of the
problems that Brendan has faced, isn't it. It's very hard
to get out of that group that he likes and
he has that comfort of a family around him, and
(45:22):
Brace knows him very well and has coached him and
so on, so likable, and he likes to have that
group around. He is an optimist and he likes aggression.
The way that he played the thing that I think
that is important to also say though, but that's not
the only way you have to play, and cricket, thankfully
(45:43):
is not one dimensional, and so there are other ways
that you can think about and you can therefore have
different types of players in your team. And maybe that
is something he could think about very very carefully, because
he actually abandoned the county championship where you select your
players like our domestic game over in England. The county
(46:07):
championship is the name of it, and he hasn't really
looked at that so much. So those are the issues
I think that will need to be changed if he's
to remain there. And who knows, none of us are
making those decisions. So look, I think there are fair
(46:28):
points that he made. I would tend to agree with
most of them. Certainly, England and the English cricket community
tend to look at problems rather than you know, strengths.
They tend to look at that, these are his weaknesses here,
they are this, this, this and this and this. Here
(46:49):
are his strengths there. But they don't counterbalance each other,
so they they tend to be a wee bit like that.
Speaker 3 (46:57):
Yeah. I mean the other thing too, from what Racis
said is something that you and I have discussed on
a number of occasions. He has made a point and
it was an interesting story that he made about getting
a left armor into the New Zealand side. Yes, Bolt Wagner,
but we don't sort of have one now. How when
he came in, he tried to get Shane O'Connor, who
was able to move the ball. He wants players who
(47:18):
moved the ball, and he went to Chris Martin who
was someone.
Speaker 4 (47:22):
Who moved the ball.
Speaker 3 (47:23):
He likes Fuchs and I don't argue with that. But
at the moment we've talked about Fuchs, haven't ween in
terms of his potential and his ability to swing the ball.
But he has to be able to do that consistency,
consistently and at a higher pace. Isn't that right?
Speaker 4 (47:42):
Well, if he is going to move the ball, the
red ball is a wee bit more sympathetic, isn't it.
It lasts, The swing lasts a lot longer than it
does with the white ball. With the white ball, he's
really got to open the bowling if you want to
have swing and movement. If he gets it after about
over seven or eight, I'm sorry, it's not going to
be there. So then you are looking at a potentially
(48:05):
a different kind of bowler who's got lots of variation,
you know, or one who does something differently. And so
that's where Folks himself is going to have to use
his noggin to get different skills rang and then get
them with some consistency. He's got pounded a couple of games,
(48:29):
hasn't he. Yep, he did a bit better today when
the pressure went on the opposition batting trying to chase
the target down, and he looked a bit more dangerous
as they tried to swing more wildly at him. But
if no wickets fall, he's under pressure, under big pressure,
so and I think he showed glimpse of batting two,
(48:51):
didn't he today as well? A six and a four
and then and he got out, but he didn't use
lots of balls to get there. So as a lower
order player he can do that as well a number
eight or nine. But it's the bowling. He's four, really
and if he's not moving it at the moment, we
(49:13):
need him to do that. That's what you picked for.
So he's his positions in question, even though he's not
in the squad. I mean, let's make that clear as well.
At the stage for twenty Just.
Speaker 3 (49:27):
A quick word finally this week, who do you think
is going to win the Super Smash?
Speaker 2 (49:31):
Jerry?
Speaker 3 (49:33):
You'll be You'll be watching, won't you?
Speaker 4 (49:35):
No? I haven't. I haven't watched that, Brian. Can you
say a very very important life, very busy life.
Speaker 3 (49:44):
That I know that. Can you just say something like
the Vacuum? Yeah? Do you agree Wellington Blaze will win
the women's title and Canterbury will win the men's title?
Speaker 4 (49:54):
Would sounds a good pick to me? Yeah? Have you
been watching it?
Speaker 5 (50:00):
Have you?
Speaker 4 (50:00):
Have you been going in and doing this?
Speaker 3 (50:02):
Oh? Yes, as president, I watched the and I hope
that Welling can blaze our women's team do job. People
from the rest of the country probably couldn't kill this
what I have to say about that. But anyway, that's
something that we can talk about next week. It's on
next week. And we'll also have a chat about the
under nineteens next week because they will have finished what
has been a disappointing tournament for them. Yeah, and I'm
(50:25):
sure you see that, Jerry, So we'll look towards that
next week. But thanks very much for your time, and
don't forget the vacuuming and all the other things that
you have to do as a buck to watching World
two twenty. Thank you very much, Talk again next week.
Speaker 4 (50:41):
See our Words.
Speaker 3 (50:43):
All the
Speaker 1 (50:46):
Summer for more from News Talks b listen live on
air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever
you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to a podcast from News Talk sed B.
Follow this and our wide range of podcasts now on iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
To take another.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
It is out, the test is over. Goodness smokes a
beaut It is out.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
Here you guys.
Speaker 3 (00:31):
This delivery has.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
In NY users revolved.
Speaker 1 (00:36):
On the Front Foot with Brian Waddell and Jeremy Coney,
powered by News Talks heed B at iHeart Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Hello, nice to have you on the front put with
Jeremy Coney and myself, Ryan Model along with Razime Premium
quality paints and stains. This week analysis of a top
level coach, John Braithwaw's going to join us to assess
the record of Brendan McCallum by the Black Taps, gaining
much from the tour of India and down to the
(01:05):
deciding matches in the local super smash. Does that mean much? Well,
we'll have a chance later on in on the Front foots.
Jeremy Coney joins us. Jerry, I don't know whether you've
been watching through the night, watching the Tea Toties or
like me, having breakfast watching T twenty cricket and being
(01:26):
able to absorb the punishment that New Zealand took until
that fourth game when they managed to get a win,
and that sort of had the recipe, didn't it for
how you want to go about T twenty play?
Speaker 4 (01:38):
Yeah? It did. What I felt a little bit the
same after that third game where they were just getting
the margins between the two sides. We're getting larger and larger,
it seemed, And it wasn't kind of the idea. Ostensibly
the series was all about warming up and I guess
building some confidence in the team and getting some runs
(01:58):
and taking the odd wicket and so on as you
move towards the World Cup. But it was starting to
look as if it could actually do some damage after
those first three games. This one has perhaps turned it
round a little bit through particularly an opening partnership dominated
(02:19):
you'd have to say by Seiphered who likes the ball
as they were pointing out outside off stump, doesn't he
where he can swing his arms a little bit and
hit through the ball. As soon as it gets too straight,
then he's you know, he's okay, But when it is
on the stumps and that he has to be a
bit more careful. And I was interested in one of
(02:41):
the graphics that showed you the number of runs he
scores from those different sort of areas where the ball
is coming the line of the ball, but he hit
the ball very cleanly. Conway looked to get a bit
more confidence against the spin, didn't. He hit a couple
of slog sweeps. But he's still to me, has that
one handed discomfort and hasn't got around finding a solution
(03:07):
to that yet. When the Quicks are bowling, when you
think of the openers, there's one more possibility. Allan is
just arriving after winning that big Bash League competition this
year and fine Allen I think probably is. He looked
in good form and on the smaller grounds in India,
(03:28):
I think probably he would be the opener to start
with me. I think he'll be there for the next game,
I believe, and it's certainly worth a look at. I
do think as far as those they're concerned.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
The interesting thing is, I think Seifer has confirmed his place.
Conway probably hasn't. But that would break up what they
seem to want to do through the early part of
their order. Have the old left right combination. I know
that there's a lot of value in that, but breaking
that up will that impact on their performance in any way?
Do you think.
Speaker 4 (04:00):
I mean, the first thing is you pick your best team,
don't you wants Yeah, you pick the players who are
most likely to make a difference over the shorter number
of overs in the game, and so you need to
use those power playovers. I think New Zealand are a
side that like to do that. He's been in the
New Zealand side and then has chosen a casual contract
(04:23):
and plays around the world, and he's had good form recently.
As I say in the Big Bash, I think it's
worth a look at. And so to me, that overrides
the right left. In fact, that seems to be quite
a theme of theirs as you look at the team
that they've been playing. It's kind of right left, right left,
(04:43):
the whole way down, isn't it. Rather than the grouping
a number of players of like minded handedness together. I
think of that just goes the way it does. It does,
And as long as you're picking your better players, I
think that comes first and far as selection. For me,
(05:04):
I think alan and ciphered for me to open what's
at the moment? Then I think you can now they
have a little question about revenge at the moment, don't
they that seems to be developing.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Yeah, I just wonder whether he's surviving on his reputation
and we know how well he can play in India,
But do you consider dropping him and making a change,
perhaps say Mitchell up from six, Whether there's any value
for him being down there? Well, certainly in game four
he had the strike rate and the ability to turn
(05:38):
out a big total, turn what looked like being under
two hundred to winning two hundred and fifteen.
Speaker 4 (05:44):
Well he was the difference at the end, wasn't he
Because New Zealand were looking like sort of one eighty five,
that's that kind of thing. But showed the ability also
to hit down at number six. Now, I mean I've
heard them saying on the telly too that they think
he's a bit low there, and maybe they're right, But
I think number three, number four and five have for
(06:06):
me in a twenty two and he match have to
look after those middle overs, don't they over say seven
through to sixteen, the ten overs there. You need to
be able to attack the ball hard if it's a
poorer ball, or you need to score from good balls
let's call them those length balls on the stumps. You
(06:27):
need to have the number of shots to score from those.
They may not go for boundaries, but they can go
for twos, they can go for ones, anything in between.
So and I think it's very clear this selection group
want to play Phillips at four, isn't it. He's playing
four every game and he hasn't really let them down yet,
(06:47):
not too badly. He can play the power game and
they want him higher up, so he could play six
as he has in the past, but they want him
up at four. Well that's fine, that's up to this
group to work those things out. But I think Mitchell
should be one of those two four or five in
(07:10):
that those ten overs between seven and sixteen overs they
can bat on if they have a good day. Well
that's the role of those two players, I think. And
so I would think for me, I'd have Alan and
Seifered at the moment, I would have Ravendra or Chapman
at number three or number six, and then I have
(07:31):
four and five. I'd have Phillips and Mitchell. I mean,
there aren't many other choices. All you've got really is
niche and and that's I mean, the other players aren't
in the squad, are they. He's the only other one
or Bracewell, who again has been injured. So those are
the other only two options at number six, so they're
(07:53):
a bit limited. Robinson played the first match, didn't he
He's not in the squad. Bark has had a game,
He's not in the squad. Bracewell's injured. Folks has had
what two or three games, he's not in the squad.
It's not you know, Nisham hasn't had a game, So
I mean, you can't really. While it's a good idea
(08:15):
to have warm up games, it's pretty hard to fit
them in.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Yeah, And the thing that they probably need from the
remaining game is the continuing confidence that they would have
gained from match four, because I think that confidence was
dented in the first three games. They were totally outplayed.
India never looked to be in any trouble. Two hundred
is bottom, isn't it in terms of the requirements. If
(08:41):
you're batting first, you've got to get two hundred plus,
and you know, sometimes it's looking two thirty two forty,
isn't it in terms of the total. And unless you
can do that against India, and remember, of course they're
not going to be playing India every game. But they're
up against some pretty good opposition. But if you're going
to base your performance on the games against India, then
(09:04):
that two hundred plus is the prime recipe, isn't it.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
It becomes past score you can't I mean, if you
look at the way India were playing two thirty nine
when they batted first in game one, Game two, they
got two hundred and nine for three chasing and there
was still four point four overs left, Well, that means
you get two sixty. And then the third game was
(09:30):
it was getting worse, wasn't it was rolling way for
New Zealand. And three you know they got one fifty
five for three or ten over, so that's you know,
they were up to over three hundred if you carry
that runs per over right through.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
So but that also is the scoreboard pressure, isn't it.
They had no scoreboard pressure, But when there's two hundred
and fifteen or so, that provides the pressure. And that
showed in game four, didn't it when they got a
wicket they got abershek you know, I mean he runs
riot and he was out first ball. Once you're able
to do that because of the pressure of the scoreboard,
(10:05):
then you can create that pressure on the opposition, which
is the back backing for two hundred plus when you're
back first.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
It can be yet that's certainly right. That must become
a part of it. And that's why teams do like
to get a score even though I might be slightly
lower than you'd want. But if you can get to
that two hundred to two ten, it gives you a chance.
I just I mean, if you looked at the way
India batted first two thirty nine and then New Zealand
(10:35):
couldn't get runs, could they that we're really worrying because
the bowlers lost confidence. They didn't really know where to bowl,
they didn't have a place to go to. And I
noticed Duffy quite a lot in the first over or two.
He was going to Yorkers. He was going very full
and at the stumps and got away with the couple too.
(10:57):
So every bowler decides, I think, where do I go
when I'm under pressure. It's what we talked about last week.
And you need to have a lot of confidence in
that ball at your bowl, and whether it's length thing
like a yorker, or whether it's a low full toss
or if it's a slower ball, you know, so then
you're talking about pace of the delivery or whether it's both,
(11:20):
whether it's a slower bouncer in other words, as well
as another option. And the Indians use that a lot
at the end, don't they an extra They picked an
extra bowler in the fourth match and it cost them.
Really they didn't bowl. Who was the guy who got
the runout? Yeah? Part at Pandia, he didn't bowl at all.
(11:44):
So I mean those are those are the issues, aren't they?
And then New Zealand are going to have to make
those choices themselves. I think Santana should be seven myself. Ye.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
Well, then strike rate, he's got a strike rate that's
as good as anybody. I mean, he's he's basically second
to folks. Well, folks are not going to be there
in this current series. Center strike Rate down the order,
Mitch down the order and Phillips. They're the top four
strike rates for New Zealand. And. While strike rates not everything,
it is important in T twenty games when you're under
(12:17):
the pump.
Speaker 4 (12:18):
And to towards the end, setting the target. Once you've
worked hard to get to one hundred and eighty one
hundred and eighty five and you've got three overs left,
you know, and they are I think one hundred and
eighty five something like that. Yep, So they ended up
getting twenty five or thirty off the last three overs
through Mitchell.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
That's right, it was Mitchell. So what do we want
to produce in terms of bowling for this World T
twenty Henry and Duffy, to me are certainties Jamison and
Ferguson and Center of course as the spinner. Do we
want four seemas or do we want three seemas? Two spinners?
Speaker 4 (12:58):
Well, that'll depend a little bit on the size of
the ground ones and I think it will also depend on.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
The pitch.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
Obviously to them look pretty similar, don't they hardly any grass,
slightly cracked, pretty flat. And then so Jubie then becomes
comes into the equation. A weab it. You'd love to
win the toss and and you know you don't want
to be bowling second, so you tend to want to
chase a bit more. But that's you know, those are
(13:30):
a bit in the lapse of the god, aren't they really.
I mean, you pick your best players. Now the question
is do New Zealand know their best team? So I
mean we've got down to seven on our best site,
well my best team. I don't know whether you might
have different ideas, but number eight becomes the issue, doesn't
it is graceful going to be fit? The chances are
(13:53):
you'd have to say at this stage probably not. Well
maybe maybe later in the tournament, don't know. Nichem is
an option at number eight, then that means you're going
with four seemers or Sody. That means you're going with
two spinners, the same as the Bracewell option as well.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
Yeah, we'll say that's the next question. Isn't it because
he's a wicket taker but he can be expensive? Does
he get almost a first choice slot within the side
alongside Santa.
Speaker 4 (14:29):
Got to be bowling well though, doesn't he? Because he doesn't.
If he's not going to give you runs, that lengthens
your tail quite significantly. So you bat down to number
seven with Santner and then there's not a lot you
can rely on after that. Secondly, he's a wee bit
of a liability in the field, isn't he that he's
down at that fine leg, he's down at that short
(14:51):
in a man it's forty five. He doesn't look safe
there to be honest with you, and he knows that,
and the players know that as well. You know that's
going to be conditions wads who you're going to select there,
and that's the choice at number eight, I think, and
I I think that you tend to have a look
at Bracewell first if he was fit, because I think
(15:14):
the two spin options is quite a good one, even
though you've got Revendra potential Mark, question Mark or Phillips.
They send to be looking to Phillips more at the moment,
don't they. And then Henry Fergus and Duffy.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
Well, I just think that you know, we've got to
pick Ravendra for his batting. Now. If his batting's not
up to it, somebody in the coaching team has to
be in his head, whether it's technique or whether it's
basically the mental approach to the game to make sure
he's right. Because we know he is a match winner.
But if he's only scoring fifty runs in four matches
(15:49):
and he doesn't even have the strike rate that some
of the others have got, then he has to be
considered to be left out. Yet I would be the
first person to say you don't leave a player a
class player like him out of the side unless he's
totally out of.
Speaker 4 (16:02):
Form, correct. I mean he's of the two as sheer batsman.
I'm talking about Revender and Chapman. I think Revendra for me,
can change a match, can't he. Yes, Chapman has had
some very good and things. That's why he's obviously in
the team. And he's a bit.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
He runs well. He does the chasing round the boundaries
and so on, probably stronger than Revender. But Revender, you
though he could feel if he really put his mind
to it, and I just feel though the confidence has
just slid out of his game a bit. He wants
to get runs very quickly. He's coming in usually in
(16:43):
the power play where they want to obviously target the
fielding options that they've gotten, the gaps they've got. He's
picked out deep square leg once, hasn't he Today he
tried to take on Boomra, who's their best bowler, and
probably instead of having twenty overs to get the target
(17:04):
and opposition leaves you with Boomra and your team you've
only got eighteen. You know, he's one of that good
as a bowler. I think he's going to give you
two tough overs, so I think he's just got to
be a bit smarter. If Bomber's bowling the first over
to you, you don't take too many risks. He just
turned the bat through the line of the ball, didn't
(17:25):
he and got a sort of a leading edge back
to the bowler. He's got to play nice, straight bat,
play solidly in his first part of his innings. I
think he's good enough to be there.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
I agree, yeah, but in terms of you know what
he delivers on the park, you've got to be sure
that he's going to deliver what his potential is and
I don't think he's done that in this series.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
So an interesting talence, no.
Speaker 3 (17:51):
Interesting challenge for the team selectors heading into the World
T twenty. One of the things that will be interesting
to see is when they put their side together for
the fifth T Tweeddy, because I think that's when they've
really got to start looking at their number one side.
Everyone will be there and as we say, the only
issue is the fitness of braceball. But be nice to
(18:12):
be able to see Jamison in there because he's in
four milne now and Ferguson hasn't had a trick yet
and Fine Allen whether the international scene is going to
be proving difficult or different to playing for the Perth
Scorches where they scorched up the earth, Jerry and.
Speaker 4 (18:36):
They meet the Sydney Sixers, they were a better side.
Speaker 3 (18:39):
I didn't get excited. I've got to.
Speaker 4 (18:41):
Say, Okay, well you never do that, and that's a
good thing, Brian, to keep your levels of excitement down
when you was up with the age, the advanced age
you have, that's a good thing to be.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
Yeah, I'm just not sorry. I'm back with you already,
nice and car Yes, move on. Coaches are very much
in the forefront of sport currently, the All Blacks searching
for a new coach to the encumbent apparently not meeting
the target set heading up to the next World Cup,
and former Black Cat Brendan McCallum battling rather than batting
(19:15):
to hold his role with the England team after the
disastrous Ashes series. And let's talk coaching a man with
vast experience internationally and domestically coaching cricket. Former Black Caps
coach John Bracewell, who joins on the front foot not
for the first time. We all know the pressures coaches
are facing. Braces it seems at the moment though, it's
(19:37):
a tough gig being a coach.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
Yeah, it is.
Speaker 5 (19:42):
There's so many people well, in particular with cricket, because
there are so many balls in the year all the time.
It's unique in that you have got players that you
are are or aren't available for you at certain times
of the year on the international calendar that are playing
(20:03):
for not just one but could be playing for a
seven or eight different team in one year.
Speaker 2 (20:10):
Now.
Speaker 5 (20:10):
When we think about football as an international game and
you've got you know that they tend to play for
a club and then they tend to have international friendlies,
and then they tend to have world events, but they
only really played for two teams. You know.
Speaker 2 (20:27):
Cricket is really.
Speaker 5 (20:29):
Unique at the moment where our loyalty and our sense
of belonging is really being tested in terms of its
nationality and a national and an international national sport. It's
really putting the coaches under enormous pressure to try and
(20:49):
juggle this, manipulate egos, massage them and have your best
players available for you and be able to afford to
play pay them. And that's the difficulty in New Zealander
and more than anybody else probably.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Is a coach, or the term coach us and over
these days, how much coaching does the head man do?
Take Brendan McCullum. Does he do a lot of coaching
because he's got a lot of people around him to
do that job. Is he more a mentor or a
manager a football manager role sort of thing.
Speaker 5 (21:25):
Well, I think Brendan has a controlling mentality for a
start off, So it depends on the coach. Some guys
like to manage it like a boardroom and have this
quite democratic cratic approach where they act as the chairman
of the board and they gather that information and then
disperse it out to his lieutenants to be able to
(21:48):
and trust them to operate. If you have a look
at Brendan's style, he tends to put people around him
of either like minded or like a ball not necessarily
greatly experienced coaches, but just people who keep everything ticking
over and everybody feeling comfortable and not and happy about
(22:09):
how they go about their business. If you look at it,
he is the overriding czar of that group, so he
dominates that group.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
That's his style.
Speaker 3 (22:21):
He's acknowledged that mistakes were made in the ashes series
and everybody can see that from the outside. Is there
a danger that as a coach you can be locked
into believing in your plan and sticking with your plan
and not being prepared to make changes and is that
the problem that McCullum may be facing at the moment.
Speaker 5 (22:41):
Well, yeah, I mean there are two strategies and I
think I've always believed this that there are two strategies
that are available to you as a coach. Basically, you
either have the right players so therefore.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
You can choose the strategy. Okay, so.
Speaker 5 (23:02):
You go, well, we've got all this talent, let's say
Australia or the All Blacks for example. You know you've
got hurdles, the guys who are multi skilled, and a
heap of positions, and you've got a lot of guys
you can choose from, so you can say this is
the style we're going to play, and then you tell
your selectors to go out and find those players that
fit the style. New Zealand cricket, for example, you've got
(23:26):
seven or eight really good cricketers historically, and then you
make up the numbers with the best possible first class
cricketers around you and you go our strengths are here,
can I get the team to adapt and work towards
the greater cause. So let's go back to the eighties.
(23:48):
You had Martin Crowe and you had had Richard Hadley
as our leaders, and everybody goes Rodio, we're going to
be successful here.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
We need to.
Speaker 5 (23:59):
Be either bat or bowl around these guys and adapt
to be successful collectively. It meant that we had to
bury their egos, but we had to massage this.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
Brendan. If you look at.
Speaker 5 (24:13):
The strategy that he's gone with, which is this aggressive
attacking style, I'd rather call it a sort of a
red bull style rather than a bassball style.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
He tries to give everybody wings.
Speaker 5 (24:26):
And he has this attitude because he coaches in his
style and the way he saw things, the way he
went about his business.
Speaker 2 (24:38):
He's an optimist, he's a.
Speaker 5 (24:40):
Challenger and he constantly believes that he is the guy
who can put on the cake, jump out of the post,
the telephone booth, and save the world. And that's kind
of the thing that attracts you to Brendan McCallum. You
need a guy like that in your team. But bloody hell,
if you've got a team full of them it's hard
(25:02):
to manage.
Speaker 3 (25:04):
Yeah, from your experience of coaching and the system, is
McCallum likely to be under pressure for his job still?
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Ah?
Speaker 5 (25:15):
Yeah, because you've always got a old boys network in England.
It's a very very tight network. So any foreign coach
is going to be under pressure.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
But equally, the English by nature are pessimistic.
Speaker 5 (25:32):
So having an optimist and a total optimist inside your
unit is refreshing but also fraught with danger because the
people you're selecting all the time generally come from a
very pessimistic county background. They always think that the county
grant game is under pressure. It's no one's ever looked
(25:55):
at you know. They always have are looking at the
dark side, whereas Brennan always looks at the bright side.
Speaker 2 (26:02):
And so he's trying to.
Speaker 5 (26:03):
Change a a mentality or find people who have a
mentality that will compliment his style, and they're just not
enough of them in England to constantly feed that. Because
the problem is is you revert to kind a lot
of a lot of the time when you put under pressure,
(26:26):
you actually tend to get caught between the idea of
the coach says I can but I'm not quite sure
if I.
Speaker 2 (26:36):
Actually can.
Speaker 5 (26:38):
And the Australians exposed that over the summer, as they
were always going to do. They put them under constant pressure,
didn't let them off the hook, and the free wheeling
plate of the light mentality just did not work.
Speaker 3 (26:55):
Yes, and there was selection mistakes quite clearly went I
mean the off spinning one for a start off, the
idea of using Shahbasher and then or preparing him but
not using him and then going for a part timer
to do the spinning role. It didn't really work, did it.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
Well, It just showed that they blinked, you know, they
under pressure, they blinked. They backed the year.
Speaker 5 (27:22):
The year looked as though he was coming, looked as
though he was a good cricketer with promise. He hits bounce,
which would suit the Australian style Australians. But having said that,
the Australians didn't really produce those wickets that Lion was
able to has been taking advantage of for the last
twelve years. So you know, they predominantly went paced the
(27:45):
whole way as well and use part time spin or
part time.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
Slowish bowling themselves. So you know that probably.
Speaker 5 (27:54):
Sorry England did judge the wickets well, Australia out fox them.
They eliminated that year. But I still think that in
the end, under pressure, England blinked.
Speaker 3 (28:05):
In terms of your experience of coaching sides overseas, does
Australia sit as the toughest place to tour for any side?
And therefore you have to be right on your game
all of the time pretty much.
Speaker 2 (28:20):
In terms of collective in terms of a nation.
Speaker 5 (28:27):
And I'm talking only about playing the game as opposed
to conditions, because you know.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
Other countries obviously have.
Speaker 5 (28:38):
Difficulties in terms of conditions in terms of climate, health conditions,
et cetera, et cetera. But in terms of the intensity
of playing the game, nothing beats playing in Australia.
Speaker 2 (28:55):
And I say that as almost an everest mentality.
Speaker 5 (29:00):
You've got to take it on and you've got to
have a crack at it, but you know it might
kill you.
Speaker 3 (29:07):
Yes, the New Zealand side go to England. In fact,
that's their next test match series, isn't it in June?
What could New Zealand take out of it in terms
of preparing for that series? Can they expect that the
McCullum style will be retained or will they be able
to prepare themselves for a totally different style back in
(29:29):
England because that's where they're going to be at their
strongest England, aren't they.
Speaker 5 (29:33):
Well, I think that New Zealand actually have I think
they were the news. They were the first to actually
expose some of the flaws in that style. And I
will go back to Willow rourke spell at Seddon Park
last year where he bowled frighteningly quick in swingers at
(29:58):
the right handers who like to free their arms and
give themselves space, and he gave them no space. And
he showed real clues to the technical deficiencies as opposed
to the desire to want to strike the ball at
Test match level, they were really exposed with the ball
(30:20):
cramping them up, excessive excessive bounce and pace. Boomer had
also done the same thing, and funnily enough, another one
who had done it was Zach Folks this season, even
though it was only medium pace swinging a white ball
(30:40):
through the gate back into a planting style no seaball
hit ball see if I can ad a homer was
really exposed as a technical skill when they get on
flat wickets and the ball doesn't deb eight. You can
sit there and hit homers for all your life with
(31:00):
a good eye. And they all had good eyes. But
unfortunately that moving ball and the late moving ball really
exposed them technically, and the Australians gave them no room.
Speaker 2 (31:12):
They bowled middle rather than force.
Speaker 5 (31:15):
Stump, and they tucked them up and the English did
not like that being cramped up.
Speaker 2 (31:21):
They were exposed technically.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
And that's the lesson I guess that New Zealand can
take from that. And somebody like Kyle Jamison is also
a player with that skill that you were talking about
that could be useful in the English condition.
Speaker 5 (31:33):
Yeah, and you know, I'd look for a I'd look
for a left armor as well, if you could get
older one, because I think actually that you know, like Stark,
he exposed the left handers getting you know, getting open
in the stands with the back and across and keeping
it pitched up to them and wanting to clip the
(31:55):
ball either square of the work at both sides and
getting the ball to swing late. So technically they were exposed,
not technically technically. First and foremost, wooll England a place
where New Zealand can take a spinner.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
We've got spin resources. Have we got a spinner that
can do the job in a Test match arena in England?
Speaker 2 (32:21):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 5 (32:21):
I think Mitchell Satner has really evolved as as.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
A spin bowler in all three formats.
Speaker 5 (32:28):
And you know, basically initially in Test match cricket, he
just had not played enough red ball cricket when he
was introduced into it. And I know you can probably
say the same thing about Daniel Vittore, but Daniel Vittore
in those days was playing more Test match cricket than
he was anything else. There wasn't T twenty cricket compromising
(32:52):
his technique and his growth, so he was getting that
exposure to red ball cricket. Mitchell Satna missed out on
that in his formative years. Wasn't playing first class cricket.
He was off playing twenty twenty around the world and
come back and see as one of our best spinners
and play home games because he get better it and
(33:13):
he hadn't learnt those skills.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
I think that now is maturity and his growth.
Speaker 5 (33:17):
I think he's an outstanding bowler in all three formats
and leads outside in terms of that spin. And then
we have obviously Bracewell and Phillips who both build that role,
who can bat at seven maybe six, So they have
two options there that in England is more than sufficient.
Speaker 3 (33:41):
Is it a case that the longer you're playing career,
particularly spin bowling crupt craft, the better you can become.
We don't see a lot of the younger ones. I mean,
Basher has been around, but he hasn't really made it,
has it? But you look at those who've been successful,
the longer they've played, the more successful they've become, so
to speak.
Speaker 5 (34:01):
Yeah, because I think one of that is a sense
of belonging. You know that you actually you feel as
though you part of the unit rather than a spare
part of the unit. You know, it's it's not great
then a spare tire tire and stuck under underneath, underneath
the boot, you know what I mean. You feel as
(34:23):
though you want to be part of the car, not
just when everything breaks down. So it's it's one of
those things that Lion was seen as a choker initially
because he had been to India and he didn't bowl
in the style that the batters wanted him to bowl. Everybody,
(34:44):
every spinner that goes to India faces that first too.
Speaker 2 (34:48):
Where you go.
Speaker 5 (34:49):
The batter's come up to you and say why can't
you bowl like him? We go, well, I've never bowled
like him. This is what got me in the team.
This is what I do in Australia, this is what
I do in New Zealand, this is what I do
in England. This is my first go at bowling on
these sorts of wickets with will skids and you're wanting
it to hit them below the kneepad rather than hit
(35:12):
them high on the back or them on the gloves.
So that sense of belonging and sense of that being
an initial or a crucial part of the of the
operation is a really really important aspect.
Speaker 3 (35:29):
Are you confident that New Zealand has a side that
can compete with England and England in a Test series
and its development is progressing at a good level.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
Well, the thing that that's really surprised me is.
Speaker 5 (35:46):
The number of players who have been selected over the
last since I've been back in New Zealand, and in
particular the last five years, who have been.
Speaker 2 (35:58):
Selected and have almost immediately performed.
Speaker 5 (36:03):
Now that says something I know everybody criticized, its criticized
as our first class game and things like that, that
the plans are coming into it and are actually looked
like international cricketers.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
Now, that says something about the coaching or the coaches.
Speaker 5 (36:20):
That are preparing cricketers for the greater good, or the
attitude of.
Speaker 2 (36:26):
The cricketers themselves in terms of preparing themselves for a
higher purpose. I'm not quite sure what not.
Speaker 5 (36:34):
Probably a combination of both, because you know that if
you actually prepare yourself for a higher purpose, then you're
going to end up with a greater wage packet because
there's so much more available to you.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
Now.
Speaker 5 (36:46):
You know you're not looking at going back to work
at the end of the day and having ten minutes
in the nets and practicing hitting six because somebody's called
out last three. There's that sense of purpose that I
have a career and a financial career in cricket if
I take it seriously.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
Yes, you talk about that development too. We're seeing in
the a team that has performed well against Australia, India
and South Africa, players who are going to have to
wait their time to get into the New Zealand side,
although they are probably earning a shot up selection by
their very performances at a level and in the domestic game.
Speaker 5 (37:26):
Yeah, and then when they the thing is when they
are getting that opportunity, have a look at the side
that's just played India and India three zero in the
One Day series. You go, well, you know, practically a
B side. Yeah, you know, and all of those guys
bold and batted and fielded with great discipline, and you've
(37:48):
got to go somebody's got to take credit for that
because they were prepared to play. They've gone India, a
lot of them for the first time, and you know
how tiring it is in India. You know, shifting venues
is an exhausting thing. You've got two hours of the airport,
you've got an hour waiting and BVIP. Then you go
(38:08):
to bvb IP and you have another couple of hours
and then you get off the plane and they stick
you in another bbb IP room, so they get security
ready to take you to the You're absolutely knacked by
the time you get to the hotel and they stick
sixteen garlands and a chocolate cake in your face that
you can't eat.
Speaker 3 (38:29):
Yes, that's one of the tough experiences that players have
to go through. And Perheps lessened a little bit in
England to some degree. I take it from the chat
that you could probably spend the next month or so
trying to find a left armor. But I'm afraid we
haven't got left arm seema up to the mark just
(38:51):
at the moment, have we. But I take your point
Bolt Wagner. You've talked about Stark. The left armors have
have been of value to New Zealand probably two off
spinners John like yourself.
Speaker 5 (39:08):
Yeah, Well, the thing is that the left armors, they
tend to expose no feat better than anybody else, and
inn swing is doing that a little bit in swing
went out of fashion. And I remember when I first
came back into the New Zealand side to coach and
I looked at and I'd seen a lot of the
(39:29):
South Africans in the county game and England, and there
were big fans of what they called the press technique,
a lot of them. You know that they practice on
bowler machines. They set up in the same way all
the time. The interesting thing was that if you get
(39:50):
it slightly wrong, then it doesn't become a press, it
becomes a plant. So you end up going across yourself
and you get off balance, your head gets outside the line.
So I rang up Shane O'Connor and I said, how
do I come out of retirement? I need a left armor? Yeah,
and he said, can you give me twenty four hours?
(40:11):
So obviously he had to talk to the missiles and
he come back and he says, you know, I'm really flattered,
but no, no, I can't. And so I had a
chat with the selectors and I said, I need an
then swing bowler. And they said, well, Tommy Martin Chris
(40:33):
is the best, but we've you know, we've tried him
in the past. And I said, but if he can
spoil and swing, I'm going to take him. And I think,
you know, in his comeback test, I think you're gonna
live him for at Eaton Park, didn't he They're right, yep,
and you know, and he just kept either hitting him
on the pads or going through the gate and then
(40:54):
nicking off the left armor the left handers, swinging across
them and then coming round the wicket and opening them up.
You know, he was he was opening them up the
full flint off and those guys exposed Gilchrist to it.
Speaker 2 (41:14):
And so you know there's a time, and that time
has come around again.
Speaker 5 (41:19):
Where guys are planting in order to be able to
go six or three two one instead of being able
to build up through and qualify what a good ball is.
And so the time of the in swinger is back.
And I think Zach folks are bowling at one hundred
and twenty seven swinging in swing and exposing England really
(41:42):
really badly, Jamie Smith in particular, and Joe Root has
re emerged.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
Yeah, and the Duke's ball will do that too, won't it.
Speaker 5 (41:52):
Oh certainly will certainly will because if it doesn't swing,
it'll seem in that direction, you know. So Tim Saudi
been able to get that ball to come back, and
I know Jacob Duffy has really been working on that
Tim Soudy ball.
Speaker 2 (42:05):
The outswing of the outswing, of the outswing go a
little wider three quarter scene running back into the pads.
Speaker 5 (42:12):
You know, he's almost become a Timselding carbon copy, but
it's still maintaining the pace. So it's great to see
that carrying on and those skills being passed on.
Speaker 3 (42:22):
Thanks very much. Brace's ed great to have you join us,
and I'm sure we'll take that opportunity to talk to
you again Jeremy, you had to listen to John Braceman,
and I guess you're probably much of the same mind.
And while it's interesting his assessment of Brendon mccaum, I
think we probably all see him in much the same
(42:45):
light Brendan McCallum, but also Brace's analysis of the current
New Zealand side and players who are starting to develop
through to the futuries. He's got that confident voice about him,
hasn't he.
Speaker 4 (43:00):
Well, I think we all do, Brian. We've been saying
this for some time, the performance of our a group
of players. I mean, we're all pretty pleased with it,
aren't we In Bangladesh and how they went there, and
then a new couple of names come up and they
go to South Africa and they play well there and
they're beating decent sides, and so I think there wouldn't
(43:24):
be any other way we could look at it, really,
I mean, and you'd have to say that they're doing
something right at the you know, and here we are
terribly concerned about our T twenty group of New Zealand
based players. We're talking about that domestic level I am
referring to, but they're certainly they're certainly being able to
(43:48):
cope pretty well and very quickly against the next level up.
And so I'm very much of like minded to what
Brace was saying in that in that little interview there.
I think I think we're we're actually got quite a
few options at the moment. That that's why, Well, it
(44:10):
depends on how keen you are to introduce new players.
A lot of people that I chat to say get
him in, get him in, and you're a bit like that, yeah,
And whereas I'm saying, well, hang on a tick, let's
let's just really make sure we can get this guy
out before he you know, before he's replaced by a youngster.
(44:30):
And it's not losing the youngster that much in the meantime, No.
Speaker 3 (44:34):
And those that are there are doing the job. So
we can't really argue about those in terms of our
test match players, you know. I mean, there's a bit
of an argument about the regular reinclusion of Henry Nichols,
but goodness, when he gets out there, he generally does
a workman like sort of job. I know, we need
(44:55):
to look to the future for some of these younger players,
but you also got to make it harder for them
to get in than to.
Speaker 4 (45:02):
Get out to some extent, don't you yep yep. I
think that's probably fair. And that's been one of the
problems that Brendan has faced, isn't it. It's very hard
to get out of that group that he likes and
he has that comfort of a family around him, and
(45:22):
Brace knows him very well and has coached him and
so on, so likable, and he likes to have that
group around. He is an optimist and he likes aggression.
The way that he played the thing that I think
that is important to also say though, but that's not
the only way you have to play, and cricket, thankfully
(45:43):
is not one dimensional, and so there are other ways
that you can think about and you can therefore have
different types of players in your team. And maybe that
is something he could think about very very carefully, because
he actually abandoned the county championship where you select your
players like our domestic game over in England. The county
(46:07):
championship is the name of it, and he hasn't really
looked at that so much. So those are the issues
I think that will need to be changed if he's
to remain there. And who knows, none of us are
making those decisions. So look, I think there are fair
(46:28):
points that he made. I would tend to agree with
most of them. Certainly, England and the English cricket community
tend to look at problems rather than you know, strengths.
They tend to look at that, these are his weaknesses here,
they are this, this, this and this and this. Here
(46:49):
are his strengths there. But they don't counterbalance each other,
so they they tend to be a wee bit like that.
Speaker 3 (46:57):
Yeah. I mean the other thing too, from what Racis
said is something that you and I have discussed on
a number of occasions. He has made a point and
it was an interesting story that he made about getting
a left armor into the New Zealand side. Yes, Bolt Wagner,
but we don't sort of have one now. How when
he came in, he tried to get Shane O'Connor, who
was able to move the ball. He wants players who
(47:18):
moved the ball, and he went to Chris Martin who
was someone.
Speaker 4 (47:22):
Who moved the ball.
Speaker 3 (47:23):
He likes Fuchs and I don't argue with that. But
at the moment we've talked about Fuchs, haven't ween in
terms of his potential and his ability to swing the ball.
But he has to be able to do that consistency,
consistently and at a higher pace. Isn't that right?
Speaker 4 (47:42):
Well, if he is going to move the ball, the
red ball is a wee bit more sympathetic, isn't it.
It lasts, The swing lasts a lot longer than it
does with the white ball. With the white ball, he's
really got to open the bowling if you want to
have swing and movement. If he gets it after about
over seven or eight, I'm sorry, it's not going to
be there. So then you are looking at a potentially
(48:05):
a different kind of bowler who's got lots of variation,
you know, or one who does something differently. And so
that's where Folks himself is going to have to use
his noggin to get different skills rang and then get
them with some consistency. He's got pounded a couple of games,
(48:29):
hasn't he. Yep, he did a bit better today when
the pressure went on the opposition batting trying to chase
the target down, and he looked a bit more dangerous
as they tried to swing more wildly at him. But
if no wickets fall, he's under pressure, under big pressure,
so and I think he showed glimpse of batting two,
(48:51):
didn't he today as well? A six and a four
and then and he got out, but he didn't use
lots of balls to get there. So as a lower
order player he can do that as well a number
eight or nine. But it's the bowling. He's four, really
and if he's not moving it at the moment, we
(49:13):
need him to do that. That's what you picked for.
So he's his positions in question, even though he's not
in the squad. I mean, let's make that clear as well.
At the stage for twenty Just.
Speaker 3 (49:27):
A quick word finally this week, who do you think
is going to win the Super Smash?
Speaker 2 (49:31):
Jerry?
Speaker 3 (49:33):
You'll be You'll be watching, won't you?
Speaker 4 (49:35):
No? I haven't. I haven't watched that, Brian. Can you
say a very very important life, very busy life.
Speaker 3 (49:44):
That I know that. Can you just say something like
the Vacuum? Yeah? Do you agree Wellington Blaze will win
the women's title and Canterbury will win the men's title?
Speaker 4 (49:54):
Would sounds a good pick to me? Yeah? Have you
been watching it?
Speaker 5 (50:00):
Have you?
Speaker 4 (50:00):
Have you been going in and doing this?
Speaker 3 (50:02):
Oh? Yes, as president, I watched the and I hope
that Welling can blaze our women's team do job. People
from the rest of the country probably couldn't kill this
what I have to say about that. But anyway, that's
something that we can talk about next week. It's on
next week. And we'll also have a chat about the
under nineteens next week because they will have finished what
has been a disappointing tournament for them. Yeah, and I'm
(50:25):
sure you see that, Jerry, So we'll look towards that
next week. But thanks very much for your time, and
don't forget the vacuuming and all the other things that
you have to do as a buck to watching World
two twenty. Thank you very much, Talk again next week.
Speaker 4 (50:41):
See our Words.
Speaker 3 (50:43):
All the
Speaker 1 (50:46):
Summer for more from News Talks b listen live on
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