Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Darcy Waldegrave
from News Talk z'd be.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Cricket is the subject to now. Gary Stead is our
guest as we talk cricket for possibly the last time
this year. Gary Good evening, Welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Hello Darcy, how are you?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
I'm very very well. What about yourself? The teest season
oddly has wound up. It is in the middle of December,
wound up with a victory, hot cold the whole year
so far, How would you rate what you and your
men have achieved over the Sri Lankan, the Indian and
then last of all, the English series if you can
put them in one bunch.
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Well, look, I mean you're right. Might you say there's
been some outstanding performances. I mean probably nothing greater than
that Indian series. And I think this series is another
one that could have gone either way. And I think
sometimes you get fine Margins's sport that can make the
results look like that blowouts. But I think it was
(01:04):
a fiercely contested series. Is this one against England and
unfortunately they won the first two, but I think the
guys bounced back extremely well in this last test.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
They did. How much of that though was England maybe
were a foot on the plane and New Zealand knowing
that it was Tim Southy's last Test match, so it
was a massive improvement and then maybe slightly less from
the English site.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Yeah, I can't speak for England, but from our point
of view, we certainly wanted to send him out on
a really positive note and I thought the way that
we applied ourselves was fantastic throughout the game. And it
started off with that first session where Tom Latham and
Will Young got us through a tricky situation of batting,
and I thought the guy's bowl particularly well throughout the
(01:50):
throughout the match as well, and you look at Matt Henry,
Tim Survey, Will o' rourke and Mitch Satner I thought
did a fantastic role for us.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Mitch Santner quite something else that the coming of age
for a man who's been a lot of time tweaking
when it comes to the white ball version, but now
he's shown in red ball he's definitely a guide too,
not to be messed with.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Yeah, absolutely, I mean he's It's a pitch that we
thought would take some spin and Mitch came into his
own not only with the ball, but certainly with the
bat at the start as well, and he is seventy
seven and forty nine that he scored I think was
really instrumental in the match and put that alongside seven
wickets and like he had an outstanding match and it's
(02:30):
great to see him continuing to develop his rebull game.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
When you look across the just this series in particular,
what were you most impressed with about your side and
what they achieved even though they lost to one.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Look, I think we bounced back well, there's no surprise.
I think when you look back that first Test that
you look at the drop catchers was probably the difference
in the match and we could be talking about a
different serious result here if we'd taken those, but unfortunately
that's the game at times and we were just a
little bit off on couple of days in the field.
(03:08):
But look, I think there's real resilience in this team.
I think there's some skill sets the likes of willow' rourke,
who I think is just going from strength to strength
with his Test game. And there's certainly a guy that
I think is going to be talked about a lot
around the world whoever he plays against with his pace
(03:29):
and the bounce that he gets. I think he made
all the England batsman look uncomfortable. Came Williamson obviously continues
to impress with his ability to just keep churning out
runs and I guess he was the I guess rock
that everyone else battered around in our innings.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
Here Will young wonderful time of it in India. He's come back,
He's slid him for that one game for Devin Conway
and proved that he's definitely a viable bat. You can't
really comment on what happens to the next Test because
you may or may not be the coach. Was nice
to see Will saying yeah, I can actually open this is.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Okay, absolutely, And look, I mean I've said this many
times but regardless of whether Will plays or not, he's
still a fine player for us. And that's one of
the things you're always I think looking at as a
selector who fits in and were and we've got a
hell of a lot of respect for Will and the
way he goes about his game. He's certainly going from
(04:23):
strength to strength and that's always encouraging in any players
that you have in your squad. So yeah, delighted for Will.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
In the way that he played Rotten Revendra. He's a
guy who was going to be site something else. I've
all seen that showing slight lapses of concentration throughout the year.
I'm presuming that's not an easy fix, but something he
has to work on. He's got it all there, but
every now and then it just blips.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Doesn't he Yeah, but look, I mean he's twenty four,
he's young in the international game still, but he will
keep getting better because he's a classy person and a
classy player, and whilst he hasn't had perhaps the series
that he's wanted, then we have a lot of trust
and a lot of faith in the way goes about things,
(05:07):
and from our perspective, I think Rachan is going to
be here for a long long time and will definitely
be continue to be a great player and probably a
great leader in this team in the future as well.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
A lot of pressure on you, Gary Steve when it
comes to some players not in great form, but I
believe you've always been very much. It's hard to get
into this team, but it's also hard to get out
because we put a lot of trust in players. Are
you still satisfied with that attitude, that philosophy and what's
happened throughout this season.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
You never select players because you want to get rid
of them at some stage, and so you select the
players that you believe are the best players in the country,
and you select them for a reason. And sometimes form
can come and go a little bit, but I think
if you do continue to show that trust and players
and you get the best out of them as well.
And look, there are times that I know that it's
(06:03):
that people want to see change, but I guess that's
decision for selectors and the captain to make, and trying
to keep the consistency in the team and also consistency
in the dressing groom as well, so people are really
clear on what their roles are.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
I'll tell you someone who's been consistent. Tim Salvey bows
out of the test arena after I don't know how long,
what's sixteen seventeen years. He says goodbye. Suitable way to
send him on his way with a victory at his
home park. He's been I don't like when they say
a servant to the game, because I don't think it
suggests enough. He's been an absolute rock star, isn't he.
Speaker 3 (06:37):
Yeah, you think Tim came into the team when he
was eighteen or nineteen and a young guy who I
guess had a fantastic start in his first Test against
England as well, and I think since then he's carved
out an amazing career. When you consider the numbers he's got,
he's the only player in the world to have three
hundred Test wickets, two hundred ODIs in one hundred twenty wickets,
(07:00):
So that says something in itself about his longevity. But
I think more than at it, that's what he holds
in the dressing room as well. Like he's a he's
a cheeky character, but but he always has put the
team first and and done his very very best to
get around other players. And I'm sure that's something that
we look back in the future will be some somewhat
(07:22):
of a legacy that he's left.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Uh And he goes away playing me very happy with
what he's achieved. What about reflections in the sheds afterwards?
What was the champagne popping people having a good old
time to celebrate the end of an era.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
Yeah, absolutely, I mean we wanna, we wanna, I guess
toast Tim and to being the player, the man that
he's been within this group for for a long long time,
and I mean it's never easy saying goodbye to someone,
but I mean that always happens you with any job
you're and I guess you reach the end of your lifespan.
And I think the nice thing for Tim is he's
(07:57):
bowing out on his terms. He's decided it's the right tea,
right right time to go for him, and he will.
He will leave the game, I think, with many magnificent memories,
but also some great mates as well.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
You'd say about people making their own decision knowing when
it's time to step down. Time not you would have
been handled with this question constantly. But you get a
bit of a break now. I think your contract expires
before the next Test series starts and a number of
months time. How much consideration are you giving to walking
away from coaching the Test game because you've got some
one day internationals still to come.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
Yeah, I mean it's something that you do always think about.
And look, I'm sure that my discussions with New Zealand
Cricket will continue in the near future. But look, it's
nice to get close to Christmas, to have a little
bit of time at home and just spend some time
with the family, and that's certainly when you're in the
role for a long time, you certainly cherish those moments
(08:53):
and certainly looking forward to a little bit of just
a bit of downtime before we get into it again.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
And so as far as that's concerned, you're not making
any calls or anything. And tell what, well into twenty
twenty five, you're just going to let it rest.
Speaker 3 (09:05):
Yeah, not at the moment, Darcy. I mean, it's the
games about the players. So first and foremost my job
is to try and prepare the Black players as best
we can, and we when we get to that time
to make a decision, then I'm sure you'll be first
to know.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
I'll take you to that. One last thing, Garystad, your
performance are as a coach? How have you waded what
you've achieved in these three test series?
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Look, I mean, you always want to win every test
that you go into and that's something you're you're always
aspiring to do. And we weren't quite good enough in
the first two. I mean, we miss some opportunities in
that first test that perhaps win us and that's always disappointing.
And you always reflect first yourself and what you could
have done better. And like as a staff, where we're
(09:55):
always saying, how can we prepare the players for them
to be out there and ready? But ultimately it does
rest with the players to be out there and to
play the game, and that's what the game's about to me.
I mean, as staff, our job is to support the
players and to help them get ready. So you're always
looking for those little one percenters, I guess, and what
you can do differently and what you can change to
(10:15):
get them ready. But look the ability and I think
one of the things for this team that they do
so well as they have shown resilience and they've shown
the ability to bounce back. In my view, they've done
that very very well in this test match.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Well, you're back in control of things early January. But
for the here and now, you get to sit back, relax,
not deal with media, not deal with players, actually not
even smell cut grass. Enjoy your holiday. Gary Steeden, thanks
very much for all of your help throughout twenty twenty four.
Speaker 3 (10:44):
Thanks RC chairs mate.
Speaker 1 (10:46):
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