September 28, 2024 • 10 mins
The Black Caps are up against a mammoth task in their second test in Sri Lanka.
They’ll have to match a colossal total if they hope to even salvage a draw at Galle, not to mention the continuing struggles of opening batsman Devon Conway.
Former Black Cap Ronnie Hira joined Piney to discuss why the team has struggled so much in Sri Lanka so far.
“I think they obviously blew a lot of missed opportunities with the ball on the first day and in the field,” he told Piney.
“It becomes difficult for bowlers to maintain, I guess energy and morale when you see missed chances happening like that.”
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Fine
from Newstalk.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
ZEDB black Caps trials Sri Lanka by five hundred and
eighty runs early in their first innings after two days
of the second cricket Test at Gaul, Sri Lanka eventually
declaring at six hundred and two for five, Dinesh Chandeml,
Comindu Mendus and Cousl Mendus all scoring centuries.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Take the aerial route.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
And he joins the company of the creator, Sir Donald
Bradman Web that hate blow and he has declared.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
And that was the moment the captain was waiting for.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Glenn Phillips, the best of New Zealand's bowlers, with three
wickets and if six hundred and two for five wasn't
bad enough, New Zealand twenty two for two In reply,
opener Tom Latham out for two, his opening partner Devon
Conway for nine. Came Williamson and night watchman A Jazz
Patel at the crease six hundred and two for five
declared plays twenty two for two after two days. Former
(01:11):
Black Cap but Ronnie here is with us. That's a
pretty grim looking scoreboard. Ronnie isn't it.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Yeah, pretty tough work and I think they obviously blew
a lot of miss opportunities with the ball on the
first day and in the field.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Yeah, I mean they're going to be costly, aren't they.
But I don't know what did you make of New
Zealand's bowling effort six hundred and so. I know it's
a flat track and all of that. They didn't take
their opportunities, but could New Zealand have done more with
the ball and in the field.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Definitely in the field. Yeah, Like I said, with those mischances,
it becomes difficult for bowlers to maintain I guess the
energy and morale when you see miss chances happening like that,
especially in the first couple of overs when you saw
kuner Artne get dropped and then a couple of the
stumpings and bits and pieces, it just starts to deflate you.
And then when you can't get any momentum or pick
up wickets and clumps with new batsmen coming in, then
(02:06):
it comes very difficult. And you just saw guys who
inform for the shril Ankins obviously make make us pay.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
In terms of anything that could be done differently with
bowling changes or I mean there's only I know, there's
only certain players available to Tim Southey to use, and
you are going to rely heavily on your spinners. But
I look at the guy like Ajas Pattel, who was
really effective, particularly in the second innings of the First Test,
with six fa forty one overs none for one hundred
and thirty five. Why was he so much less effective
(02:37):
this time around?
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Yeah, I don't know. It did seem that he was
obviously bowling where he had his fast year rovers that's
for sure, and I think Len Philip's obviously got a
few year as well as just picking out wickets. But
I just I felt like they just couldn't keep pressure
on from both ends and in terms of age as,
I think they just found a method to try and
obviously rotate strike will actually attack him and then yeah,
obviously at the other end, we're just trying to keep
(03:01):
pressure on. So just don't mean the bottom partnerships really well.
And then yeah, soon as they sort of got a
roll on, it just become difficult to sort of break
the partnerships. Really.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
I know Willow Rourks early in his Test career, but
he was really effective in the first Test as well,
eight wickets across the two innings and that was only
I think thirty five overs across the two innings. No
joy for willow Rourk this time again. Was he just
negotiated better by this Lankan batsman this time?
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Yeah, I'd say so. I mean that we were sight
unseen that first Test, so they probably counted a little
bit more bounty is obviously very tall, tall bowler, so yeah,
a little bit more bounce of this. Lankans probably didn't
they were expecting that. And then yeah, they did the
scouting between the two Test matches, and I think in
(03:50):
terms of management and workload for people that wellow rook,
he's obviously got probably you know, I think it's at
least three Tests in India, so they would also balanced
that out too.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
When you are in the field like that and you're
not getting wickets and the runs are piling up, and
you're going a long time between you know, positive moments,
how do you stay energetic? How do you stay up
and about.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Tough? It's tough usually guided somewhat by the by the
way you keeper. He's sort of is the as usually
and most teams are sort of spark plug to keep
guys going and get them around. That's where obviously where
the noise comes from behind the stumps, So some of
that Tom Blundle is pretty crucial that in that sort
of space, and then you just rely on from people
like Glenn Phillips, you know, who's energized the bunny to
(04:35):
try and produce something in the field or keep guys going.
But yeah, it's tough, man. The two days worth of
bowling almost the best part of and then you're sending
guys out to bat who have had all that time
in the legs. Then yeah, the situation becomes twenty two
for two and we're staring down the barrel. Really.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, So in New Zealand, one's off the table now, Ronnie.
I mean, they're not going to win it from here.
What chance do you give them of saving some face
and at least getting out of this without a second
straight defeat over there?
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Yeah, it's probably. Yes, it's going to be tough. I
think you are expecting guys like King Williamson to be
performing out of a ten out of ten. You know,
he's got to soak up a lot of time, a
lot of effort and produce you know, a really big
hundred if not like a double, and then any guys
to support him, and even that only breaks half of
the back of what they've produced in terms of the
(05:25):
first school. First thing in school, you know, So you know,
day three, they have to be batting by they have
to be batting by stumps in their first innings if
they are to try and save this Test.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Should we be worried about Devon Conway.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Yep, yep, we should be. Although that's just missle and
the second innings looked a little bit on the first
thing is rather looked a little bit fifty to fifty.
I don't know if that ball actually carried to the fielder.
So in that regard, I think he's probably a little
bit of bad luck. But when things aren't going away,
these types of things happen. So in his sort of
situation and how things are going, it's been a little
(05:59):
bit lean recently if you look back and see how
things are going. So yeah, he just needs to find
a way to spend some time in the middle in
the runs will essentially start coming. But yeah, it just
seems to be stuck at They're stuck at the wicket
and you know, getting out without actually, I guess trying
to take it to the bowlers.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
It's a tough stretch, isn't it too, Ronnie? Because after
this what three tests in India, that's not going to
be easy either. It's it's a pretty tough stretch, isn't it.
We need to find I mean, and there were positives
in the first Test. Let's not forget that the bowling
I mentioned from Ajas and also will I Roll. But yeah,
there's some It's a it's a tough, a tough five
test tour, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Yeah, I just going to to your point there. I
think they probably could only have been another ten to
twenty percent better in the first Test and they have
won that. You know, in that first innings, if they've
got another twenty or thirty runs and eked it out,
then that last set of day, you know, in you
only chasing twenty or thirty becomes a lot easier. But
obviously stirring down trying to get sixty with the last
two wickets is pretty difficult to do. So I think
they missed opportunity for the black Cats was in that
(06:56):
first Test and the first things where they didn't get
a big enough lead and then obviously. Yeah, in the
first innings here they've obviously been put to the sword
while they by the showing and batsman. So yeah, a
few positives to take. How we you know, your three
Tests against India. You can see how they're performing at
the moment against Aangladesh and it's going to be tough
in their own conditions and the way that they sort
of attack their Test cricket. Yeah, I don't know if
(07:18):
they make any changes. I don't know if they go
to the bench and then put some other guys in,
but they've got to find a way to be competitive
at least.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Well, great chance for somebody over the next couple of
days to get big runs. As you say, three days
to ban if you like, really at least a couple
of days. I mean, Caine, Rtchen, I've got you know,
they've got form in terms of spending time with the crease.
I guess if you turn it around, there is an
opportunity for somebody to get a big, big score.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Yet, yeah, you're right, it is, but the wicket's not
going to get any easier. At about on sch I
thin can make it look really easy. But then you
can see obviously when we're batting it. It's a lot
more difficult when you've got to you know, you've got
to try and hang in there to stumps and then
starting in the next day. I mean, I think the
best thing they can do is try and just not
worry about what they've scored now that's done and dusted,
and just try and make sure that they're making every
(08:00):
sort of partnership go as long as they can and
try and make it towards stumps. If we're batting again
today and it's second and meons, then yeah, we're obviously
well on the road to losing this Test within fort
the four days.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Indeed, great to chat Ronnie. Thanks for taking our call mate.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
All right, that's funny.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
All the best, mate, Ronnie.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Here are there?
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Former black Cap Keen observer of the game of cricket. Yeah,
it's tough, real tough in New Zealand from here six
hundred and two for five declared, Yeah, the winds off
the Table's let's be realistic about this twenty two for two.
Cain Williamson there with ajs Pttel who went out as
night watchman at the fall of the second wicket late
on day two. But yeah, Kane's just going to have
to bat and bat and bad. And then you look
(08:38):
at the likes of rich and Ravendra, who, let's not
forget you got a double one hundred las summer, didn't
he against an albeit weekend South African side. So I
knows how to spend time at the crease and got
that ninety odd in the first Test as well. So
in these conditions has shown an ability to bat for
long periods. You need someone else there as well, obviously,
the likes of a Darrel Mitchell, Tom Blundell, maybe even
(08:59):
a Glenn Phillips to spend a decent amount of time
at the crease over partnerships like srilank did you look
at the partnerships that they put together in their innings
and it was just such a long long time between
periods of success for New Zealand. You know, must just
be so demoralizing when you can't pick up up wickets,
(09:22):
you know, in clumps when it just takes well. And
they got that first one quite early, didn't they. They
were two for one, then one hundred and twenty two
runs for the second wicket, then another nearly one hundred
runs for the third, another one hundred runs for the fourth,
sixty odd until they got their fifth wicket, and then
another one hundred runs before they declared. So century partnerships
(09:43):
just dotted right across the Sri Lankan first innings. When
you build partnerships, score mounts and you make it difficult
for your opposition. So play starts on day three at
around four thirty. This afternoon, New Zealand resume twenty two
for two with Came Williamson and a Jazz Patel together.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine. Listen live
to News Talk z' B weekends from mid or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Fine
from Newstalk.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
ZEDB black Caps trials Sri Lanka by five hundred and
eighty runs early in their first innings after two days
of the second cricket Test at Gaul, Sri Lanka eventually
declaring at six hundred and two for five, Dinesh Chandeml,
Comindu Mendus and Cousl Mendus all scoring centuries.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Take the aerial route.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
And he joins the company of the creator, Sir Donald
Bradman Web that hate blow and he has declared.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
And that was the moment the captain was waiting for.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Glenn Phillips, the best of New Zealand's bowlers, with three
wickets and if six hundred and two for five wasn't
bad enough, New Zealand twenty two for two In reply,
opener Tom Latham out for two, his opening partner Devon
Conway for nine. Came Williamson and night watchman A Jazz
Patel at the crease six hundred and two for five
declared plays twenty two for two after two days. Former
(01:11):
Black Cap but Ronnie here is with us. That's a
pretty grim looking scoreboard. Ronnie isn't it.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Yeah, pretty tough work and I think they obviously blew
a lot of miss opportunities with the ball on the
first day and in the field.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Yeah, I mean they're going to be costly, aren't they.
But I don't know what did you make of New
Zealand's bowling effort six hundred and so. I know it's
a flat track and all of that. They didn't take
their opportunities, but could New Zealand have done more with
the ball and in the field.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Definitely in the field. Yeah, Like I said, with those mischances,
it becomes difficult for bowlers to maintain I guess the
energy and morale when you see miss chances happening like that,
especially in the first couple of overs when you saw
kuner Artne get dropped and then a couple of the
stumpings and bits and pieces, it just starts to deflate you.
And then when you can't get any momentum or pick
up wickets and clumps with new batsmen coming in, then
(02:06):
it comes very difficult. And you just saw guys who
inform for the shril Ankins obviously make make us pay.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
In terms of anything that could be done differently with
bowling changes or I mean there's only I know, there's
only certain players available to Tim Southey to use, and
you are going to rely heavily on your spinners. But
I look at the guy like Ajas Pattel, who was
really effective, particularly in the second innings of the First Test,
with six fa forty one overs none for one hundred
and thirty five. Why was he so much less effective
(02:37):
this time around?
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Yeah, I don't know. It did seem that he was
obviously bowling where he had his fast year rovers that's
for sure, and I think Len Philip's obviously got a
few year as well as just picking out wickets. But
I just I felt like they just couldn't keep pressure
on from both ends and in terms of age as,
I think they just found a method to try and
obviously rotate strike will actually attack him and then yeah,
obviously at the other end, we're just trying to keep
(03:01):
pressure on. So just don't mean the bottom partnerships really well.
And then yeah, soon as they sort of got a
roll on, it just become difficult to sort of break
the partnerships. Really.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
I know Willow Rourks early in his Test career, but
he was really effective in the first Test as well,
eight wickets across the two innings and that was only
I think thirty five overs across the two innings. No
joy for willow Rourk this time again. Was he just
negotiated better by this Lankan batsman this time?
Speaker 3 (03:29):
Yeah, I'd say so. I mean that we were sight
unseen that first Test, so they probably counted a little
bit more bounty is obviously very tall, tall bowler, so yeah,
a little bit more bounce of this. Lankans probably didn't
they were expecting that. And then yeah, they did the
scouting between the two Test matches, and I think in
(03:50):
terms of management and workload for people that wellow rook,
he's obviously got probably you know, I think it's at
least three Tests in India, so they would also balanced
that out too.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
When you are in the field like that and you're
not getting wickets and the runs are piling up, and
you're going a long time between you know, positive moments,
how do you stay energetic? How do you stay up
and about.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
Tough? It's tough usually guided somewhat by the by the
way you keeper. He's sort of is the as usually
and most teams are sort of spark plug to keep
guys going and get them around. That's where obviously where
the noise comes from behind the stumps, So some of
that Tom Blundle is pretty crucial that in that sort
of space, and then you just rely on from people
like Glenn Phillips, you know, who's energized the bunny to
(04:35):
try and produce something in the field or keep guys going.
But yeah, it's tough, man. The two days worth of
bowling almost the best part of and then you're sending
guys out to bat who have had all that time
in the legs. Then yeah, the situation becomes twenty two
for two and we're staring down the barrel. Really.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, So in New Zealand, one's off the table now, Ronnie.
I mean, they're not going to win it from here.
What chance do you give them of saving some face
and at least getting out of this without a second
straight defeat over there?
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Yeah, it's probably. Yes, it's going to be tough. I
think you are expecting guys like King Williamson to be
performing out of a ten out of ten. You know,
he's got to soak up a lot of time, a
lot of effort and produce you know, a really big
hundred if not like a double, and then any guys
to support him, and even that only breaks half of
the back of what they've produced in terms of the
(05:25):
first school. First thing in school, you know, So you know,
day three, they have to be batting by they have
to be batting by stumps in their first innings if
they are to try and save this Test.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Should we be worried about Devon Conway.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
Yep, yep, we should be. Although that's just missle and
the second innings looked a little bit on the first
thing is rather looked a little bit fifty to fifty.
I don't know if that ball actually carried to the fielder.
So in that regard, I think he's probably a little
bit of bad luck. But when things aren't going away,
these types of things happen. So in his sort of
situation and how things are going, it's been a little
(05:59):
bit lean recently if you look back and see how
things are going. So yeah, he just needs to find
a way to spend some time in the middle in
the runs will essentially start coming. But yeah, it just
seems to be stuck at They're stuck at the wicket
and you know, getting out without actually, I guess trying
to take it to the bowlers.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
It's a tough stretch, isn't it too, Ronnie? Because after
this what three tests in India, that's not going to
be easy either. It's it's a pretty tough stretch, isn't it.
We need to find I mean, and there were positives
in the first Test. Let's not forget that the bowling
I mentioned from Ajas and also will I Roll. But yeah,
there's some It's a it's a tough, a tough five
test tour, isn't it.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
Yeah, I just going to to your point there. I
think they probably could only have been another ten to
twenty percent better in the first Test and they have
won that. You know, in that first innings, if they've
got another twenty or thirty runs and eked it out,
then that last set of day, you know, in you
only chasing twenty or thirty becomes a lot easier. But
obviously stirring down trying to get sixty with the last
two wickets is pretty difficult to do. So I think
they missed opportunity for the black Cats was in that
(06:56):
first Test and the first things where they didn't get
a big enough lead and then obviously. Yeah, in the
first innings here they've obviously been put to the sword
while they by the showing and batsman. So yeah, a
few positives to take. How we you know, your three
Tests against India. You can see how they're performing at
the moment against Aangladesh and it's going to be tough
in their own conditions and the way that they sort
of attack their Test cricket. Yeah, I don't know if
(07:18):
they make any changes. I don't know if they go
to the bench and then put some other guys in,
but they've got to find a way to be competitive
at least.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
Well, great chance for somebody over the next couple of
days to get big runs. As you say, three days
to ban if you like, really at least a couple
of days. I mean, Caine, Rtchen, I've got you know,
they've got form in terms of spending time with the crease.
I guess if you turn it around, there is an
opportunity for somebody to get a big, big score.
Speaker 3 (07:39):
Yet, yeah, you're right, it is, but the wicket's not
going to get any easier. At about on sch I
thin can make it look really easy. But then you
can see obviously when we're batting it. It's a lot
more difficult when you've got to you know, you've got
to try and hang in there to stumps and then
starting in the next day. I mean, I think the
best thing they can do is try and just not
worry about what they've scored now that's done and dusted,
and just try and make sure that they're making every
(08:00):
sort of partnership go as long as they can and
try and make it towards stumps. If we're batting again
today and it's second and meons, then yeah, we're obviously
well on the road to losing this Test within fort
the four days.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Indeed, great to chat Ronnie. Thanks for taking our call mate.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
All right, that's funny.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
All the best, mate, Ronnie.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Here are there?
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Former black Cap Keen observer of the game of cricket. Yeah,
it's tough, real tough in New Zealand from here six
hundred and two for five declared, Yeah, the winds off
the Table's let's be realistic about this twenty two for two.
Cain Williamson there with ajs Pttel who went out as
night watchman at the fall of the second wicket late
on day two. But yeah, Kane's just going to have
to bat and bat and bad. And then you look
(08:38):
at the likes of rich and Ravendra, who, let's not
forget you got a double one hundred las summer, didn't
he against an albeit weekend South African side. So I
knows how to spend time at the crease and got
that ninety odd in the first Test as well. So
in these conditions has shown an ability to bat for
long periods. You need someone else there as well, obviously,
the likes of a Darrel Mitchell, Tom Blundell, maybe even
(08:59):
a Glenn Phillips to spend a decent amount of time
at the crease over partnerships like srilank did you look
at the partnerships that they put together in their innings
and it was just such a long long time between
periods of success for New Zealand. You know, must just
be so demoralizing when you can't pick up up wickets,
(09:22):
you know, in clumps when it just takes well. And
they got that first one quite early, didn't they. They
were two for one, then one hundred and twenty two
runs for the second wicket, then another nearly one hundred
runs for the third, another one hundred runs for the fourth,
sixty odd until they got their fifth wicket, and then
another one hundred runs before they declared. So century partnerships
(09:43):
just dotted right across the Sri Lankan first innings. When
you build partnerships, score mounts and you make it difficult
for your opposition. So play starts on day three at
around four thirty. This afternoon, New Zealand resume twenty two
for two with Came Williamson and a Jazz Patel together.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine. Listen live
to News Talk z' B weekends from mid or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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