However we can't recall a moment as bad as this one; the headline on Cricinfo says it all:
Bangladesh complete clean sweep
Oh, for some excuses; a team ravaged by injury, poor umpiring, food poisoning. Alas, there are no excuses. With a couple of exceptions, this is the best outfit that New Zealand can turn out at the moment. There were poor umpiring decisions, and no review system, but they were evenly shared. We haven't heard any reports of wholesale illness within the team, or of reporters or commentators having to be subbed on to fill in in the field.
The top-order batting was abysmal in this series, and was characterised by the ugly heave which led to Brendon McCullum's downfall in just the second over of the Black Caps' chase for just 175. Until Vettori and Elliott came together, the batting was woeful. Even Vettori had luck on his side with a dropped catch early in his innings, and a plumb LBW appeal being turned down.
The bowling and fielding were adequate, but barely so. An attack of Mills, McKay and Bennett will not win New Zealand the ICC World Cup. Nathan McCullum's form was adequate at best, and Daniel Vettori bowled steadily in conditions in which he should have been deadly; sadly, Vettori hasn't been deadly for a long time.
Where to from here? Quite honestly, we have no idea. We guess though that after a series loss to Bangladesh, the only way is up! New Zealand cricket has some huge challenges ahead of it, and it's time for New Zealand Cricket to make some hard decisions if the game here is to maintain any credibility whatsoever.
4 comments:
A sad day for NZ cricket.
Hopefully we will end up with a coach, rather than a mate of the senior members of the side.
Indeed a sad state of play. I thought the brothers McCullum were wasteful last night but Kyle Mills continues to mature into a great cricketer. Good knock from Elliott too....hope he has done enough for a trip to India.
and IV you are right...we can only go up from here
@ Anton - I think that "great" is a bit of stretch with regard to Kyle Mills. Sir Richard Hadlee, Martin Crowe and Bert Sutcliffe were "great" New Zealand cricketers; Mills has got a wee way to go to reach that level!
Anton - great is a well overused word when it comes to NZ Cricket as INV says. I think you could add JR Reid, Martin Donnelly, Stew Dempster and possibly Stephen Fleming (as a captain) to that list.
Mills is a trundler who wouldn't be able to play test cricket but for the rules on chuckers changing to accomodate Murilitharan.
Alex - it was four days of humiliation and lucky for NZ the 5th day was rained out.
INV I have a blank on the word thingy - no letters to copy.
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