Lockie bowled great pace, Matt Henry looked good: NZ coach Stead after 2nd ODI with India called off
After his side’s second ODI against India was washed out, New Zealand coach Gary Stead said that there are still some positives his side walks away with after the match. The second ODI of the three-match series between India and New Zealand was called off due to rain, with the Men in Blue being able to score 89/1 in 12.5 overs at the time rain intervened for the final time and put any possibility of further action to rest.
“We try to take early wickets and put India under pressure. It became difficult to grip the new ball after the drizzle. It was hard to bring spinners into the game. But Lockie Fergsuon bowled at a great pace, Matt Henry was good. A lot of positives to walk away with,” said Stead in a post-match press conference. Stead said that it was disappointed for both the teams and their fans that the match was not complete.
He added that though roofs can be considered during cricket matches if the infrastructure is there, cricket is still a spectacle that everyone tries is played outside in the sun. On being the number one ranked ODI side, the coach said rankings are irrelevant to him.
“Once the game starts, it does not matter. We have had a number of consistencies for a long while, like in our selection. We have a number of players that would go down as New Zealand greats. Combine it with the way this side plays for each other, something that it has done well for the past six to eight years,” he added. On Kane Williamson’s strike rate in T20Is, the coach said that the recent T20 WC in Australia showed that there is still space and relevance for anchors and batsmanship.
Though Kane has 443 runs in 13 T20I matches with three fifties at an average of 36.91, his SR of 118.76 has come under question. Put to bat first by the Kiwis, India was at 22/0 in 4.5 overs when rain interrupted the action for the first time. The match was resumed after rain as a 29-overs-per-side affair.
After the match resumed, India lost skipper Shikhar Dhawan to Matt Henry early for just three runs. Following Shikhar’s dismissal, Gill and Suryakumar added 66 runs for the second wicket. But rain played the spoilsport again and fans did not get to see any further action from these two exciting sides. Shubman Gill (45* off 42 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (34* off 25 balls) were at the crease unbeaten.
The third ODI will take place in Christchurch on Wednesday. In the first ODI, New Zealand defeated India by seven wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
India managed to score 306/7 in their 50 overs, with the fifties coming from Shreyas Iyer (80), Dhawan (72) and Gill (50). Pacers Tim Southee and Lockie Fergsuon took three wickets. In chase of 307, India had NZ struggling at 88/3 in 19.5 overs. But a 221-run stand for the fourth wicket between Tom Latham (145*) and skipper Kane Williamson (94*) helped the Kiwis win the match.
Umran Malik (2/66) was the pick of Indian bowlers on his debut. In the T20I series before this, India won it 1-0. The first T20I was washed away by rain completely. India won the second T20I by 65 runs, with Suryakumar (111*) and Deepak Hooda (4/10) being the stars.
The third T20I was also affected by rain and was called off during India’s chase of 161, during which Men in Blue were at 75/4 in nine overs. (ANI)
About the Author
