Wrapping up the Australian Series

Along with the excitement (and accompanying disappointment) of running Australia very close but failing to seal the deal, the biggest takeaway from the series for New Zealand supporters was the performances of the less experienced members of the side under pressure. While Australia regained their guard just enough to be able to come back and draw the series, NZ will take plenty of one-day credibility from it along with the knowledge that they have a strong player base in this form of the game at least.

The final two games of the tour, the rain-interrupted Chappell-Hadlee decider and the T20 at Sydney, aptly summed up the frustrations that come with supporting this NZ side. At the Gabba, where their revised target was 156 off 20 overs, they set off at breakneck speed after which the middle order experienced brain-fade and threw their wickets away needlessly, and then the unlikely pair of Martil Guptill and Brendon Diamanti almost carried them to victory before the rain came. At the SCG, they needed 151 off 20 but this time got off to s disastrous start and were forced to consolidate, and the late charge at the end was not executed well enough to realise victory. So the verdict on the one-day leg of the tour would be; the bowlers generally did enough to prevent the Aussies from getting away, but the batsmen lacked consistency.

Part of the problem with the batting is that in recent times, the kiwi selectors have put a premium on boundary hitters. While this has translated into some great successes, especially at casing down big totals, it has also meant the batsmen have been unable to respond to tight bowling and fielding by keeping the scoreboard moving. Ross Taylor and Grant Elliott are good at that sort of thing, the art of pushing the quick single during the middle overs. But the typical scenario in this series was more along the lines of "conserve wickets even if the runs don't come, and leave everything to the late charge". The T20 defeat, although it should really be taken with a pinch of salt, was proof of what can go wrong with that approach.

Still, it couldn't erase the positives that NZ will take out of the tour. Losing Jesse Ryder to injury was a huge blow at the start of the series; the devastating starts he provides in partnership with Brendon McCullum at the top is central to NZ's one-day gameplan. Not only did this adversely affect McCullum's game, it robbed the batting of the firepower which was already lowered thanks to the absence of Jacob Oram. For NZ to come close to winning 3-2 speaks volumes of their ability to adapt, and is also a good sign for their much maligned domestic system. Martin Guptill was in simply sublime form at the Gabba; a wristy player, with a hint of VVS Laxman in his strokes, he appeals as a talent worth persevering with. Neil Broom showed promise as a middle order hitter and an excellent fielder, though his run tally was modest. And it was great to see Ian Butler back in international cricket, even if he has lost about 10km/h since his injury four years ago. He and Nathan McCullum have an opportunity to impress as allrounders when the India series at home comes up.

While Daniel Vettori claimed he was gutted by the loss in Sydney, he should be happy that he has his side in order before the series against India which should be an ever taller order than this one. The return of some of the incumbents should ensure they are up for the challenge.