Plunket Shield at the start of the season was “great for the guys to get into that mode in the longest way,” says Latham
After their crushing 2-0 series sweeping the West Indies, New Zealand has strengthened their chances of reaching the final of the World Test Championship. But while Tom Latham, who captained them in the second round in the absence of Kane Williamson, is excited about that “possibility”, he wants the team to look too far ahead and focus on Pakistan’s next heat, which begins Friday with three. T20I, followed by two tests, instead.
New Zealand (62.5%) currently ranks third in the WTC points table, behind Australia (82.2%) and India (75.0%). If they also beat Pakistan 2-0, they will pressure India to face favorites Australia at Lord’s next year. What has worked in New Zealand’s favor is that they play Pakistan at home as well, and would no longer travel to Bangladesh due to the Covid-19 schedule restructuring.
“I guess that’s the way with the Test Championship schedule right now,” Latham said after the second Test win against the West Indies. “In our conditions, we certainly know how to play in these conditions, which is great. Regardless of which team we face, we are certainly willing to learn from past performances. We look forward to Pakistan in a week’s time, a new rival, different challenges, so it is important to adapt.
“For the moment, we will enjoy this victory and then we will change [focus] to Pakistan. I think the beauty of this group is that we focus on each game at a time, each series at a time. When you look too far ahead, sometimes you can get a little stuck. So our focus will shift to Pakistan and then whatever happens, post that, then we will agree. The goal at the beginning of the Trial Championship was to reach the final, and if we play well and give ourselves a chance, that may be a possibility. “
Like coach Gary Stead after the first test, Latham called the team’s performance “clinical” as New Zealand concluded the second test on the fourth morning to record their second consecutive win in innings. He also said that playing Plunket Shield at the start of the national season helped players get into the rhythm of test cricket.
“Clinical is probably the word to use again, I think,” Latham said. “The way we were able to set up the game here in Wellington with the bat, in the back of Henry’s [Nicholls] entries was outstanding. Hitting first, putting 460 on the board was outstanding. We talk from a hitting point of view is that his score in the first inning is great and in these conditions, putting a score like that on the board was great and, deep down, we were able to get the job done with the ball. Putting a team to bat twice in two test matches was not going to be easy for the bowlers in terms of the demands on their body, but they kept coming back again and again and did the job with the ball yesterday and today, which it was exceptional. So yeah, I think clinical is probably a good word to use.
“I think we’re lucky to start our first-class season with four rounds of Plunket Shield, which is great for the guys to get into that mode for the longest form in the game. A good testimonial to the guys who came back from the IPL. , the way they quickly adapted to this format. I think in international cricket today, you need the ability to adapt as quickly as possible, whatever the format. The way they adapted to this format was great The guys will quickly switch to T20s in a few days and then we’ll have to go back to the red ball stuff. So yeah, the ability to switch back and forth is vitally important in international cricket today. “
In both events, New Zealand came in with a four-pronged rhythm attack with Kyle Jamieson joining the tried and tested trio of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner. Jamieson finished the series as the second-biggest wide receiver with 11 strikes in two starts. In the first test, he also got his first half-century test. His complete performance meant that he was named Player of the Series.
“His contribution was outstanding,” Latham said. “In the short Test run he’s had so far, he’s come along and been successful right away. He’s a guy who’s always willing to learn, always willing to pick up the brains of other guys in the group, which is outstanding. And to continually learn and come back this year with some new skills is a testament to himself and he deserves to be the Player of the Series.
“I think his record probably says so [that he is an allrounder] And if he’s able to do that with the ball and the bat, that’s great for us. He’s obviously done it with the ball initially, and then the performance he did with the bat in the first test was great and for us, if we can have contributions in the lower order, as many as possible, it is obviously great. Like I said, he’s a guy who’s willing to learn, willing to put yardage in training and I’m sure he’ll continue to work hard on that aspect of his game as well. “
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