Tom Latham hit 12 fours and six during his 86 on the first day of Test 1 against the West Indies, but the outing was probably the shot that defined his innings.
After winning the toss on a greener than usual Hamilton field, the West Indies brought out rookie Will Young early, but Latham and Kane Williamson added 154 for the second wicket to put New Zealand in front. They finished the day 243-2. During the course of their stroke, Latham not only left balls in line but also in length, and fast bowlers from the West Indies often went wrong on the shorter side. Of 176 balls he faced from pacemakers, Latham dropped 69 (39.2%).
“There was probably a bit more grass at this Hamilton wicket than we’ve traditionally seen in the past,” Latham told the host announcer after the day’s play. “It also probably had a bit more pace than we’re used to seeing here.
“I think initially [the pitch] it was probably a little slower. Sometimes when it’s a little softer, it tends to hold a little more on the wicket. But it got a bit dry and sped up, but I think the West Indies came a little short, which allowed us to leave a lot of long balls early on to get in. “
Since the start of 2018, Latham has scored 1,517 test runs, the most of any starter in that span. His 52.31 average is also the best among starters with at least 1,000 runs in that time. He has done it while playing most of his cricket on New Zealand courts suitable for boating enthusiasts. So how did you prepare for this particular test?
“You always expect the coin toss to go well, but you have to be prepared to hit a wicket like that first. Try not to deliberate too much the day before. At a wicket like that, you probably want to limit the dribbling of the ball. Ideally , expect something a little straighter or something a little shorter, so that was the plan.
“The danger for me was driving the ball up and getting the slips into play. Obviously they played well in the periods and threw a lot of points for me and Kane, but it was good trying to get through those periods and looking for some little rewards afterwards. from this.”
Latham also had a lucky moment. When he was at 43, he went to cut a short and wide delivery from Holder only to hit the wicketkeeper. But aside from Darren Bravo at the first slip, hardly anyone else appealed and Latham survived.
“Sometimes you need it,” Latham said. “So you have to take advantage of most of those things when you get the chance.”
While New Zealand has the upper hand, Latham believes both its hitters and its bowlers would have to adapt a bit as pitching is expected to pick up speed as the game progresses.
“Hopefully it will speed up a bit like we see here in New Zealand, it tends to speed up a bit on the second day. So the lengths of the pins may change a bit, but that’s about adapting to the surface every day. Hopefully we can do that with the bat first and then when we get our chance with the ball, we can do that too. “
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