Daniel Vettori has made a lot of his ’strategic advantages’. He is all over our TV screens advertising glasses, sorry, eyewear. He runs like the man with the shortest hamstrings in the world, but manages to roll in off 6-8 paces and bamboozle the world’s best batsman. He swings a bat like he has the fear of god he will drop it, but is now among the greatest all rounders in the history of the game.
But has it all gone too far now? The New Zealand cricket team is in danger of looking like one of those teams at primary school where there was one guy (I am thinking of you Brett McCormack) who was captain, opened the bowling, opened the batting and made sure he was under every skied shot.
Vettori is hugely talented, and has a remarkable cricket brain. He has, literally, grown up as an international cricketer. He knows cricket, in all of its forms, better than almost anyone in New Zealand. But, to state the obvious, taking on the roles of selector and part time coach will have to lead to burn-out. I actually like the idea of a captain on the field who is fully in charge. One of the sad things about a sport like American Football is the way everything is scripted by coaches. But there is a limit.
New Zealand cricket is in an interesting place. We are not in the glory days of the 80s, but equally we are not throwing players like Robert Kennedy or Kerry Walmsley to the lions. There is a core of experience and some good young players coming through, watch out for Kane Williamson this year. What is needed now in my view is some patience, and a structure built around Dan and the boys that takes some pressure off them. Fundamentally this means a coach (or coaching staff) who Dan and the senior players respect, and strong management. It was clear Andy Moles was not providing that, and I am not sure about Dave Currie either. Clearly John Wright should figure in thefuture, but he will not be the only answer. Perhaps Rixon on a short term contract until someone like Mike Hesson from Otago is ready.
Whatever the case, we have a summer with both Pakistan and the Aussies to deal with, and Dan will be mighty tired by the end of it. Especially if he insists on rolling the pitch every morning.
I agree, Dan is a diamond in the rough, and he needs to be looked after. If you look at how the performance of players of the calibre of Sachin Tendulker and Brian lara suffered when they took on captaincy and other roles, Dan has been amazing in his consistency with even greater responsibility. Surely within NZ cricket there is a recognition of this and the werewithal to get some administrative support around Dan the man.
Yes indeed. ‘Thar’s trubble at mill’ (Yorkshire accent attempted) and methinks it’s at the centre as well as within the team.
How is it that for so many years we have failed to bring our batsmen to learn to not throw away their wickets?
Attitude, attitude, attitude.
Adolf is right .. everything is about attitude and that is why there are winners and losers.
Dan is a hard nosed sort who is a class act.
I don’t want to be negative/defeatist but we are a small player in most sports (and business) due to our population.
Our winners are the mentally tough and in sport, they need a great coach/mentor.
Grant, you seem to be a sport lover so I don’t need to name our special sportspeople to you, but behind them is always the coach.
At the moment we have international class acts in sports like rowing and slowly but surely cycling. It would be great to clone Richard Tonks but!!!
We have made many mistakes with cricket .. lets hope they sort it out soon because we do have some pretty good players.
I don’t care about anything .. Wanganui, from 0-13 have just defended their title of best amateur team in NZ .. 34-13 fantastic .. so happy (doesn’t take much)
I’ve worked a fair bit with Dave Currie – Halberg Trust, Commomwealth and Olympics Team manager and I’ve always been really impressed.
And Wgtn won too. World is feeling better.
the stags took it to them though Trevor BUT it’s all about the final score .. I’m not sure who to pick for the final.
I have REALLY enjoyed the NPC, all levels and a little upset some teams will be demoted when they don’t deserve to be.
Ok, I’m old BUT I have huge respect for Nthld, Counties, Manawatu (is that right) Sthlnd. Gee, I love rugby and I fret what is happening here. I went to 3 Counties games and went down to a Wanganui game to support them .. not sure what else I can do.
I will pick Wellington – I think they are on a good run – the scrum is working well with the augemented 2nd row – but Weepu from Wainui will in my opinion make the difference. But we also know that Canterbury will always come to the park ready to play and that Wellington can be uneven.
I am with Trev, I think this could be Wellington’s year. For once Canterbury have had a bit of an up and down season, and without Carter/McCaw look very beatable. NPC has been great this year. pity they will bugger around with the format again.
true .. they are on a roll and Weepu is a class act. What I am enjoying is the lack of AB’s which is strange to say. My history is all about amateur footy. I have a great irony in that i played in the curtain raiser to the Manawatu v Counties game in the 70’s that ended up as a draw after about 7 mins of unwarranted extra time time. I played with Alan Dawson here in Waiuku and he is still spewing about the Wanganui Ref, Bill Adlam .. I just love irony’s.
gee, don’t you love the AB’s?
good to see the Waiuku boy get on
Rixon was an underestimated coach in my opinion. He could be brought back for a couple of years to get the Black Caps on track – And I know Flem is not interested, but he always had a calming influence on the side – Could he be bought back in say 5 years time as coach?
A bit tough using KP Walmsley as an example. His stats are not that bad. I get annoyed when all focus is on the coach, especially when all is not going well. Why is not the focus on those faceless officials who appoint the coach. All the perspective coach is doing is saying he I am and this is what I have done and how Isee things going. If like A Moles he was the 5/6th in line for the job. The other 5 pull out how is it he gets the flack. Where is NZ cricket?
Players get injured e.g. a current bowler with a broken hand. Where is the medical support? I believe that it took 2-3 weeks before he was medically seen. If I was a boss and a valuable “asset” at my business was broken, I would be putting my best efforts into getting this “asset” back up and running as quick as possable.
p.s. to the censor Is not rugby talk off topic?
All Labour has to do to get my vote in 2011 is promise to pass the Dan Vettori Act… Requiring Dan Vettori to marry the best batswoman in NZ’s womans team and then together have 11 sons and 11 daughters who the state will then train Soviet style to play cricket all day, every day from the age of 2…
Lets use the power of the state for something important…
Grant – though we will never agree on politics, I have a new-found respect for you knowing that you are a kindred cricket tragic
Inventory2- us cricket tragics are a special breed indeed. My favourite TV ad is the promo for the sports news where the pregnant woman awakes to find her husband has put headphones on her stomach with Bryan Waddle commentating from some far flung land. transcends politics, geography and a lot more besides.
Herodotus: fair enough re Kerry Walmsley’s career stats. I guess I am thinking of his initial introduction to the team mid 90s, when he was just not ready. The role of the selectors in NZ teams has been interesting of late. Very strong personalities like Sir Richard and Glenn Turner it does raise some questions about what the coach can do.
Suggestion from Jonathan Milmow this morning of Wright with Rixon as Assistant sounds good to me.
There is some apprension that J.Wright is passed his date and his skill set is not what NZ cricket require as a coach. Remember J Hart right person BUT wrong time for him to win a cup for us.
Cricket to individual/team sport is as mercury (at room temp) is to liquid/solid, neither one or the other.
What I think we do not need is to destroy J.Ryder by subdueing his personnality. Mentor him, he will stuff up but hopefully his stuff ups will be of titllating value not serious with the right support.
On a tech side our batters may improve with 20/20 as it could change them from a line thinker to a lenght player. So much more attractive to watch.
I would have no qualms about Wright being appointed coach. He was not a naturally gifted batsman, but he had one quality which almost all the current batsmen lack – he put a high price on his wicket. The way he galvanised a gifted but disparate Indian team suggests that he has excellent man-mangement skills as well as a sound technical knowledge, and his commitment to the game could never be questioned.
And Grant, I really like that Sovereign advert too …