Reason why New Zealand cricket lies low in the test rankings

by Shreyas S. Bhide

The New Zealand Cricket is at a low. There's no denying the fact that the nation's cricket community is struggling. Curiously it has been reduced not by bad administration or a lack of resources or even formidable rivalry from others in world cricket, but rather by its own want of cohesion. New Zealand cricket is in decline and an enormous effort will be needed to bring about a revival.

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The New Zealand Cricket administration, players, coaches and the cricket setup as a whole have always tried to keep away from the rat race. They are not interested in achieving the top slot and are content with their display of quality cricket.

Of late the Kiwis have been consistent with victories (albeit against Bangladesh), but it'd be a mistake to let a few bright days blur the picture. Over the last 25 years New Zealand has been a respected, resolute, intelligent outfit. In those years it has produced several superb cricketers and fielded a number of highly regarded sides. There have been loads of individual talents - Richard Hadlee, Glenn Turner, Martin Crowe, Stephen Fleming, Chris Cairns, Chris Harris and Vettori-McCullum from the current lot, but mostly the Kiwis lived on their wits. New Zealand's most talented cricketers tend to start and finish too early - a luxury a small nation can ill afford.

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As a result of the various upsets, Stephen Fleming and others walked away prematurely. The ICL players being termed as outlaws further affected the fire power in the nation's cricket arena. Nations like Australia, India or England can dump players of that calibre once signs of deterioration have been detected, because they have a pool of talent in the waiting. The monies the Black Cap players receive are also not up to the mark, which forces the players to look for opportunities outside. Apart from anything else the temptations of the ICL and the IPL have a strong appeal to cricketers nearing retirement, whose wages have been relatively modest. All the more reason to make them feel appreciated.

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New Zealand's most obvious mistake in recent times was backing down over Shane Bond. Apparently, the country's fastest bowler had obtained clearance from his board to play ICL. Reassured that his international career was not in peril by signing, Bond put his name on the dotted line. But the BCCI insisted that ICL players must be banned, and NZ Cricket caved in.

If one looks at the records of the New Zealand Cricket team till the West Indies test series last month (December 2008), they have lost 11 of their last 15 test matches. The only respite came in late-2008, when they managed a series win over Bangladesh, but not without shedding sweat and tears. They managed to draw the last test with a lot of effort and could manage a win in the first rubber only after their skipper Vettori's heroics. Had Daniel Vettori switched sides, the weak Bangladeshis might have won.

Simply put, New Zealand lacked resolution and technique. The bowling was presentable - the pacemen persevered and the captain dropped his spinners on a length - but the batting was woeful. It was astonishing to see so many batsmen caught in the covers. A team consisting of Ryder, Taylor, Oram, Sinclair, Flynn, Tim Southee, McCullum, Vettori, JEC Franklin, Mark Gillespie and Chris Martin is very strong, but where is the consistency?

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Another problem is lack of planning and organization by the administrations, when it comes to FTP. The Kiwis haven't worn their whites against India or Pakistan since 2002-03. These are the places that will generate maximum revenue and help the cricket setup financially.

A powerful plan must be put in place, with intelligent leadership, improving facilities, and pride taken in every victory. New Zealand cricket needs to be happy in order to succeed.

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