Mark Keown

I have written before on the NZ batting woes. We do not have players with an adequate technique to cope with quality pace bowling. Papps and Cummings are simply not good enough cricketers to cope with pace bowling. Fleming is injured. Styris has always been marginal. But who will take their places? Perhaps McIntosh to pair with Cummings? Sinclair does not have the technique to bat about 5. Perhaps put Fleming at 3, Vincent at 4, Sinclair at 5, Oram at 6. Taylor can be given more time to develop? Or play 6 batsmen and 4 bowlers? Whatever, the problem is shuffling deck chairs at present. We need to listen to John Parker and concentrate more on technique, to ensure our batsmen have the essential technique required to bat at test level!

Having said that the Murali affair is a tragedy to me, this cannot be blamed for NZ's shocking batting. For me the problem with the NZ batsmen is not one of ability but of technique. I was watching the Aussies, Langer, Hayden, Ponting, Hussey, Clark, Gilchrist and then there is Martin, and they all have one thing in common; excellent technique. They have different strengths but they have wonderful defences on both feet, and can play the full range of shots according to the book. They icing on the cake is that they can also smash it! When I look at NZ's batsmen over recent years they have Stephen Fleming apart, had appalling techniques. They do not use their feet effectively against speed or spin. Many have visible weaknesses like falling away to the off side, playing away from their bodies against pace, standing flat footed on the crease line against spin. They simply aren't schooled in the art of batting. When I look back over the last twenty years there have been some NZ ...