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Previous Stories Why Cricketers Are More Sporting Than Golfers A cracking tournament in Dhaka New Zealand cricket is on track Taranaki Ignore the Distractions An Extraordinary Sporting Family Another New Cricketing Experience Dave Eats His Crow - A First Time For Everything Black Caps Are Not Strictly For The Birds Not Beefing, Just Disappointed There Are None So Blind That Will Not See A Matter of A Satisfactory Start Horse Laughs and Crocodile Tears A Slow Over Rate Means A Slow Team
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Losing to Sri Lanka A is not the way to prepare for a vital Lord's second test match, surely? We have a number of problem areas to work on now and not the least is the issue of pinning batsmen down when needed. Tudor got away from us in the first test and Fleming admitted he caught us "off-guard." This is why we need flexibility in our strategy, so that we don't get caught off guard. There is an element of the cruisy in this tour now, partly because of the itinerary and partly because we earned plaudits for the World Cup that may have gone to the head. Sure it was pleasing to reach the semis but we played appallingly there in failing to contain the Pakistanis. We could have won the darned Cup so now we have to apply ourselves to winning the test series. Yet the way we played on day three at Edgbaston looked as though we felt we only had to turn up to win. That's an Aussie trait and when they get found out about it, as at Cardiff against us in the World Cup, they make sure they don't fall into the same trap again! See what one of the Poms has to say about us at the foot of this column. Cruisy Tour The 2.5 day first test means that we have just two four-day games and two picnic one-dayers in three weeks before the Lord's test! That's a doddle in anyone's book and it means we have to use our opportunities in the middle. I was glad to see both Twose and Bell get runs against Sri Lanka A but we must ensure wins against teams like that. Winning is the only way we'll get the winning habit and despite the World Cup we haven't evinced that much evidence that we know how to win. Hampshire with Robin Smith as captain is always a tough match. The weather can play a part and the opponents are tough nuts who do know how to win. We need to bat for two days there to show we can do it at Lord's. Then we go to Canterbury where Kent, coached by John Wright, will be dead keen to show us up. Again we have to show we have worked on technique with the bat and control with the ball. He will search all our players for that. New Ideas Selection for the Lord's test depends on form of course, but given that all contenders show some I would like to see Harris slotted in at number four vice Nathan Astle. The latter is a fine player but clearly not at home on English tracks. It is time that Harry is given a clear role in test matches, as a batsman who occupies the crease and a bowler who ties opposing batsmen down. His tenacity is precisely what we need right now. The last time Harry batted four for New Zealand was in the 1996 World Cup against Australia and he made 130! For too long he has been designated as a one-day player with faulty technique that has not allowed him to prosper in test cricket. He is too inherently good a player to be cast away like that. With Harris and Twose in the middle order we will have two lefthanders to combat the danger of Tufnell. I wonder if this is he speaking next? Oi there its Tuffers lettin' yer know out there in the colonies 'ow much I enjoy messing against yer Kiwis. Luvd the first test, pickin' up a cool 5 for 29 and only 'avin' ter bat once. Actually I fought I 'ad done me chips wiv ole Goochie on the selection panel because 'e were the bloomin' skipper wen I invented me original fieldin' style out there in Aussie a couple of tours ago. He called me a count for that (alffough 'e left out one of me ducks)so 'e must 'ave been outvoted on the panel ter get me hammer and tack in. Any road I'm ever lookin' forward ter the next free tests and if yer keep bowlin' the way yer did at Edgbaston even I will enjoy a bat! Blimey! Spot yer. Tuffers
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