Otago is a good slow bowler away from being a lot more competitive, cricket writer Adrian Seconi suggests.
Sixth always sounds so much better than last.
On that note, Otago finished sixth in the twenty20 competition and is currently sixth in the Plunket Shield.
Based on recent performances there is every chance the Volts will finish behind the other five teams in the one-day tournament which gets under way on January 15.
But here’s the rub. The team appears to be training harder than any other time during the past 12 seasons.
New coaches Rob Walter and Anton Roux have the contracted players sweating — lots.
The training schedule does not appear to leave a lot of room for Playstation, and the view from the sidelines suggests the camp certainly has a much more professional edge. But all that extra work is not being recognised in more positive results.
Otago made the final of the T20 competition last season with virtually the same crew, less Nathan McCullum.
McCullum was a huge loss. He offered superb leadership, four miserly overs every game, athleticism in the field and some explosive middle-order batting. He was such a key player it was a huge surprise Otago did not recruit a player who could at least partially fill the gap he left.
Perhaps the Volts were committed to signing McCullum and left it too late to secure another player when the financial hurdles proved insurmountable. Or maybe the team thought it could get by with test spinner Mark Craig, although his T20 record does little to inspire confidence.
Whatever the reason, Walter inherited the problem. He was appointed head coach after the squad was contracted. Craig’s side strain and then lower back injury have prevented him from appearing for Otago this summer. That left Walter with part-time spinners Anaru Kitchen and Josh Finnie, and rookie legspinner Rhys Phillips.
It was a weakness which was exposed earlier in the season during the Plunket Shield and became even more obvious during the T20 campaign.
Next season will be a better indication of the direction in which Walter wants to take the team. But he has already shown he is prepared to ignore reputation and make his own judgement. He sent strike bowler Jacob Duffy back to the nets to work on his action following some poor performances. There is no timeline for Duffy’s competitive return. He could be out for the entire one-day tournament or however long it takes until the coach is satisfied Duffy has made the required improvements.=
In the past, Duffy might have been given a couple of games off to rest and then thrown back into a game situation. Walter is taking a more long-term view, which is encouraging.
With Duffy missing indefinitely, the Volts will be keen to see Warren Barnes return to fitness. He dislocated his shoulder midway through the T20 campaign.Black Caps test left-armer Neil Wagner will miss the first four games of the one-day tournament while on national duty. That will provide opportunities for youngsters such as Nathan Smith, Michael Rae and Jack Hunter.
Otago premier batsman Neil Broom fractured a bone in his hand while fielding in the opening T20 international against Bangladesh earlier this week. He is not expected to be sidelined for too long and, along with Brad Wilson and Hamish Rutherford, will be instrumental in building some competitive totals.
Allrounder Jimmy Neesham has been overlooked for the test squad but his presence in the Otago line-up will be a big boost. He picked up eight wickets at an average of 19.25 in five T20 games. He also strikes the ball nicely and brings power to a middle order which also features another hard-hitting left-hander in Michael Bracewell.
That hitting power will not help Otago much if it cannot find a way to restrict its opponents during the middle stages. It is probably way too soon but 17-year-old left arm spinner Ben Lockrose has had some encouraging results at the national provincial A tournament for the New Zealand under-18 team. He took five for 34 against Central Districts in Lincoln on Thursday and is certainly a talent worth nurturing.
● Otago A scored 253 for eight to beat Canterbury A by 14 runs in a 50-over game at Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Lincoln, yesterday.
