Alex Gidman. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
Hitting the mark
Former Otago player Alex Gidman has been appointed as an assistant coach for the England women’s team.
Gidman might not be a household name in the province, but he did feature during one of the more memorable Volts seasons. The 42-year-old spent the 2007-08 summer in New Zealand and played 11 one-dayers and five T20s for Otago.
Otago won the one-day competition that season. Brendon McCullum, of Bazball fame, smashed back-to-back hundreds in the semifinal and final and hogged most of the limelight.
Fair enough. It was remarkable batting.
But Gidman made a solid contribution to that campaign as well.
He scored a hundred against Central Districts at the University Oval to help set up a 56-run win, and he made 81 in the semifinal against Canterbury.
England’s women will be touring New Zealand in March and their opening game against the White Ferns is in Dunedin on March 19.
Crease bound
You have to have more than one plan if you are going to win a World Cup.
Black Caps captain Tom Latham opted to put South Africa into bat on Wednesday night and later said he would do it all over again despite his side crashing to a 190-run loss.
Why, Tom, why?
New Zealand believed the pitch would get better to bat on and they had the bowling strength to restrict South Africa.
They were well aware the Proteas like to bat first and have struggled to chase scores, evidenced by their surprise loss to the Netherlands earlier in the tournament, but they stuck to their plan.
Couple of points to make here.
New Zealand’s much-vaunted bowling strength hinges on being able to swing the ball.
It ain’t swinging for long in India, so that’s a flawed argument.
A better plan would have been to put a big total on the board and support the bowlers that way.
And the difference between South Africa batting first and second is like having Hadlee at one end and Chats at the other.
Who would you rather face?
Clubbing it
The Otago A women’s team played a couple of games against Canterbury A in Pleasant Point at the weekend.
The A programme is a new initiative this season to help develop the depth in the women’s game. Otago A won the opening game by four wickets.
Katelyn Walton picked up four for 24 to help dismiss Canterbury A for 108. Canterbury A won the return game by eight wickets.
But Otago A opener Jordan Meltzer scored 39 to help her side post 172, and Anna McLean took two for 31.
The declaration
Why, Tom, why?
adrian.seconi@odt.co.nz
