BLACKCAPS Coach Mike Hesson reflects on the bumper season that was … here are his personal highlights…
2nd Test vs England, Leeds, May 29-Jun 2, 2015
Having been 2 for 1 on day one, the boys counter-punched beautifully to make 350 from just 72 overs. The first innings scores were tied and we once again batted without fear, scoring at 4.98 runs an over to post 454 and leave us enough time to dismiss England on day five for a memorable Test victory which extended our undefeated sequence to seven Test series.
2nd ODI vs South Africa, Potchefstroom, Aug 23, 2015
Our injury depleted side against a tough SA side. We put in an excellent all round performance away from home to keep the series alive.
Super knocks
Ross Taylor’s marathon 290 at Perth and Brendon McCullum’s World Record fastest Hundred in his last Test match for New Zealand. Both special performances from special players which will live long in the memory.
3rd Test vs Australia, Adelaide Oval, Nov 27-29, 2015
A memorable Test for so many reasons! The side showed excellent character to fight with the PINK ball till the end defending a low score in the 4th innings. They never gave up and made the Aussies sweat all the way.
Best in the World
We’ve always known Kane Williamson is something special, but to see him pile on the runs throughout the whole summer was a major highlight for me. He richly deserved his number one Test batting ranking.
Chappell-Hadlee
Beating Australia is one thing, but the 159 run victory at Eden Park in the opening game was something else!
Game three was also a humdinger; and to come out on the right side of it and retain the coveted Chappell-Hadlee trophy in Brendon’s final ODI for New Zealand meant a lot. It was also fantastic to see a young guy like Ish Sodhi step up and turn the game with a couple of big wickets in the middle.
Opening WT20 vs India, Nagpur, Mar 15
Beating India at their own game, in spinning conditions, in front of a huge audience is something I will savour from the long summer. It was a great mix of skill and guts and set us on another great run at a major ICC tournament.
Matt Henry’s home summer
His bowling form was simply exceptional. We couldn’t always give him a game, but he made the most of every opportunity he got and proved his worth.
Martin Guptill’s ODI form
Gup had another white ball season for the ages. It didn’t really matter which team or which ground, he seemed to get us off to a flyer almost every time and generated an incredible amount of runs over the summer. A jewel at the top of our crown!
