Scenarios, scenarios, scenarios. Over nine ANZ ODI matches this summer, the BLACKCAPS have been pretty much tested in every way possible, whether it's Luke Ronchi and Grant Elliott coming in at 93-5 in Dunedin, or the bowling attack taking six wickets for 31 runs to reign in a Sri Lanka side on a flyer or trying to rack up the biggest score possible on a batsman’s paradise in Napier, the team have seen it all.
Head Coach Mike Hesson, a notoriously meticulous planner, was pleased with the scenarios the team has faced in the two-match ANZ ODI Series v Pakistan, and he’s learned more about his team.
“That's two performances in a row where we've pretty much dominated from start to finish, and whenever we've been under pressure in small parts of the game we've responded really well.
“I think it was nice to bat first and put up a performance that was dominant, and I think as a batting unit we're capable of being dominant and we saw that again tonight.
“Both (Kane and Ross's) hundreds were better than a run a ball, but quite different in the way they operated, both incredibly skillful. And the way Martin and Brendon got us away and the way we finished, with some real quality hitting at the end was icing on the cake, so delighted at half time,” said Hesson.
Kane Williamson, who scored 112 from 88 balls, was quick to attribute credit for the massive total on his team mates:
“We have our plans and you play on some different surfaces - obviously that's a great surface so we know we needed to score a few more than usual, so the partnership with Guppy was nice to lay a bit of a platform, and then the way Ross came in and played was outstanding and got us to a very good score that was always going to put pressure on the opposition,” said Williamson, speaking after the 119 run win over Pakistan in Napier.
With the ANZ ODI Series now complete, all attention turns to preparing for the big tournament. The rotation of resources will continue, with selections on the day to be dictated by conditions.
“The bowlers are all tracking really nicely, the thing for us is if we've got seven bowlers going well, all confident, then in any conditions we're happy with the mix that we'll go with. For us to go a long way in this competition, it's not about four blokes, it's about all seven playing a major role for us.
“We're good to go in terms of our preparation, the thing for us is not getting too far ahead of ourselves. The preparation's been good, guys have had to bowl at the death, we've had to chase scores, we've had to bat first in conditions that have been challenging at times, it's been great preparation for us, but we need to refresh before the tournament,” said Hesson.
The BLACKCAPS have two warm up matches versus Zimbabwe on 9 February at Bert Sutcliffe Oval and South Africa on 11 February at Hagley Oval, the tournament opener venue. Both matches are free to attend, but tickets must be obtained from the Cricket World Cup website.
