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Dual role of skipper and selector taking its toll on Vettori

S. Dinakar

— PHOTO: AP

WHAT WENT WRONG?Daniel Vettori and New Zealand cricket need to do some introspection and come up with corrective measures ahead of the home series against Pakistan.

Chennai: The crowd drifted away after New Zealand, yet again, melted in the cauldron. The fifth ODI was virtually a one-horse race.

Once a combative one-day unit that often ambushed higher-ranked opponents, New Zealand had been embarrassed before a knowledgeable audience that braved the prospects of inclement weather.

The sky was dark. So was the mood in the Kiwi camp.

The 5-0 defeat here meant the Kiwis had lost 10 successive ODIs; all of them in the sub-continent. This was clearly not the ideal preparation for the World Cup.

Serious questions

The humiliating setback raised some serious questions. Running short of time, New Zealand needs to address these issues before more damage is done.

Should skipper Daniel Vettori remain a selector of the national side with a vote? Presently, Vettori, coach Mark Greatbatch and former New Zealand captain Glenn Turner are the members of the panel. On tours, vice-captain Ross Taylor is a part of the selection committee.

Apart from the dual burden of being a captain and a selector adversely impacting his cricket — Vettori made 60 runs in the series at 15 and picked up two wickets at 80 — the move sent the wrong signals.

When someone is both the skipper and a key member of the selection panel, it creates a sense of mistrust in the side. Teammates can look at routine things such as the captain going out for dinner with a particular cricketer with suspicion.

“Does he have more access to the skipper than me? Is he feeding the captain with wrong information?” could be some of the anxious thoughts in the minds of the other cricketers.

In this scenario, it is extremely hard to build a factor that is essential for success in a team sport — TRUST. The members of the team might hold themselves back during team meetings, particularly if their views clash with those of the skipper.

Indeed, the captain becomes too powerful, not always an ideal scenario. And when things go wrong, the morale in the side could dip quite dramatically.

In the just-concluded ODI series, New Zealand appeared a team consumed by self-doubts. There was hardly any cohesion and even if the planning — a famous Kiwi attribute — was right, the execution was wrong.

The seniors disappointed. Brendon McCullum, a livewire in the top-order, averaged just 18.66 from 56 runs in the series. And Taylor's returns of 138 runs at 27.60 was far from satisfactory.

Reckless strokeplay

McCullum is influential in the team with considerable clout with the younger members. He is hardly setting the right example with his reckless strokeplay.

Taylor's shot-selection too has been ordinary. His talent is never in question but the stroke-maker's application does come under scrutiny.

Traditionally, New Zealand has been a unit that is both cohesive and flexible. From a tactical perspective, the side has often been stimulating.

In this series, the team has pulled in different directions. The batting hardly complemented the bowling and vice-versa.

Pedestrian bowling

Vettori's bowling was largely pedestrian, with his bowling clearly lacking the bite off the surface. He was rolling the ball, rather than turning it against the fleet-footed Indian batsmen.

The less said about the pace pack the better. Tim Southee claimed one wicket at 97 in the series. And left-armer Andy McKay's seven wickets came at the cost of a whopping 7.40 runs an over. Senior bowler Kyle Mills picked up just three wickets at 70 (economy rate 6.17). The figures tell the story.

Ahead of the World Cup, Vettori has his hands full. The New Zealand establishment could help the beleaguered skipper by ending his stint as a selector. The side could play with a more open heart and mind.

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