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On the Front Foot with Brian Waddell and Jeremy Coney, powered by News Talks head B at iHeartRadio.
Hello on the Front Foot? Will you again keeping an eye on the World Tea? Twenty one week into it, black Caps stumble at the first turtle? Was it punishment for a lack of match preparation? The Americans produced the surprise of the tournament so far, Doubting Pakistan but god he's there, but just take a prices come under the microscope and the Whitebirds, well they've made a significant choice for their England tour. Former Black Cap bat batting coach
Craig McMillan is going to be with them. Interesting change. Garth Galliley and Jeremy Cody with me. That was difficult watching a Black Cap side performing as poorly as they did. They were lack class. Dame Garth, you know we talked about it leading up to this. You've got to have some preparations, you've got to be ready to go from ball one. They were very ordinary playing that opening game against deff Gellison and they under restraate Afghanistan.
That was my impresson Brian and the last time we were together doing the podcast, we just talked about the need for good preparation and that New Zealand seemed to be taking a significant risk by going into this tournament without other build up and I'm afraid they got They got caught out by it very badly yesterday by a very good, f gunny side. I mean the Afghanistan side. They just looked completely switched on and I thought the New Zealand side looked bewildered. And as you say, I
mean the question is did we underestimate Afghanistan. I suppose New Zealand will come out and say we were outplayed and we didn't, but my impression was that we did and we were quite wrong to. We only need to look back at the you know, the Cricket World Cup in India last year where Afghanistan scored two hundred and ninety one for five against against Australia and Ibraham of course scored one hundred and twenty nine not out in that match and they had Australia ninety one for seven
before Maxwell came in and scored a double century. So you know that should have been enough to tell them that they are a very good side. And you know, we talk a lot about this Afghanistan spin attack, but I thought they're swing and seam bowlers yesterday were outstanding. New Zealand completely outplayed and I thought they were embarrassing.
Yeah, and Jerry, you know, we love to watch the New Zealand side performing well and we've enjoyed them over a long period of time, but that was hard to watch the whole style of play.
Yeah, well, well done Afghanistan. I'm with Garth in that matter. A competitive total not out of the realm, was it one hundred and fifty nine, but with the help from the opposition errors really to get to that sort of total. And then they use their bowling weapons and they're not as garthsa is just one dimensional with spinners only. I mean, Farouki and Navin Alhak are very good medium fast bowlers, swing bowlers, good slower balls, have all the Armory play
lots of T twenty format cricket. They don't play many Tests Afghanistan. I think they might have had three, so they really concentrate their efforts in the T twenty format and play in the stronger franchised ones too, ipl you know, Big Bash, those sorts of franchise games. So they are very competitive bowling unit and that proved to be the same yesterday. They didn't even have one of their main bowlers, Muji Rahman, did they who normally opens the bowling for them.
So yeah, well done to them. And the thing, you know, I guess the magnitude of the loss for New Zealand will will shake them a bit. It'll shake every player and it should shake every coach as well. So we're you know, I'm sure you know we can either go through dissecting all the batting failures and things like that and decision making about them. But the general what you've talked about, I would just a lack of international intensity. I would call it kind of a general malaise. I
don't mean overhype. They're not over hyped. They just they just need more focus on each ball to do your job.
The fielding was the area That really annoyed me because we have prided ourselves. As Cain Williamson said in the postmatch acknowledging we were outplayed, but he was frustrated at the fielding. Well, you know, Cain Williamson can't do a lot about that, But as a team, you can do a lot about it, can't you. You've got to really do the hard yards out in the field, drop catches, you know, poor throws in from the outset. You talked about it, Jerry when we had Conway as the keeper.
He trying to gather some pretty awkward throws coming and I know they like to bounce it in down, rough up the ball and all that sort of stuff. That's all part of the technics of the game. But that fielding to me was below what I expect from a New Zealand side and what we've seen in the past from them.
It was and it was in a key area. I think, Brian we talked about how and I think we all agreed before the tournament that Conway should not be the keeper for New Zealand. And for me there were two reasons for that. One I don't think he's good enough and two I think it exposes him to injury, and he's been such an important part of the betting lineup, and of course he broke his some against Australia, so we've seen the vulnerability that can happen with him with
the gloves. Now he missed Gerbaz on twelve. It was a difficult chance as Goebaz came down the pitch to Sant and drove it a ball. He got an inside edge, but there was an opportunity for a cat's or a stumping. He was out of his ground. He then we then saw Abraham being dropped on thirteen by Allan inexplicably on the squarely boundary, just an absolute lolly that went straight into him and hit him in the chest, barely got
a hand in it. And then of course we had Gourbez again, the key batsman who scored eighty and batted very well, being missed in a run out by Conway, and that was of course the one where he played Satin at a short thirred man. Henry picked up the ball and it was just to the left of Conway. I thought Conway was in a bad position. He was standing to the side of the stumps. He took the ball and dropped it and there was a runout that
should have been effected. So at that stage they were thirty nine without loss, you know, so chances of twenty nine, thirty three and thirty nine altmist and then on t firfty two of course fifty two without loss. We saw Abraham being dropped for the second time by Williamson at mid off. It was inexplicably bad. But that decision, which again what he said was wrong before the tournament started, that decision to play Conway as keeper has cost them dearly. The cost in this match, I think.
Garth rang me.
Actually I've been up in Orphan looking at my grandchildren watching their sport.
Was yesterday Garth rang me.
While I was watching hockey, Little Clem was playing, and he was actually pushing his own place as keeper in the New Zealand side, because he felt that he could do just as well as Conway and was making himself available at the last.
Minute to take hold.
Perhaps Clementine Omer darling Clementine and she about sort of nine nine or ten.
It might be right.
But I agree about the fielding. They didn't look much ready. I wonder whether they have actually had catches and practiced catching under lights at that venue. I would say not, they'd have to organize it. But you know, I just felt finale and he was beaten and surprised by the pace of the ball. He just didn't triangulate on the ball that was through his hands and as you say, into his chest. And we've seen fielding and accuracy's wads for some time with the side. They are slowly lowering
their standards. You think of Australia the last day, first just in just in the sort of the ring area that you know, Ravindra put a catch down and then marsh went on to make about sixty or seventy. We saw catchers drop that slip you know by Mitchell. You know we are dropping catchers regularly now. And I don't know who the fielding coaches is there one, but there are certainly.
Yeah.
Well you know that you've got the gloves, Yeah, is it okay?
Well you know.
You got the you got the gloves on. You can take a ball at shoulder height. You might say to yourselvit was a bit high, but you got the gloves on.
You're an international keeper.
You take that and you break the stumps and you affect a pretty regular chance for a running don't you.
The the issue of team work together and playing as a team. And it's all very well to practice in the nets. There's no pressure in the nets, is there. You just put the stump back in and and you play another shot. But the pressure and the situation of a team game and playing teams you work together, and I just didn't see that you within the fielding effort. It was eleven players running around in the outfield, all those sorts of things. Why you have warm up games?
I made of mind. We're talking about it, and he basically said, with the All Blacks go to an international tournament without having a prep game, With the Sevens go to the Olympic Games without having a preparation game or two. I mean, those sorts of things are paramount, don't they.
It was a very very messy build up, wasn't it.
You know when you think those sending players back from the IPL to be with their families for a few moments, and then people arriving at different times from all sorts of places, no warm up games, practices interrupted by rain. Did they replace those practices with something with some intensity?
That's what you've got to have.
You've got to get that level of intensity about your practice and so yeah, I mean Australia did, and they us coaches a coaching staff to make up the numbers. They were going to have a hell bent to have some match played before this tournament.
Yeah. The point is, and we understand that families are important and that players have to have spend time with their families, but they are professional cricketers and this is an international tournament. Surely they can make their plans slightly differently when it comes to family time. And I'm not knocking the fact that they're spending time with their families, because people will get up in arms about that sort
of issue. But they've known when this tournament was New Zealand cricketers none and these players have been at the IPL hardly playing any crickets. And I'm glad they're getting the money for it, but you know, this is New Zealand represented at an international tournament and I just don't think that's good enough.
Well, you think about how I think you look. Ben Ond's about how it manifested itself. So so you know what difference did it make? Well, it made a lot of difference. And those are the things that we're talking about those simple mistakes. You saw Afghanistan who were absolutely drilled into New Zealand from the start. You know, I thought that their batting was measured at the top of the order, that they didn't smash the ball around because
they weren't able to in those conditions. One of the things that we're seeing in the tournament, I think, and it's happening in both the USA and in the West Indies, is that the ball is swinging around quite a lot, and it's also carrying on off the pits. There's quite a lot of scene movement and that means, you know, for me that the batsmen had to change their approach. So you're not seeing in the IPL you're seeing sometimes sixty seventy eighty ninety runs scored in the power play.
We're not seeing anything like that in this tournament at the moment. And the sides who are adjusting are the ones who are doing well in New Zealand to me. You know, we saw Ellen come out and as they said on Krikinfoe, he tried to hit the ball into the ocean first ball. I mean, it was a creatibly full of shot in those conditions. Again, if we look at how things manifest themselves. I thought that bowl pretty
well two for twenty two. He was on the money and he's a player who's been playing a lot in the IPL. Henry, I thought, just bowl too short when he was getting a movement, you know, you want to see. I think the bowlers who are in rhythm and who've had a good build up when the ball is moving around as it is, they pitched the ball up a lot more. Otherwise, I think Henry gave the batsman too much, too much work really and too much length, too short.
Satner and I thought bold well brace well three overs nine to twenty seven got smacked, but Ferguson was okay. But again, if we the fielding mistakes show that they weren't in the zone and that build up has not been satisfactory. Jerry, you talked about how much training they
did under light. It's my understanding is that they had one session and I heard Became Williamson talking about you know that they have to they get allocated time, so they get what they get and again you would know all of that going into the tournament, so you know what preparation you have to do before you get there. I thought one of the other things. That was absolutely
extraordinary in this New Zealand performance. And I was yelling at the at the TV when it happened, was that Williams and brought Mitchell on to bowl the nineteenth over. That that was just bizarre and sixteen runs came off it. Again. You know, Mitchell's done very limited bowling and international T twenty stuff, strange things.
Yeah, that was the That was the decision to complete Bracewell's compliment, wasn't it. When he went for that he went he was hit for three sixers I think in his third over, and he was a bit reluctant to use him again, but he left it so late and as you say, the nineteenth over to bring just one over from Mitchell, that was a you know, it was a bit desperate, wasn't it. The whole thing had a look of it like that. So yeah, things just did not go well. And even in the best batting too,
just felt mistakes were made right from the start. I can't understand, you know, someone like Vanellen. You know, I didn't think that the ball was swinging aggressively. I didn't think it was swinging wildly. It was just shaping gently back. It was his first ball, and he was he bowleded very full and really it was a regulation left dam And you've got Bolt there, surely you know.
As an opener.
The opposition have got Feruki that you know that he's going to swing it, probably a little bit as much as Bolt, but you've got Bolt there to bowl at you with a new ball. Come on, pitch it full to me, keep it up to me, swing it at me, give me some practice. This is part of your surely part of your preparation. And you shouldn't be caught by surprise trying to hit it into the ocean. You shouldn't
be caught trying to go too wide with it. It just goes down past mid d if anything, or straight back at the bowl, so you use the full width of your bat. That's pretty basic, isn't it. We want someone like fin Allen to bat between twenty four and thirty balls. That's all we want from your Finn, not one ball. That's very important start to our game.
Well, Luke Ronky said in something that I saw on Instagram before the game, we have to understand our plans and their wicket taking balls and the skills they have, and we have to back our own style and making sure we go out with the full belief and how we want to play as a New Zealand cricket team. Well, you can try and decipher that, but the point is if we have to understand our plans and their wicket taking balls. I thought Allan showed an absolute failure to
understand that. And like you, Jerry, I agree it wasn't moving around viciously. But for some of these players, they're so used to playing where the ball doesn't move in it's so flat and they've got to make adjustments when the ball moves around. And that's a test of how these guys will go. Now they've got the West Indies on Wednesday and they're potentially out of the tournament unless they can change things. One of the things I would do, I would drop Allen. I'd get revengerin he should have
played Yester. That wouldn't It wouldn't have made the difference between the two teams. But I just think about dropping Allen and saying it's just not good enough. And this is the message when you need to send You dropped a simple catch, you played a terrible shot and you contributed nothing, and you've gone will they do that, probably not.
He's been injured and as recovering from injury, so you know that's another person who hasn't been playing a lot of cricket, as was the case with a lot of these people. The point you make is, yeah, it is the West Indies and tournament over. If you don't, wouldn't that game? But how do you get it right? Apparently the team meeting after the game was one of hard talking. That was the words of Luke Ronky. We had long, hard discussions. But how do you change it in a short space of time.
Very hard to when you come in with nothing behind you. That's the problem. And I think you know the West Indies will be licking their lips about playing the side. I mean, I think one of the things well, I think one of the things you got to think about it is do you send a signal that we expect more from our plans so you say to Allen you can stand down for this match. That's something I would certainly think about mentally. How do you do it? I
think it's very hard. When you watched the comboy at the top of the innings and Williamson and Mitchell all scratching around seemingly unable when the ball was moving around, just to get bat on ball and to push it. But I in the gaps and look for ones and twos and so on. I think they've got to go back to a really basic and simple structure. I think if the ball's moving around, you've got to encourage the
balls to pitch the ball up. Obviously, they have to do a lot of work on their fielding, and the batsmen, you know, had to stop going. I think for these, you know, the all or nothing shots, I think they've got to look to get you know, thirty forty fifty in the powerplay, not lose too many like it's at the top, and see if they can build on that. You know, you know, one of the things is I say that we're seeing is the balls moving around. So they've got to change the plans.
Look, when you get into situations where either the pitcher is doing a little bit and it's difficult to play the big shots, you have to rain your game in a little bit. You just cannot keep playing wildly irrespective of what's happening in front of you. Now, that can be up to the bowler if he's doing it well. Before a pictures. So it's drifting or it's dropping or whatever it is, or when it hits the surface and does something you were just and so you start to
show your craft as a batsman. Now we have got those sorts of players, Ah Williamson, Now we have to we have to be smart. We've generally been quite a smart side in tournaments. We haven't scored towering number of runs, but we've got to a total that is competitive and fought away and scrapped away and held our catchers. That's the way that New Zealand has has got through to the second phase of all these t twenty tournaments so far that they've played. We're going to probably miss this one,
I'm thinking. I mean, I would be thinking. Uganda would say to themselves we can beat New Zealand.
You know that.
That's the way that they played yesterday, New Zealand. So look at the thinking yesterday too. Williamson steering a ball to slip when presumably he wanted to go to the right of slip, but there was a short third manner as well.
What is the point?
Where's the value of that shot? It shows no power coming from the captain. It was a weird stroke. And I think Ian Smith said there's a shot of a man who hasn't played any cricket recently, and that's absolutely right Chapman. You know, when you're facing rushed car and you get one dragged down just a little, he plays a big sort of pull and its bold. You've got to be playing that and say to yourself, what's the risk of rushing khn He is a flat quick and
he's going to skid on at me. He doesn't turn the ball wildly, but he's going to skid on at me. I'm not going to play those until I'm not he only got four. If he was forty four, yes you might play the poll shot, but until you get a start because you're a main batsman at number six, especially when you're four down for twenty or whatever they were four for forty, you know you tuck it away for
a single. I mean that's brain that's brain power. We've lost that we've lost that ability to assess situations in a game and how you're playing. Isn't that what cricket's about, not just going out and slogging and bashing against a good team. You cannot bash your way to one hundred and eighty and that's all score. One hundred and eighty is a good total we're seeing actually in this tournament so far.
How dored age gives you a chance?
Yeah, the England Australia game. Australia two hundred, didn't they They had two hundred and they had four players in the thirties, No one was They scored it a good strike rate, but they didn't have the real thrashbash six hitters and as many sixes as you could hit. But they had thirty nine to thirty. They were the top four run scorers. I'm interested in the pitches and what assessment we can make from afar of these pitches. They
are variable, aren't they. You watch the IPL Garth and the quality of play to me seems totally different from what you've talked about in terms of the IPL to this World T twenty.
There is a difference, isn't there enormous? And I think you know it's a much more even contest between bat and ball in this T twenty World Cup. You know, we talked off air Brian about the scores in the IPL this season. You know, there were scores in excessive two hundred and fifty runs I mean, it's just an absolute smug fest the batsman. You know, they know that they can just clear their happ and they know exactly where the ball is going to be in terms of bounce and movement and so on.
You know.
I mean Bolt was successful in the IPL in the power playoff and with just a little bit of movement but in the air, but the movement goes very quickly. There's a limited amount of spin because I think you know, we're also seeing that the ball is turning quite a lot. It's gripping on some of these pitchers, so you saw, and it's gripping also off the medium paces and the
quick bowl is a little bit and sitting up. So I've seen batsman having to play different games, and that's where I think players like Conway and Williamson look completely out of sorts yesterday, you know, pushing hard at the ball and getting across the crease a lot. Williamson was lucky not to be out there bw early in his
innings and only made nine. It is you know, I think Jerry and I are saying exactly the same thing in a different way that you've you have to be able to say, look that the scores unless you're playing at Bridgeton, which looks like a good pitch in Australia, as he says, scored two hundred. But you have to be thinking about if you're playing on these pitches and they all know at night time it's going to move
around and going to be a bit different. And New Zealand talked about that going into this game, but we didn't really see any adjustment as a result of it. And the adjustment it's not just the batsman. The bowlers have got to pitch the ball up and make the most of that movement because there has been a lot of scene movement at times as well. And as I say, I thought that Henry just bowled too short. So so again we just we haven't seen the brains trust converting into execution on the field.
You know.
It was very well, very disappointing, but very different conditions to the IPL and as Jerry says, players have got to learn to adapt and they've got very little time to do that.
The other thing I wanted to talk about was the ticket prices. People are refusing to pay two five hundred dollars to play to watch India play Pakistan in New York. What is wrong with those people? I mean, goodness me, those tickets are giveaway, aren't they? Two five hundred dollars?
Well, for guard they might be.
He sends Lisa out to Lisa out to work every day least she heads off my word so he can so he can go and buy his ticket to watch Pakistan versus India. But that's right, Wads, that's absolutely right.
It's the same in Providence.
You and I watched that first game, didn't We were Westerndies were laying and it wasn't very full at all, so the home side was playing there. It's on the outskirts that Providence is on the outskirts of Georgetown.
It's about sort of ten k's away.
I'm not sure how easy it is to get access there with buses and so on, but certainly the ticket price is nine five hundred Guyanese dollars. That's about forty five US say seventy three seventy five New Zealand dollars to go.
So that's expensive.
And maybe there was a bit of wait and see how the Westerndies go as well.
I don't know.
Maybe that'll pick up if they beat New Zealand. I'm not sure, but certainly the money is an issue.
Brian Waddell Jeremy Cooney on the front foot.
The White Fans have made some significant changes to their team and the leadership of the group as they head off to England for t twenty and one Day International Series. Former Black Cap batting coach Craig McMillan giving up the TV mike for another stan At coaching five years after he gave up the job as the black Caps batting coach. He's going to be batting coach for the White Fans and also included in the side as Lauren Down five months after she gave birth to her first child, so
she's back in the New Zealand side and well. From Craig mcwillan's point of view, he's delighted to be back coaching again for a new challenge.
Just thrilled to be part of the setup, really excited with the schedule that the White Fans have got over the next five or six months. So I can't wait to get involved and be part of the setup. And what I love about the White Fans set up is they're also competitive, but they do everything with a smile on their face and their laugh. So it's a great environment. So that's something that as a player and as a coach you do miss at times. And as you mentioned,
I've had five and a bit years away. I loved the commentary because you're still part of the game, you see it up close, you see all the action. You still have those relationships, but coaching something a bit special because you get to forge some special relationships with the players and with the management as well. So as I said, it's going to be a busy time for the White Fans, but an exciting one. There's a number that I do
know quite well. There's a few others that I don't, so I'm getting to know them during these camps that we've had and the two to the UK, I'll get close to them and build that relationship up. But what hasn't surprised me is the talent that's within this White Fans side. There's a good mixture of experience. We've got some vastly experienced players and we've got some youngsters who
are finding their feet at the international level. And that's always exciting when you've got that balance of the two in a setup. So can't wait to get my hands dirty start throwing some balls and being part of the group. There's a lot of potential and there's a good mix, as I said, between experience players who've played a lot of international cricket and some others that are just finding their feet at the end international level. I look at him,
is he gay? So we saw against England last season showed how good a player she's going to be and she's just finding the feet at the international level. And sometimes it's really hard when you haven't played a lot of domestic cricket and you get thrown into the international scene. Sometimes it just takes a little while to find your feet and that was great to see as you do that last season. So we've got some youngsters who I think are going to be superstars and years to come.
So I guess the onuses on us coaches is to upskill then get them performing at that international level as quickly as we can and get some consistency. And if we do that, then the White Fans are going to have a successful summer.
Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how they develop on that tour of England because it's important in terms of the way the White Fans have been going. Bearing in mind the home series that they just played against this England type. For Lauren Down, she's delighted to be back where she always thought she would be after she gave birth to her first child.
Yeah, it was always in the back of my mind.
I knew that one I wanted to be a moment and have family, but too that I still wanted to give cricket a good crack and I was hoping that if everything went well with giving birth and through the pregnancy, that I would be able to return.
And fortunately the comeback has gone pretty well so far.
It's been tough at times and physically a bit training, but it's been really good and it's nice being a mom and still being able to play cricket as well. Yeah, it's been challenging at times. I'm very grateful for sort of my support network at home.
No, my partner.
I'm very fortunate with him that he can stay at home and help look after Ruby while I'm training, and it makes this whole.
Journey a whole lot easier.
It's certainly been yet there's been some sleepless nights and then getting up and trying to do a little bit of training, which is a little bit harder than normal, but when you come home at the end of the day and see a little smiling.
Face, it all feels worth it.
Yeah, it's been yeah, tough, as I say, physically as well. Obviously your body goes through a whole lot of change through the pregnancy and then slowly trying to work back into things and get back to sort of the fitness I was at beforehand. It's been a bit tough being at the bottom of the pack and the running sessions with the White Firm, but I know I'll get back there and it's been nice just to be back with the group band training again. I think time away from
the game was actually quite nice. It was refreshing, and then it just sort of made me kind of hungry to get back and just want to get back into the folders as soon as I could. And I knew it was going to be tight in terms of time frames getting back for this England series, but I just wanted to give myself the best chance that I could to put my hand up.
Unfortunately, I'm yea able to get on the plane next week.
Lauren down back as a White fan for the England tour. That's it for the sedition of On the front Foot more matches in the World T twenty, including New Zealand's next match against the West Indies in Trinidad. So hopefully the ticket prices can be sorted out for the match between New Zealand and the West Indies and Trinidad. I'm sure the locals would want to go along there and see. If New Zealand don't win that game, then it's Uganda Papu New Guinea and then the departure lounge home to
New Zealand because there'll be no more play. Thanks very much guys for analyzing the first game for New Zealand. We'll do it after the West Indies game. Garth for you, Jeremy, You two chez wats.
No problem at all.
Shame we've got that first start, but let's hope we're better.
Thanks once, Thanks guys, you and so let's be everything for bright us up on Wednesday.
All the afulities of Summersting for more from News Talk st B, listen live on air or online, and keep our shows with you wherever you go with our podcasts on iHeartRadio.