Making quick runs on the slow wickets in New Zealand is an art Gary Kirsten seems to have mastered
CRICKET: Krish Mi’rams in New Zealand
The pitches in New Zealand are notoriously slow but on Thursday the ground was completely soggy as the vital match between South Africa and the home team was rained off.
The match was scheduled to be played on Friday but if this does not happen New Zealand, who have the same number of points as South Africa, will go through to the final on superior run rate.
However, South Africa’s 14-run win over India in Hamilton last Saturday broke a depressing trend of away defeats in limited over internationals.
The World Series Cup Final first leg win over Australia at the MCG in January last year being the last time our men won away from home in the pyjama game.
Ironically, Gary Kirsten was man of the match on both occasions. His patience and tenacity on snail-slow New Zealand pitches paying off handsomely as he scored 85 of South Africa’s 223 for six.
The Western Province left-hander confirmed his status as the team’s leading slow wicket batsman.
Three years ago another Kirsten thrived on these pitches. Peter was South Africa’s best player during the three matches played in New Zealand during the World Cup.
The similarity in style and technique as well as mental approach is obvious.
Both players are blessed with immense wrist strength which is vital when looking to score by nudging and working the ball off a lifeless pitch and against the gentle medium pacers who thrive so on these surfaces.
Gary Kirsten has become the pivotal player in the top six. The likes of Andrew Hudson, Hansie Cronje, Daryll Cullinan and Dave Callaghan all enjoy batting with him as he turns the strike over regularly.
He will be a key player in the World Cup next year when South Africa play their group matches in Pakistan where the pitches will be very similar to those being encountered in New Zealand.
The New Zealand trip is the team’s ninth away tour in three years, only Zimbabwe of the Test playing nations have not hosted the weary South Africans. An appearance in the New Zealand Centenary series final will be the 73rd limited over international and the 44th away from home.
Going into the crucial game against New Zealand in Christchurch just 15 of 42 matches had been won on foreign soil. A sobering thought with the World Cup a year away and no tours away from home between now and then.
Although in this day of instant tours and Mickey Mouse tournaments all over the world they may be playing in Taipei, Canada and Argentina before the year is over.
South Africa’s record at home is understandably better, with 17 wins and 12 defeats from 29 matches.
The success during the home series against New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and the Test series win over New Zealand and Pakistan has instilled a lasting self belief in the squad.
They are getting into the habit of winning — a habit coach Bob Woolmer is keen to maintain.
>From many aspects the New Zealand trip has already been successful. However, the South Africans were more than a little disappointed not to have a warm-up match before going into an immensely tough assignment against Australia at the Basin Reserve last week.
The batsmen were rusty, and never looked at ease on a pitch devoid of any pace at all. In fact it was difficult to believe that West Indian Courtney Walsh had taken 13 wickets on the same piece of Wellington real estate just two days earlier.
Shane Warne poses a major threat on any type of pitch, but he was close to unplayable at the Basin sandpit. Having said that, he does only bowl 10 overs in the innings, and the South African batting seemed to be totally consumed by his powers and somehow lost sight of the fact that runs could and should have been scored a little more freely at the other end.
With hindsight it may have been a better option to open with Dave Callaghan and have Mike Rindel in further down the order so the left handers could be split up. Warne is not as devastating to the lefties and any small opportunity to unsettle his rhythm should be grasped.
As is the case in any sport, more was learnt in defeat by Australia than from the win over India. The next step is to implement the lessons learned next time out. Coach Bob Woolmer will ensure that the players know what the lessons are and it will be up to them to do the job on the field.