New Zealand’s batsmen are targeting South African bowler Shaun Pollock in Tuesday’s second one-day international staged on a pitch famous for producing run-feasts.
Black Caps skipper Stephen Fleming says his side will mount a full-scale assault on the Proteas’ Pollock as the New Zealanders seek to level the six-match series after going 1-0 down last week.
Tuesday’s match is to be played on a ”drop-in” pitch at the Jade Stadium, and groundsman Chris Lewis is confident the wicket will be another belter.
The previous match on the pitch was the Test against England when Nathan Astle slammed a world-record 222 off 168 balls on the final day, after a Graham Thorpe double century and an Andrew Flintoff century.
Before that, the same drop-in pitch was used for a Test against Pakistan that saw double centuries from Mathew Sinclair and Yousuf Youhana and even a century from renowned Pakistan batting bunny Saqlain Mushtaq.
It hasn’t been required in recent one-dayers where the natural pitch has been used, but it has been called upon as the Super 12 rugby competition opens in the same stadium on Saturday.
”We need to keep using it because otherwise people would say, ‘why have you developed it in the first place’,” Lewis said.
South African coach Eric Simons was impressed on first viewing and hinted he would like to continue his team’s policy of batting first.
”The one in Auckland, when you knocked it there was a hollow sound, almost like it hadn’t bedded in properly. This one’s quite solid. When you hit it, it doesn’t vibrate. This one looks a lot more solid than Auckland.”
Fleming said New Zealand’s batting would revolve around trying to upset the opposition’s best bowler, Pollock.
”Pollock has slowed his pace, he uses line and length, and on a good wicket if we can break him up then we go quite a long way to breaking up their patterns,” Fleming said of the former captain, poised five short of becoming the first South African to take 300 one-day international wickets.
”If we can interrupt [South African captain] Graeme Smith’s routine with his bowlers, then we’ll have a better chance of beating them.”
Gaining some dominance in the top order will represent a turnaround from the series opener when the Black Caps were always battling after being 79 for four.
A bonus came New Zealand’s way with in-form South Africa batsman Smith leaving training early to visit a doctor after picking up the flu in recent days.
He did not front the pre-match media conference but Simons was not overly concerned.
”He’s a bit bunged up in his throat and chest. He’s been on antibiotics but he’ll be all right,” Simons said.
”He batted well in the nets and I’m sure he’ll be fine. We’ll check him in the morning.” — Sapa-AFP