New Zealand coach John Bracewell believes his team can take heart from the way they pushed South Africa until the last over in the Pro20 match last Friday and the first MTN one-day international (ODI) in Durban on Sunday.
South Africa won the Pro20 with a ball to spare and the ODI off the last ball of the match.
”The recognition is that South Africa are a very good side, particularly at home, and any win is a tough win. We’ve got to take some confidence out of the fact that we pushed them to the last over in two games,” Bracewell said on Wednesday.
”We are starting to put together some batting performances the bowlers can attempt to defend. It’s more about fighting every game … and not so much looking at the fact that we’re one-nil down.
”We’ve got to move together as a unit. We’ve got a very long summer ahead of us after a long lay-off from cricket over the winter. Hopefully we’re starting to move together in the right direction after what was an abysmal performance in the Tests.”
Bracewell said he was very pleased with the way the Black Caps had batted in Durban.
He said he was hopeful that all-rounder Jacob Oram, who has been struggling with a hamstring injury, would be fit to play in the second ODI at St George’s Park on Friday.
”It will make a huge difference to us,” said Bracewell.
”An all-rounder always makes a big difference to the balance of a side. We always like to go in with six bowlers and you could see that we were really trying to make do in the last game with sufficient batters and five bowlers.
”We pushed it to the limit of the game, but that one extra bowler might have made a difference to our variety and flexibility on that type of wicket. It’s always handy to have six bowlers.”
Bracewell said New Zealand had been a little surprised that the man of the match in both Tests, Dale Steyn, had not been selected for the first ODI.
”He’s in such good form, but we also heard that he may have had a little niggle. But you’ve also got to remember that people are a part now of a full season. I think the South Africans are doing a particularly good job of developing a strong bowling squad — which we all wish we had — and that’s coupled with trying to get them to last 18 months and not nine months.
”So it doesn’t surprise me that they are using a form of rotation in the development of their bowling unit.” — Sapa