Fleming defends leaving out Horne (31 October 1998)

31 October 1998

Fleming defends leaving out Horne

The Christchurch Press

Matthew Bell's selection ahead of last season's first-class batsman of the year, Matthew Horne, in the Black Caps one-day cricket team for the World Cup knock-out tournament was a form-based decision said skipper Stephen Fleming.

Fleming said there was a desire among the tour selectors, Steve Rixon (coach), Simon Doull, and Fleming himself to give the inexperienced Bell, 21, an opportunity at top level.

Horne hardly featured on the just concluded visit to Australia and Bangladesh, having only one innings where he reached 80 in an inter-team scrimmage in Sydney. Fleming said Horne was sick early on in Dhaka.

Fleming, who returned home yesterday with the team from Bangladesh, said Bell was preferred after Horne had a disappointing run of scores at the Commonwealth Games.

"We wanted to give Matt Bell a go and you have to give a player a few chances to prove himself. Matt Horne didn't have a great run of form at the Games."

The move appeared to run contrary to selection panel convener's Ross Dykes's desire that Horne was picked as first-choice pairing with Nathan Astle.

Last season, Horne won the Redpath Cup averaging 53 for the first-class season. His one-day returns were fewer, averaging just 15.72 last season from 19 one-day internationals. Llorne Howell was the preferred partner for Astle for much of the season, Horne batting down the order.

Fleming said the team was not happy to be home early after its first round elimination by Sri Lanka in the event after its qualifying match win against Zimbabwe.

"Obviously, we wanted to go further, but it was a pretty lacklustre batting effort against Sri Lanka.

"I thought our bowling and fielding was reasonable, but we didn't get enough runs."

Subsequent matches have shown that scores approaching 300 have been required to win matches on the splendid batting strips.

Fleming said he had been a little sceptical about the competition before the outset, but now felt it was an exciting tournament which had a future. The International Cricket Council is likely to schedule it on an alternate cycle to the World Cup.

Fleming said being without the injured Chris Cairns affected the team's balance, while Howell should provide another opening batting option in the one-day arena when fit again.

Fleming is now looking ahead to the domestic season, starting next weekend with Cricket Max, then Conference Cricket before New Zealand hosts India and South Africa.

"It will be nice to be playing in our conditions for a change."

Fleming will be one of several Black Caps to be playing their maiden Max matches for Canterbury in a friendly game against Otago at Timaru tomorrow.

Canterbury will be at full strength, but Otago will be without national representatives Horne and Paul Wiseman. Both teams are playing 13-a-side.

Teams

Canterbury: Llorne Howell (c), Nathan Astle, Craig McMillan, Stephen Fleming, Chris Harris, Chris Cairns, Ben Yock, Mark Hastings, Hamish Barton, Shane Bond, Geoff Allott, Darron Reekers, Warren Wisneski.

Otago: Robert Lawson (c), Chris Gaffaney, Mark Richardson, Stephen Mather, Andrew Hore, Graeme Greene, Mark Billcliff, Karl O'Dowda, Rhiane Smith, Martyn Croy, Aaron Gale, Glenn Jonas, Shayne O'Connor.

Source :: The Christchurch Press (http://www.press.co.nz/)

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