Consistent pitches will produce consistent runs - Fleming

Lynn McConnell

December 28, 2002

Consistency is what both New Zealand and India are looking for in the second match of the National Bank One-Day International Series in Napier.

Consistency in the playing surface which will allow for consistency in application, especially by the batsmen who have been threatening to join the ranks of the unemployed in the cricket played in the series overall.

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming said today that the batting problems being experienced were probably due to the poorer quality of the wickets the series has been played on but he was hopeful that Napier's McLean Park will at last provide some rewards for batting.

However, so gun shy are players from both sides after all they have been through that it will be the side which best handles the transition to a friendlier surface that will have the best chance of success in this match.

"I'm sure that both batting teams are looking forward to getting onto a consistent surface and then they can show some consistency which is what everyone is looking for and haven't seen so far this summer," he said.

Fleming has been reasonably happy with his own form, although he would like more solid evidence that how he is feeling can be translated into some runs. He thought he was reasonably sound in the first Test in Wellington and felt "pretty good" in the second Test at Hamilton.

"But when you're nicking three or four in the nets or getting your off pin knocked over every second ball the general feeling is, 'I don't know.'

"The only time you can get reasonably close to the middle of the bat is when you have throwdowns, which to me doesn't equate. You can work on elemental stuff.

"The bottom line is that we are crying out for some quality practice surfaces and some quality playing surfaces as selfishly as a batting unit and as a batter," he said.

The Auckland practice wickets had finally allowed some quality work to be done but it was getting quality runs in the middle that was most concerning him.

But as far as his batting form was going, he just didn't know.

And he said a lot of his players were feeling confused about just where they were at.

"When you feel like that you start searching for form or an indication that you are in form. It would be nice to rack up a good score tomorrow," he said.

Whether tomorrow is an occasion that the selectors will look to rest their bowling ace, fast bowler Shane Bond, is something that has not yet been decided. Fleming said it was a case of how Bond was holding up, and what the selectors wanted to see in this game because it was important for the selectors to get some answers from what will be their final look for the World Cup squad which has to be named by January 1.

Fleming said it would be nice to go 2-0 up in the series here because it would be a big advantage in the seven-game contest and New Zealand would be determined to achieve that.

"It's all about momentum. If you can keep momentum going in a long series, I think every team is going to have the day at some stage and when you have your day you just have to clock it up which we were happy about doing the other day," he said.

© Cricinfo

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