Only four certainties for test team

Press, 7 December 1976, Page 48

Only four certainties for test team

By ALAN GRAHAM, NZPA staff correspondent

Only four .members of the New Zealand cricket team which toured Pakistan and r ndia can be sure of playing for New Zealand against Australia in the home series next February and March; ?ven assuming one -of them, Menn Turner, .is available. Turner. said last week he tad no comment on his ivailability for the Australian series, which leaves ->pen suggestions that he has vet to settle his financial arrangements with the New Tealand Cricket Council. Three other “certainties” ire the batsmen John Parker md iMark Burgess and the ■nening bowler, Richard Tadlee.

Two fast bowlers, Richard lollinge and Lance Cairns, re well placed to retain selction if they do well in the ■ome series, while - Andy ’oberts, as a batsman and ccasional bowler, did well nough in five tests on the our to indicate he can ream his place with a good lhell series. Others must remain in ’oubt. even Warren Lees, vho kept wickets in all six

tests for New Zealand on the tour and who topped the test batting aggregates with 423 runs and top test average of 38:5.

The facts are that Lees did not keep wickets well on tour, especially to Hadlee, and his batting was often streaky. 1 He made many" of his runs in ti’ght' second. innings, where time, not runs, w’as the key consideration. Despite his heavy scoring, on tour, he hardly would warrant a place in the top six as a pure batsman, especially on the faster New Zealand wickets if some other ’keeper looks in better trim at home.

For the moment, though, Lees is in the test side and as he was the best of the available 'keepers last season, he will probably be back against Australia." Otago players say he kept much better at home last season than he did at any stage of the long and difficult tour of Pakistan and India, where he was sick several times yet had only one cricketing day off.

Turner had a weak series in Pakistan, but came back strong in India and is con-

sidered by many to be the best captain - New Zealand has had for years, certainly the best of recent times.

John Parker is a steady batsman, a good team player and a; useful slip fieldsman, while Burgess, though he attacks more than the other two,' countipues to average well in tests. Roberts was a mixture of attack and defence, surprisingly failing twice at. Madras after defending well against spin in his four earlier tests. Clearly no-one has any sort of hold -on the two other batting positions, with Anderson failing to fulfill his early promise, Murray Parker, John Morrison and Geoff Howarth all having difficulty throughout the tour.

All could come back into favour on the faster pitches at home, but all must fight for their spots. Bevan Congdon should waltz into the side if available, especially as he can fill the fifth bowler role that was thrust on Roberts on the touy. Dayle Hadlee will be welcomed back to open the attack and Richard Collinge must do better on New Zealand tracks thin he did on

the fearfully slow surfaces in Pakistan and India. Cairns must bat better at home than he did on the tour against tricky spin and he could take the third seam position. The main needs are for, batsmen to accompany Turner, a good young fast bowler to replace the 30-year-bld Collinge soon and a new spinner to take the mantle held by Howarth for so long. So far, none of the touring team has said he is unavailable for any home matches and several are already talking of walloping each other when the Shell series opens on December 17. Warren Lees, with 423 runs at an average of 38.5, and Richard Hadlee, with 22 wickets at 40.2, topped the batting and bowling averages for the six tests played in Pakistan and India by the New Zealand team.

Lees, in his' first two series, scored 22 runs more than Mark Burgess as well as taking seven catches and seven stumpings behind the wickets. Glenn Turner, after a poor series in Pakistan, topped the batting averages in India;

with 261 runs at an average of 43.5 while Lance Cairns, with seven wickets at an average of 25.7, had the best bowling average in the Indian tests. Averages for both test series, combined, noting that there were eight ball overs in Pakistan and six ball overs in India, were, under the following headings, player, innings, not-out, highest score, runs, average:— BATTING 1.N.0. H. R. A.j

Howarth 1/34, Troup 1/116, Mor rison 0/9, Lees 0/4. Wicket-keeping: Lees caught 7. stumped 7. Catches: Burgess 6, Turner 5 J. Parker, Petherick 4, IL Par ker, Morrison 3, Cairns, O’Sulli van 2, Troup. Colllnge, Anderson Howarth, Roberts 1.

Lees 12 1 152 423 38.5 Burgess 12 0 111 401 33.4 Turner 10 0 113 321 32.1 J. Parker 12 0 IM 369 30.8 Anderson 6 0 92 178 19.7 Hadlee 12 2 87 274 27.4 Roberts 10 1 84 237 26.3 Cairns 8 3 52 106 21.2 M. Parker 6 0 40 89 14.8 O’Sullivan 11 3 23 113 14.7 Collinge 5 0 36 73 14.6 Howarth 8 0 39 106 13.3 Morrison 6 0 37 46 7.7 Petherick 9 4 13 29 5.8 Troup 1 0 0 0 0 BOWLING 0 B M R W A Hadlee 202 1364 20 885 22 40.2 Petherick 193 284 35 667 16 41.7 Calms 137931 28 424 9 47.1 Roberts 61 393 14 170 3 56.6 'O’Suiilvan 272 1867 60 804 13 61.f Collinge ft) 586 8 425 6 70.8 Also bowled Burg ess 1/20,