Lees gets a longer term

Press, 11 March 1983, Page 19

Lees gets a longer term

By

R. T. BRITTENDEN

When Warren Lees was at Auckland for the first of the one-day internationals against England, he expressed the hope that he might be in the New Zealand cricket team for the whole season. His selection for this week-end's test with Sri Lanka at Wellington fulfils his wishes; but his doubts were understandable. He has certainly had a chequered career. He first played for New Zealand in the 1976-77 season, appearing in all six tests against Pakistan and India, and an innings of 152 in a test against India suggested he would be a semipermanent fixture in New Zealand teams. But Lees suffered some grievous misfortunes in the years which followed. He had a serious foot injury among his problems. Moreover,- he came to the conclusion that it was more important to concentrate on his wicketkeeping than on his batting skills. This was not the view of all the New Zealand selection panels in his time, which went bargain-hunting from

time to time. After returning from the Pakistan-India tour. Lees played in the first test against Australia. But he was dropped for the second, in favour of Jock Edwards. In 1977-78, Lees was selected for the first two tests against England, but Edwards was preferred for the third. Edwards it was who went with the 1978 tour to England. The next two seasons were calm ones, so far as Lees was concerned. He played in all the tests against Pakistan (1978-79) and against the West Indies a year later, going meanwhile to the Prudential World Cup tournament in England. But in 1980-81 he was injured while in Australia with the New Zealand team, and lost his wicket-keeping place in the last W.S.C. matches to lan Smith, who also kept wickets for New Zealand against- India at home. He did not play against Australia in 1981-82’and even earlier this season, in Aus-

tralia for the W.S.C. tournament. he was replaced at times by Peter Webb, in the hope that the Auckland player might make more runs. In his four cup games. Webb was out three times for a total of 30 runs. Lees’ feeling that it was more important to concentrate on wicket-keeping than batting would meet with the approval of most cricket thinkers. It has led to his selection for New Zealand this season. It may well be that Lees is now more relaxed about his prospects. At all events, he batted beautifully against the Sri Lankan bowling in the Christchurch test, to top score with 89, and win the “man of the match” award. Lees will be 31 on the day New Zealand plays Sri Lanka in a limited-over match at Napier, so he still has much to offer. He has already given much, and his performance as a wicket-keeper last week-end suggests that he will be given the opportunity to be of further service.