Cricket series 'hard work’ for Hadlee

Press, 16 August 1988, Page 40

Cricket series 'hard work’ for Hadlee

By

JOHN COFFEY

“It sounds like pretty hard work to me,” was Richard Hadlee’s comment on what promises to be a hectic limited-over international cricket series in India later this year.

The New Zealanders will be required to play five one-day fixtures between December 10 and 18, with extensive travelling in between, if New Zealand officials agree to the itinerary released yesterday by the Indian cricket board of control. Mr Graham Dowling, the New Zealand Cricket Council executive director, was clearly not happy with the arduous finish to the tour. “Playing five one-day internationals in nine days is not acceptable, not under Indian conditions,” said Mr Dowling. “Although four of those five venues are not badly placed geographically, playing the last one at Jammu seems illogical. Jammu is way up near the Himalayas, when we wanted to finish closer to Bombay to connect with our homeward flights,” he said. After months of negotiations, drawn out by long periods of silence

from India, Mr Dowling said the Indian authorities had offered five new venues for the one-day games only two weeks ago. “We said then that it was unacceptable to have Jammu as the last one. Somewhere like Indore or Baroda would be only a short flight from Bombay.” Mr Dowling was also

surprised to discover the first test at Bangalore was to start one day later than had been agreed. “It leaves only one day between the end of the test and the start of the next three-day game. We will want to look at the travelling aspects of that,” he said. The team does not leave India until December 21, only six days before the start of the Shell Cup competition in New Zealand. Hadlee, whose availability for the tour had been in grave doubt, was philosophical about the strenuous programme offered by the Indians. “I haven’t seen the itinerary, nor has anyone from the board of control been in touch. “It sounds like pretty hard work to me. But I’ve been picked along with all the other players and we are having a gathering on September 2 when we can discuss various things,”

said Hadlee. The New Zealanders have three tests and three other first-class matches, as well as the five limitedover fixtures, between November 1 and December 18. England also tours India next summer, playing five tests, three other first-class games, five limited-over fixtures and a day-night charity match between December 10 and February 16. The proposed N.Z. itinerary is:— October 27, arrival in Bombay; November 1-3, v. West Zone at Rajkot; 6-8, v. North Zone at Faridabad; 12-17, first test at Bangalore; 19-21, v. Ranji Trophy champion at Goa; 25-30, second test at Bombay; December 3-8, third test at Hyderabad. One-day internationals at Vishakapatnam (December 10), Cuttack (December 12), Indore (December 14), Baroda (December 16), Jammu (December 18). December 21, leave Bombay for Singapore.