Batsman's bowling put under spotlight

Kane Williamson got his batting back on track with an unbeaten 87 against Otago at Cobham Oval on Thursday, but with the World Cup just around the corner it's his bowling that's getting a real workout at BlackCaps' training.
The 20-year-old middle order batsman is one of the bright hopes of New Zealand cricket, but with the flat tracks of India and Sri Lanka beckoning, he has more than just batting on his mind.
"Recently John Wright has been making myself and Martin Guptill bowl first at training so that's been putting more of an emphasis on bowling and learning more about how we want to bowl because in the past it obviously hasn't been much of a focus ..."
"Batting is still my primary focus but if that's going well and I'm feeling organised, then I allow more time for my bowling," he said.
Speaking after the Northern Knights' dramatic tie against Otago, Williamson wasn't entirely happy with his effort with the ball.
"It didn't really go overly well today but it's certainly something I've been working on and if called upon, I'll be ready to play that role with the ball," he said.
He picked up the valuable wicket of Aaron Redmond for 39 in his first over, but was then given the treatment by Neil Broome, and was taken out of the attack after his four overs went for 29 runs. Williamson's effort with the bat was more memorable and he was still at the crease when the final over started with the Knights needing 14 to win. After taking a single off the third ball, he was a spectator for the rest of the over, with Bradley Scott scoring six runs from the remaining three balls to force a tie.
"I think the boys have mixed feelings about the result but I guess the game ebbed and flowed and in the end I think we've done quite well to get up in that last over to get the tie," he said.
"Obviously I want to keep going from this game and start again with the Black Caps and put together another innings to show that there's a good balance in the side, so that's the focus."
Despite their recent run of losses, Williamson believes the team have the potential to compete at the World Cup. The format means if the Black Caps get past pool play then they are just three wins away from the title.
"It's a whole different game, it's a tournament and the Black Caps have the potential to beat anybody so this style of tournament is in our favour, there's a quarterfinal, a semifinal and a final and if we can get to that stage then we have a good chance," he said.
A good result against Pakistan may help rebuild confidence after the poor performance on the recent tour of India. "Obviously the series didn't go our way but hopefully we've learned a lot from playing there and we can put the things we've learned into winning performances in the World Cup."