Cricket: A bit of tweaking but selectors back Mark Craig

Mark Craig is seen as a match winner. Photo / Getty Images

Mark Craig was eight days from playing his first test in the West Indies this time last year, a bolter picked to partner Ish Sodhi because Daniel Vettori and Jeetan Patel were unavailable.

Craig took eight for 188, the best figures by a New Zealander on debut, and is now the team's frontline spinner.

That's some turnaround for a player who, shortly beforehand, few considered the best spinner in Otago, his Albion club, or even his flat. Nathan McCullum and Nick Beard (the flatmate) were deemed better options.

Craig had a blip last week at Lord's, taking 2-173 from 46 overs as he struggled to tie down an end.

"Mark is an important member of our squad," coach Mike Hesson said. "He's played nine tests and won three of them for us. I'm sure he'll be disappointed with the way he bowled, but he got better as the test went on."

Hesson is right. Craig has enjoyed success with 33 wickets at 42.42 in his first year, along with 322 runs at 32.2, including two half-centuries. Those figures include 4-53 to mop up Sri Lanka's second innings and secure victory at Wellington in January, as well as a man-of-the-match haul of 10-203 to bowl New Zealand to their third away victory in 24 tests against Pakistan in Sharjah.

"I was a bolter [to the West Indies] and this tour was always going to be hard but the feeling of belonging has settled in," Craig said at the time. "It's awesome. I wake up, put the kettle on each morning and have a wee smile. It's good fun."

Craig could have significant responsibility at Headingley on a pitch that is dry on top and could break up on days four and five.

New Zealand are 1-0 down in the series and looking to sustain their record of six undefeated series. Two years ago, England's Graeme Swann took 10-132 at Headingley, the first time such a feat had been achieved by a spinner at the venue in 41 years.

Craig can be expensive, conceding 3.79 runs per over before this test, but he is also aggressive enough to take the initiative, especially in the third or fourth innings.

"Mark impresses by getting plenty of revolutions on the ball, as well as bounce, turn and drift which, on largely unresponsive wickets at home, is not easy," former New Zealand spinner Paul Wiseman said. "Ideally, he'd still want more cricket at first-class level but, given our position, we've got to fast-track players when we can."

What has been forgotten after Craig's struggle at Lord's was his 5-34 which helped secure victory against Somerset at Taunton. The talent remains.