Cricket: NZ senior bowlers have plenty to prove

Tim Southee of New Zealand in discussions with captain Brendon McCullum. Photo / Jason Oxenham.

Tim Southee, Mitchell McClenaghan and Nathan McCullum are three senior New Zealand bowlers with plenty to prove if selected for tomorrow night's one-day international finale against England.

The trio's impact has been limited this series in the wake of batting domination.

At 2-2, England have the momentum after chasing down a national record 350 to win by seven wickets at Nottingham. None of their five batsmen scored at less than a run a ball.

The bowling performance concerned coach Mike Hesson.

"We struggled to create any pressure, pretty much going at eight-an-over the whole time. We gave away a fair few freebies.

"We struggled to deliver a succession of dot balls, or overs that didn't go for boundaries. The key thing is the ball hasn't swung."

That raises the prospect of McCullum returning. He missed the last two games after taking three for 86 in nine overs at the Oval. The Chester-le-Street wicket has offered spinning incentives in recent internationals.

Sri Lankan Sachithra Senanayake took four for 13 from 7.1 overs last year to help dismiss England for 99. Australian Nathan Lyon had match figures of seven for 97 in an Ashes test at the venue two years ago.

While Mitchell Santner is expected to continue his development as a left-arm orthodox all-rounder at No.6, McCullum might also have a chance to stamp his mark. At 34, he remains a viable option with 80 caps and 58 wickets at an economy rate of 4.99.

Southee, with 97 caps, delivered New Zealand's best ODI figures of seven for 33 against England with a swinging ball during the World Cup. Apart from some sparks of genius during the tests, he has struggled in nine subsequent ODIs, taking eight wickets at 67.57 with an economy rate of 6.67.

Bowling coach Dimitri Mascarenhas said the ball's generally only swung for a couple of overs each during the series, voiding Southee's main weapon.

"He has been hit to the legside a bit because he's trying to swing the ball and it's not responding. He's aware and working hard on making the call to go into his variations."

McClenaghan's struggles against England's batting assault are another puzzle.

The 29-year-old excelled in the Mumbai Indians' Indian Premier League win, claiming three wickets for 25, including 15 dot balls to defeat the Chennai Super Kings in the final.

He translated that to the warm-up match against Leicestershire, taking four for 31 from 9.3 overs, including 43 dot balls.

Yet, in the past four games, with four wickets and an economy rate of 8.14, batsmen have looked comfortable against his aggression.

With a career strike rate of 28 from 39 caps, McClenaghan has a knack of getting batsmen out, but in five ODIs since the start of the World Cup his figures have ballooned.

He has four wickets at 88.25, striking every 10.5 overs. He needs to rekindle some of his 2013 mojo against England when he had a wicket every three overs, finishing with 11 victims at 15.81.

If he gets the nod ahead of Ben Wheeler, the final match might present the perfect opportunity.

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