Cricket: Selectors go into bat for bowlers

By Richard Boock

It is not as much the balance of the New Zealand cricket team which is in question these days, as the balance of the New Zealand selectors.

Whatever the criticisms surrounding the recall of Matthew Hart for tomorrow's third Bank of New Zealand one-day international, we should at least now be grateful for the insurance of a 10th bowler.

Now, if Dion Nash finds that his six front-liners are being smote all over Eden Park by the South Africans, and that his battery of part-timers are being carved up as well - there will be someone else to toss the ball to.

A small but salient point concerning the 12-strong New Zealand squad picked for this match is that everyone but the wicket-keeper has bowled at test level.

Considering the team have just four specialist batsmen - and have just lost one of their most prolific run-scorers in Chris Cairns - it might have been fair to assume the selectors would automatically reach for their short-list of top-order batsman.

They toyed with the idea at Carisbrook, replacing the injured Roger Twose with Matthew Bell in the series opener, but somehow became convinced that what they needed more than anything else was another bowler who could bat a bit.

As it happens, they could do with a batsman who can bat a bit.

This all must have come as a nasty surprise for Bryan Young, who twice scored 50 against India last month, ending the series with the highest average of all the specialist batsmen (37.66), as well as the highest strike-rate (91.00).

At a time when New Zealand's top-order batting has been about as hairy as Craig McMillan's sideburns, Young has been in impressive form, and punctuated that fact yesterday with his 10th first-class century.

He continues to miss out on the one-day side because the selectors are loathe to tinker with their existing top-order, although what harm it would do to use him as a stop-gap at No.5 is anyone's guess. It would be no surprise to see Young brought back for the test series anyway.

The New Zealand selectors have enjoyed their share of success this summer, with the recall of Twose and Young vindicated by their performance in the middle, and the decision to persevere with Geoff Allott proving another solid call.

They could have done Nash a bigger favour, perhaps, by boosting his batting stocks against South Africa, but they - along with the rest of the country's cricket faithful - will be hoping that the Hart card will pay a rich dividend.

Their decision could have had something to do with what convener Ross Dykes described this week as "the uncertain nature of the Eden Park pitch", although - according to various sources - there is very little doubt over how it will play. Low and slow.

The pitch preparation apparently received a setback during the head groundsman's absence a fortnight ago, when a greenish slime which developed on the surface caused much of the grass to perish.

What followed at a meeting of the selectors the other day is anyone's guess, but somehow the idea of strengthening the batting lost out to the temptation of strengthening the bowling.

Come in spinner ...

Pictured: Roger Twose slashes one away in front of South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher. PICTURE / FOTOPRESS