Black Caps coach seeks Twenty20 answers

With the World T20 firmly in mind, Black Caps coach Mike Hesson wants to see what his players have to offer against Sri Lanka at Eden Park.

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson

Black Caps coach Mike Hesson wants to see what his players have to offer against Sri Lanka. (AAP)

Black Caps coach Mike Hesson wants more than just a win in Sunday's second Twenty20 international against Sri Lanka at Eden Park in Auckland.

He wants answers.

With the World Twenty20 tournament in India fast approaching, Hesson wants to see what his players have to offer in New Zealand's next four T20 matches - one against Sri Lanka, and three against Pakistan over the next two weeks.

The Black Caps eased to a three-run win over Sri Lanka at Mt Maunagnui on Thursday, and while Hesson was happy enough with the win, he expects improvement on Sunday.

"I thought the batting was very good, very clinical, but I thought with the ball through the middle we were a little bit untidy," he said.

"I thought our execution of yorkers is certainly something we can get better at. But when it came to the crunch, I thought we responded very well."

Winning sits first and foremost in Hesson's priorities, but he's also keen to see how different players adapt to different conditions.

He is well aware of the challenges which will face the Black Caps in India, although he expects the wickets will be conducive to high-scoring games and - with many games under lights - doesn't anticipate they'll provide too much turn.

"They're going to be good cricket wickets. If guys are able to bowl well over here and defend, then they'll be very useful in those Indian conditions."

When it comes to batting, Hesson says replacing retiring skipper Brendon McCullum is a tough ask.

"I don't think you can replace him with one player, it's more the combination of the batting line-up."

He said players like Colin Munro or Corey Anderson had the potential to kick start an innings, while Ross Taylor was being asked to play a different role batting lower down the order and finishing an innings.

But most importantly, Hesson said the Black Caps needed show they could perform consistently.

"It's important for us to get in a good habit in terms of T20s - we've often had good performances in isolation.

"In T20 cricket, it's more about what happens in World Cups, and that's what we're very much focused on."


Share

3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world