A review of the performance of the New Zealand players during the away Test series against Australia
Daniel Brettig13-Dec-20119
Chris Martin
The grand old man of New Zealand’s bowling attack set an example for all to follow. His dissection of Phillip Hughes was near-surgical in its precision, turning a young left-hander with a famed appetite for runs into a walking wicket and a guaranteed avenue into the Australian batting beneath. Martin actually dismissed Hughes five times in four innings, the visitors not detecting a glove down the leg side on the third evening in Hobart. Overall his precision and discipline provided a supreme lesson in the marriage of simplicity and relentlessness that works best in Test cricket. It must also be noted that the one time in the series New Zealand most desperately needed Martin to hang around for a few balls with the bat, he did so, adding 23 runs with Trent Boult in a match won by a mere seven.8.5
Doug Bracewell
Membership of a famous sporting family can at times be a curse as much as a blessing, creating expectations in advance of development, but there was no doubting the value of Doug Bracewell’s genes during his match-winning burst with the ball at Bellerive Oval. Bustling to the wicket and swerving the ball in both directions, Bracewell brought a muscular, determined quality to the New Zealand attack not dissimilar to that offered to England by Tim Bresnan. He bowled well in Brisbane also, though afflicted by a front foot that often overstepped. This problem robbed Bracewell of Michael Clarke’s wicket at a critical juncture, and it was addressed in between Tests to ensure he could go on his Hobart rampage. There should be plenty more wickets to come.Dean Brownlie
Perth club cricket has seldom had a better advertisement than Dean Brownlie, who was a solid batting citizen in the west without ever threatening to go further. Moving to the land of his father in search of opportunity, he has found it in a New Zealand team that values his unfussy, adhesive approach to the batting crease. In Brisbane his innings were the only of any substance by a member of the New Zealand top six, and in Hobart a half-century on the first day prevented the visitors from being blown away for fewer than 100. Brownlie had as much reason to celebrate as anyone when the final Australian wicket fell – a move up the batting order beckons.7
Ross Taylor
A dreadful match in Brisbane, a stunning one in Hobart. Ross Taylor learned a lot from his first major tour as captain, visibly toughening and adding to his resolve as the days went on. Any notion of comfort in the form of his team was stripped away at the Gabba, and Taylor scrapped desperately and successfully at Bellerive. His second innings was uncharacteristic for one of New Zealand’s most gifted strokemakers, but it was made in the sort of style that will win Test matches. In the field Taylor shuffled his resources sensibly, and showed plenty of vigour in his use of the Decision Review System. Also held six catches, dropping one. Visibly moved by the significance of what New Zealand achieved in the second Test, Taylor has a team he can believe in.Trent Boult
Granted a debut through a match-morning injury, Trent Boult did all that could have been asked of him. His tidy left-arm fast medium demonstrated the value of moving the ball a little rather than a lot and maintained the pressure imposed by Martin and Bracewell. The wickets of Michael Hussey in the first innings and Usman Khawaja in the second arrived at critical times. Critical too were Boult’s 21 runs in the second innings, a contribution that was ultimately the difference between victory and defeat.Daniel Vettori
It was a cruel quirk of fate that had Daniel Vettori sitting out New Zealand’s first Test win over Australia since 1993 with a hamstring strain. His value to the attack on a seaming pitch may have been less than usual, but his batting was certainly missed, following a first innings 96 at the Gabba that would have been a century if not for a rare moment of misjudgement when risking a single to Hussey’s arm. Vettori’s bowling lacks some of the spin and snap of his earlier days, but he remains the closest thing the team has to a world-class performer, and he deserved to celebrate the Hobart win as part of the team, even if his hamstring had kept him out of the XI.6
Tim Southee
At times Tim Southee looked the bowler he can be, a classical purveyor of late away swing at sharp pace and bounce, but at others he struggled to reach the expected standard. This was perhaps understandable on his return from a knee injury, and he was still able to offer a trio of cameos with the ball that contributed to the narrative arc of the series. In Brisbane he shocked Warner with a first-up bouncer that was gloved behind, and in the first innings in Hobart he ran the ball away from Ricky Ponting to set him up for the straighter ball arrowing in on middle. The lbw was discussed mainly for Ponting’s error, but the bowler deserved more credit. Most critically, Southee made the post-lunch incisions in the second innings that allowed Bracewell to capitalise, tempting Brad Haddin and Peter Siddle into slip catches.Brendon McCullum
Lacking a hefty score and guilty of throwing his wicket away in the first innings in Brisbane when set, Brendon McCullum nonetheless showed plenty of intent and determination. His first over attack on James Pattinson at the Gabba was typically brazen, while a defiant 98-minute occupation on day one in Hobart helped keep New Zealand heads above water. Pattinson saved his best for McCullum, three times finding devilish deliveries to send him on his way – decent, if slightly ominous, preparation for the batsman for forthcoming duels with Dale Steyn.4.5
Kane Williamson
Out of his depth against both pace and spin at No. 3 in Brisbane, Kane Williamson was shifted two places down in Hobart and made a pair of middling but not unimportant scores in a bowlers’ match. The second innings 34 was aggressive and assertive, easing some of the scoring burden on Taylor on the second afternoon, and showed evidence of a sturdy back-foot technique. Less assured were Williamson’s ventures forward, and twice he was out edging at wider deliveries in the earliest exchanges of a day’s play. Has a chance of success, but plenty of learning still to do.4
Martin Guptill
A tall and stentorian presence at the top of the order, Martin Guptill was too often made to look inflexible and imperfect. Three times he was out edging Peter Siddle, and only once could it be said that the delivery was too good. The others might have been left alone with sounder judgement, and there is unlikely to be much respite from such questions against South Africa. Guptill’s most telling influence on the series was in his catching. He held six catches, four of them off Hughes’ edge, and helped make New Zealand’s slip cordon look at least as safe as Australia’s.Reece Young
Bloodied for the cause in Brisbane when a Vettori delivery smacked him in the mouth, Reece Young battled without quite looking up to the task. While his glove work was neat, Young contributed next to nothing with the bat, an unacceptable return in an age of batsmen-wicketkeepers. Will be under pressure for his spot upon his return home.Jesse Ryder
Arguably New Zealand’s greatest disappointment of the series. Jesse Ryder has tremendous talent and at 27 is at an age where he should be adding experience and influence as well as runs. But his portly figure is looking increasingly out of step with 21st century cricket, and his flat-footed batting was useful only in the Australia A tour match on a benign pitch. Accepted promotion to No. 3 in Hobart on a difficult surface, but will have to do far more against South Africa.
