Tour timing negates Kiwis’ advantage

Times Media

TELFORD VICE, Cape Town

NEW Zealand’s superior knowledge of their home conditions should have given them an edge for their one-day series against SA this month. But the unique scheduling of the matches could negate that advantage.

All but two of the 265 ODIs played at 16 grounds on those faraway islands have taken place between December 3 and March 31. The odd couple were staged on April 1 and 2.

So both teams will be in unchartered territory this time. They meet on October 21, 24 and 27 - unusually early in the year even in a country where, by South African standards, summer never quite arrives.

Quite what the conditions will be in the Land of the Long Fleecy Jacket when the captains undertake the toss at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui - some 153km south-east of Auckland - on Tuesday can only be guessed at.

Not only has Bay Oval hosted just one ODI, when the Netherlands reached a target of 211 set by Canada with eight wickets standing, but that game was played in January.

The New Zealand Tourism Guide website, meanwhile, describes the weather in October as “characteristically mild - not too hot or too cold, although warm clothing and wet weather attire may be needed for rainy days”.

The only list A cricket of consequence played in the country outside of the December to March window was in September, 2012, in three games between the A teams of New Zealand and India.

One match was washed out after six overs, the highest total reached was 249/9, and twice teams were dismissed for less than 200.

But all three of those matches were played in Lincoln, near Christchurch - 980km from Mount Maunganui, also the venue for next Friday’s second ODI. The third ODI will be played 112km down the road from Mount Maunganui in Hamilton.

“I’m not sure what to expect, but we’ve got quite a bit of preparation heading into the first ODI - lots of practices and net sessions and time to get used to what we’re going to get,” AB de Villiers said after the SA squad touched down in Auckland on Wednesday.

But no meteorological mumbo jumbo could sway SA’s captain from his view that New Zealand were “always a very competitive ODI team, and they’ll be even more competitive at home”.

So much so that he disagreed, politely, with Dale Steyn’s assertion last week that “New Zealand are a dark horse team whenever there is a tournament around” with pointed reference to next year’s World Cup in Australasia.

“I wouldn’t call them dark horses,” De Villiers said. “I would say they are one of the favourites.

“We know what they are capable of. They are always a competitive cricket team, and they are very used to the conditions.”

One of the most competitive of all Kiwi cricketers is Daniel Vettori, who has not played an ODI in 16 months but is likely to feature in the series.

“He brings a huge amount of confidence and experience - he’s got the world’s best batsmen out before,” De Villiers said.

Vettori played his first match in two months, a list A game for a New Zealand XI against Scotland in Lincoln on Wednesday. He scored 12 and went wicketless for 43 runs in 10 overs.