Reveals Kiwi skipper Daniel Vettori as his plan against Proteas
Thursday, September 24, 2009
It’s a big game for us today when we take on the hosts South Africa in our opening Champions Trophy tie at Centurion. Their fans are sure to turn out in huge numbers and vent their support in no uncertain terms for the home team. But then that’s what the game is all about and we know what to expect.
Looking at the way the opening game between South Africa and Sri Lanka went, we too might look at going in with two spinners. It has nothing to do with South Africa being poor against spin or anything like that but it has everything to do with the pitch on offer. Yes, when they came back to international cricket they may have struggled against spin but having toured the sub-continent frequently since then, they have no such worries now.
What we would like to do is put our own experience of having just come from the sub-continent to good use at least as far as spin is concerned. We will have some adjustments to make on these pitches and will have to make them soon. It was a tough tour of Lanka for us but you always learn from such outings.
It was good to have started with a win here against the Indians in a practice tie but when we take the field today, all that will be irrelevant. It’s how we cope with the conditions on each given day that will matter from hereon.
The Champions Trophy is the one major tournament that New Zealand have won – in Kenya in 2000 -- and that is something we are proud of and would dearly like to emulate. It was a great team effort that did the trick then and a similar one here will no doubt help. We have always been competitive, making the semis of many tournaments, so it is just a question of taking a further step.
Shane Bond has been a good addition to the side. He bowled superbly in Sri Lanka in his comeback series. The best part is that he doesn’t seem to have lost anything in the time he was away. With Shane joining us, we have a well-balanced side that can deliver pace, seam and spin. As captain I can’t ask for more. We have no injury worries either and are keen to get on to the field. We are aware that we need to win all our three matches to advance to the knockout.
As far as the debate about the success or otherwise of the Champions Trophy deciding the fate of ODIs goes, I am one of those who firmly believe in keeping it as it is. I know there is talk of tinkering with the format, but I would rather it be kept simple. After all it has survived quite well the test of time, so why make changes now, is my take.
