Cricket: Chris Cairns the Black Caps need to change ahead of the World Cup

Black Caps great Chris Cairns is calling for some bold changes to the Black Caps batting line-up for the World Cup later this year following the recent ODI series defeat in India.

Song for the side
slipped from number one in the world to fourth in the ODI series with a 3-0 series loss.

Cairns suggests returning veteran Martin Guptill to play the opening batting role alongside Finn Allen at the top of the order.

This would mean moving Devon Conway away from the door, despite his left-hander being dominant in the role. Conway scored 138 off 100 balls in India’s third ODI defeat, reaching his third ODI ton in just 17 innings — his second opening century.

But despite Conway, the second-highest ODI innings hitter in India by New Zealand, Cairns Newstalk ZB’D’Arcy Waldegrave told Sportstalk that he is more suited to the order, called for a more aggressive opening swing.

“I’d like him to be the first drop, hell for leather, I’d go at the top. So I would like to have Guptill and Allen,” Cairns told Sportstalk.

Black Caps’ top order hits new low as World Cup results

“Conway is a special player. But I think for the dynamic of the team, I think Conway can because if you lose the first goal, he can go there and still play. On the other hand, if you get off to a good start with some potential players, then you can go in and do a more surgical role and then you look. [Kane] Williamson, who is arguably the best spin player in the world, in the same role, and then Tom Latham again, who is an accumulator.

“Even though it was successful, Conway, still because of the conditions that are there for the World Cup, they have two thunpers at the top right. That’s how I used to play in India.

Guptill was released from the central contract with New Zealand Cricket last November after playing 14 seasons with the Black Caps and playing for the Melbourne Renegades in Australia’s Big Bash League. He averaged 16.4 in 10 innings at a rate of 108.

He is the third highest-ranked New Zealander in ODI form and has 18 centuries in the last two against Ireland and the Netherlands.

Allen, who has four fifties since his debut last July, has played six ODIs against Pakistan and India, averaging just 15.8 consecutive ducks in the last two matches. But he should benefit from the run of the match at home.

Cairns also suggested another option at the top.

“I’d like to take a look” [Daryl] Mitchell not as a middle player but as similar to Guptill and Allen maybe, he added.

The Black Caps play a Twenty20 series in India starting on Saturday before finally starting their home summer season with visits to England and Sri Lanka.

India amassed 349 in the opening ODI against the Black Caps, followed by 385 in the third ODI victory – a sign of what the teams will aim for in the World Cup in October-November.

“It’s probably a really good time between the series that’s going on in India now and the World Cup, and just seeing what’s required,” Cairns said.

“It’s going to be a lot of runs and then you’re going to be connected to the engine machine or it’s going to be possible to let the batters go because the whole containment thing in India just doesn’t work. So we need people who have the ability to take wickets and with the batting order, at the top dynamic I think it is. Then you need to have 3, 4, 5 workers like that, to get you through the middle of those cracks is almost boring. And you have fire power in the backend.

Along with Guptill, Cairns has also been backed to select veteran Trent Boult for the World Cup. The opening of the left arm bowl was also released from the central agreement last year.

You think Boult’s trident is coming for the World Cup. You don’t blame them for anything at their discretion to be an independent contractor, to go and play where they need to play and to be available to New Zealand where appropriate. And this means the World Cup and course, you take it. He just made the 50-over ICC team of the year,” said Cairns.

“He is a world-class and proven artist. I have four front-row bowlers [Ish] sodhi [Tim] Southee [Lockie] Ferguson and Boult – they are all capable of taking wickets and that’s what you need. Then [Michael] Bracewell plays fifth [Glenn] Philippi.

“You need an outside bowling option and that’s where Daryl Mitchell comes in as well.”

“To me, [Jacob] Duffy just didn’t look quite up to it.

“It’s just a start, but it’s not sure enough step wise. I’ll probably stick with the tried and true, but at some point, New Zealand is going to invest in the future.”