NZ must sort out misfiring middle order

David Leggat

Put this top of New Zealand’s to-dos ahead of Wednesday’s important fourth ODI against England — sort out a misfiring middle order after another poor night out at the Cake Tin.

England won a thriller by four wickets, 234 against 230 for eight, a throwback game and an antidote for all the 340 v 330 one-dayers on roads around the cricket globe.

In the course of a match which coach Mike Hesson noted the hosts could have won and lost several times, New Zealand were once again let down by the middle order.

In the one-day series so far, the five lowest-scoring batsmen among the top seven have totalled 29 runs in game one at Hamilton, 35 runs in game two at Mt Maunganui and just 14 in game three at Wellington.

The most recent ODI on Saturday night included ducks for Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls, and three from de Grandhomme.

Nicholls’ last six ODI innings this season have produced 0, 52 not out, 1, 0, 1 and 0. He’s been trying to get going without giving himself a chance to find his feet. With toddlers, it’s called running before they can walk. Nicholls has been around long enough to know better.

Both Nicholls and Mark Chapman were all at sea against England’s spinners at the Cake Tin, while de Grandhomme’s response to a tight spot was to hit out at man of the match Moeen Ali and get caught at long on. His captain at the time had already seen carnage unfolding from the other end but this just took the biscuit. If it was good enough for established heavy hitter Ben Stokes to knuckle down in a grim situation earlier in the match and graft for 73 balls supporting his captain Eion Morgan, the same should have applied to de Grandhomme.

Williamson was the only player in the match to reach 50 on his way to one of his best innings for New Zealand, given the circumstances, an unbeaten 112. That says something about the pitch.

Williamson won’t say, of course, but some of the witless actions he saw from the other end must have had him rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

It’s simply not good enough. It’s all very well repeating the mantra that this team don’t get too up or down