Coach’s prediction on bowling sadly right

‘Dizzy [Mark Gillespie] is probably the only guy you can honestly expect to take big bags [of wickets] at the moment and he’s coming back from injury and quite a way off being at his best.’

CRICKET

THERE’S no shock in the fact that Wellington are struggling to bowl teams out in the Plunket Shield.

But nor is there any pleasure in being right.

Firebirds coach Jamie Siddons identified fast bowling, in particular, as being a likely weakness for his team this summer and that’s been borne out by the statistics.

On top of being last in the competition, Wellington have managed to bowl the opposition out twice. That was in the same match, when they skittled Central Districts in each innings at Karori Park en route to a seven-wicket victory. That leaves 10 other Plunket Shield innings in which Wellington have failed to take all 10 wickets.

And as Siddons contemplates the last three games of the fourday competition, which begins with a match against Auckland at the Basin Reserve on Sunday, he doubts that trend will change.

‘‘Dizzy [Mark Gillespie] is probably the only guy you can honestly expect to take big bags [of wickets] at the moment and he’s coming back from injury and quite a way off being at his best,’’ Siddons said.

Gillespie’s old new-ball partner Andy McKay is still battling a sidestrain and is unlikely to play four-day cricket again this season, while import Chris Woakes left prematurely after being called up to England’s side. James Franklin and Jeetan Patel have also played more international cricket than was expected, with the latter now unavailable due to the sudden death of his mother.

Luke Woodcock has had to become the main spinner in Patel’s absence, with Dane Hutchinson, Scott Kuggeleijn, Ili Tugaga and Tipene Friday featuring in the pace attack.

Woodcock has seven wickets at 54.57, Hutchinson five at 62.20, Kuggeleijn 14 at 55.92, Tugaga five at 45.20 and Friday six at 23.83.

Hutchinson has been spelled indefinitely, while Kuggeleijn is ‘‘holding his spot as a batsman really’’, Siddons said.

‘‘His improvement as a bowler has been a bit slower than I would’ve hoped, so we’ve got some

Firebirds coach Jamie Siddons work-ons with him over the next few weeks.’’

Siddons felt Kuggeleijn had be persevered with, though.

‘‘When you look at what we’ve got, definitely. He is exciting, which I’ve said probably a few too many times, and I really want him to blossom with the ball.

‘‘He bowls probably 135 [kmh] when he’s going well and possibly even more than that. But his direction and ability to be economical or even take wickets at the moment has not been happening.’’

The coach thought Kuggeleijn might have been found out a little by the demands of four-day cricket, and backing up spell after spell and match after match.

Tugaga and Friday are in that bracket too. ‘‘Ili and Tips will probably really struggle to get through the next two four-dayers, I would imagine. ‘‘They’re just not used to it.’’ Practice and conditioning work under the eye of the team’s trainer and bowling coach, Stephen Hotter, would help but that’s not practical right now.

‘‘It’s hard to do coaching because coaching requires bowling and we’ve got three days off between four or five four-day games at the moment and we’re struggling to get guys through that,’’ Siddons said.

Which might mean more defeats like Sunday’s 20-run one to Canterbury. ‘‘We made 700 runs and never really looked like winning until Dizzy made 60-odd off 50 balls. We were convincingly beaten until that happened.’’

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