The Pink Report

ALL IN THE FAMILY

What a pretty sight it is at Seddon Park today for the second day of the National Bank Test with Pakistan. The sun’s beating down at 30 degrees and the banks are speckled with twirly bright sun umbrellas. Spectators of the day award, however, goes to the two guys who brought along an inflatable paddling pool with them. Outstanding. Now all they need is a bit of help topping it up with more water, or maybe some ice.

Yesterday was likewise a sweltery Hamilton summer’s day, 28 degrees but with 95 per cent humidity. One of the prerequisites of being a test umpire is being able to stand and concentrate all day in sapping sticky heat, in smart black trousers no less. That’s got to be testing, but I’m not sure it excuses sawing off a test debutant in his maiden innings. Bad luck, Reece Young.

Fortunately Kane Williamson’s luck went a little better. Kane had a rough time of it in India after his initial storybook success, but I didn’t think that would have any bearing on how he performed once he got back home to the type of pitches he knows so well. So it proved as he knuckled down to a half-century in his first test match on home soil.

Kane almost made his test debut at Seddon Park last summer when he was called into the BLACKCAPS’ squad for the second test against Australia. It’s his favourite home venue, so it’s a nice touch that he’s ended up making his home debut here regardless, especially for his Tauranga-based family. A large contingent of Williamsons and extended family settled in up on the sun-soaked grass, including his parents Brett and Sandra, twin brother Logan (no, he doesn’t play cricket), one of his three sisters, Sophie - and grandmother Joan Williamson, who was Taupo’s mayor from the late 1980s until 2001. Joan’s late husband Stuart Williamson was a very handy cricketer too, an opening batsman for Waikato. Often the way Kane reposes on his bat reminds her of Stuart, who sadly died too young to see his grandson - full name Kane Stuart Williamson - take to the art of batting.

There was some acid on the ND division of the BLACKCAPS this morning with Kane going well, but needing a partner at the other end to stick about. But while there was naturally a lot of local interest in seeing Kane step out in his test whites, it was Tim Southee who stole the show late on the first day. Tim showed he could, as many have indeed suspected, concentrate at the batting crease and contributed a useful half-century.

Tim was dismissed ducking in ungainly fashion into a bouncer in the first over of day two, unfortunately. With Kane on 45, that meant number 10 Brent Arnel got an early shift and promptly suffered some more short-pitched deliveries, not that they were very effective. Often the problem in these scenarios is not so much that the bunny batters are exposed, but the fellow who’s got his eye in and can bat suddenly has to start thinking about trying to hog the strike as well, preferably contriving to cross at the end of each over.

Batting is such a reactionary state of being that the less batters have to think about, the better. You’ve only got a nanosecond to decide which shot you play and you don’t want any second thoughts clouding that judgement. It’s the bowler who has to do the thinking out there, the batsman simply has to react appropriately and any split second of indecision is reaction time that’s lost.

As Kane says, “Your emotions fluctuate enough as it is. I want a clear mind, relaxed, calm, all those sort of words, and when I’m like that I can bat a long time. People say it looks easy out there. It's not easy, just an easy feeling. Conversely, when you’re worrying or thinking about the result, and trying too much because of it, I think that also shows in a batsman, shows in the way you move and your jerky reactions.”

Kane had just got to 50, Arnel at the other end, when he had a momentary brain implosion and spooned an un-Kane-like, Twenty-20ish improvisation to a bevy of waiting in-fielders. It raises a point.... should Kane bat higher?

Well, even though Kane was one of the better contributors, for my 10 cents worth I’d still be concerned if the selectors bumped him up to three while he’s still finding his feet in international cricket. Six or thereabouts is right for now. I doubt coach John Wright would let that happen, he’s got too much traditional cricket sense to get fiddly and fancy trying out theorems. That’s a good thing after recent years, too.

***

Young Northern Districts bowlers are showing themselves to be handy at taking hat-tricks this season. First Tim Southee nabbed one at Eden Park for the BLACKCAPS in their first T20i of the current series against Pakistan (admittedly with a little help from the umpire for the third dismissal); now promising 17-year-old medium pacer Brooke Kirkbride has taken one as part of a five-wicket bag, her first, in Northern Spirit’s Action Cricket one-dayer against the Central Hinds this week.

In just 3.4 overs, Brooke turned the match with five wickets for 11 runs. It was the young Spirit side’s first win of the women’s domestic season - and a big one at that, the Hinds losing by 108 runs. Brooke made the Spirit side when she was just 15 and this is her second career hat-trick: the first was at a national development tournament a couple of years back. Good work girls.

***

If you’re in Auckland this weekend, pop along to Colin Maiden Park to support the Yahoo!Xtra Northern Knights in their opening assault on the men’s one-day comp. I stopped by the guys’ warm-up match (the wider squad playing themselves) in sun-baked Mount Maunganui on Thursday and it was clear they’d already banished the disappointment and tentativeness of their final games in the HRV Cup campaign. The two batsmen the Knights most wanted to be back scoring runs were in good form, James Marshall hitting a solid 50 and then BJ Watling a century in the second innings. Brad Wilson and Bradley Scott chalked up half-centuries, too. We told Bradley we’d give him $10 if he does it in a real game.

Bradley and Graeme Aldridge were the pick of the bowlers, but the whole squad bowled tidily and with intent, including spinners Jason Donnelly and Jono Boult. Jason played his way into the team for Auckland. It should be handy having a left-armer, given the Aces have so many right-handers in their line-up. All of the Knights were playing hard out, and as a unit it was clear they were fresh and invigorated. The team is the defending champion, of course, in the men’s one-day competition. Bring it on.