As New Zealand endured yet another tough day on their tour of Australia, former captain Brendon McCullum again criticised the team’s attitude on the field.
The hosts rode on Marnus Labuschagne’s brilliant 130* to post 283-3 at SCG on the first day of the third Test. Already 2-0 down in the series, things didn’t start well for the tourists with incumbent captain Kane Williamson deemed too ill to play, alongside Henry Nicholls and Mitchell Santner, who also suffered from flu-like symptoms. Additionally, veteran seam bowler Tim Southee was rested, joining the injured Trent Boult on the sidelines.
All in all, New Zealand lost 267 games worth of experience and that was always going to hurt them, but McCullum was more disappointed by the perceived lack of intent from those who did take the field under the leadership of Tom Latham.
5 changes for NZ means they have lost 267 games of Test experience for this match and brought in 41
The single biggest experience drop for NZ in a Test match
Prev record – 164 in 1990 (involving last tests for Richard Hadlee, John Bracewell & Martin Snedden)
#AUSvsNZ— Swamp (@sirswampthing) January 3, 2020
“There’s not enough out there for my liking for a representation of the New Zealand cricket team,” he said on commentary. “Someone needs to grab it by the scruff of the neck outside of just Tom Latham. I’m sure I’ll cop a little bit of criticism for this but you can control the attitude you bring to the game.
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“When you’re 2-0 down to Australia and things aren’t going to plan, it is a tough place, but you can control what you bring, and the attitude and intensity you bring, and I haven’t seen enough of it today to walk away and say that’s something that New Zealand have delivered there.”
McCullum, who has played with a lot of the current players, hasn’t minced words in his assessment of the Kiwis and during the previous Test even wondered aloud whether Williamson was enjoying captaincy, calling him a “reluctant leader”.
Stumps on day one! Another thoroughly dominant performance by Australia with Marnus Labuschagne leading the way with his fourth ton from five Tests.#AUSvNZ https://t.co/2tHQ7xaXFE pic.twitter.com/K7xqRpDqxx
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) January 3, 2020
He wasn’t too impressed at how New Zealand decided to rest Southee either. “He [Southee] took nine wickets in the first Test match,” McCullum said. “You replace him with Matt Henry who hasn’t set the world on fire at Test level yet, but is a tremendous talent. They’re not comparable numbers between the two.
“I’d have played both of them and left out Colin de Grandhomme who is opening the bowling. He will present the seam but he’s 120kph. It’s menacing in terms of line and length but not speed. The extra 10-15kph from Southee [would have been handy] in the most bowler-friendly conditions we’ve seen this summer.”
