NZ coach calls on team to move on from recent Test failures

Image
ANI Wellington [New Zealand]
Last Updated : Nov 15 2016 | 2:28 PM IST

Days after suffering a series whitewash against India, New Zealand head coach Mike Hesson has expressed confidence that his side will not dwell on their past overseas failures and stage a strong comeback in the upcoming home series.

Out of nine Test matches played in 2016, the Kane Williamson-led side have lost six and won only the two matches against Zimbabwe.

In spite of that, Hesson called on his side to move on from the recent defeats and instead aim to fall back on memories of their unbeaten streak at home between 2013 and 2015.

"I think we've won seven out of our 11 Tests at home in the last three years, with a couple of draws and a couple of losses. You do that because conditions are familiar to you, and you adapt quicker than other sides," Hesson was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

"We've been stressing the fact that we need to prepare for conditions that we're more familiar with. We've got some experience to draw on over the last three or four years. It's a matter of going through that rather than reliving India. Conditions over there were significantly different to what we're going to face over here," he added.

Kiwis' batsmen have had a particularly torrid tour of India, with none of them managing to notch up a century across three Tests. Indian spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were the one to wreak havoc on the visitors, having shared 41 wickets between them.

Hesson said that although his side failed to adapt well in the Indian conditions, they have rebounded mentally since that series.

"The conditions are here very different, so the skills that is required is different. We acknowledge that we didn't adapt as well as we needed to in India. Hence, we underachieved, especially with the bat. Here, I'm very confident the guys know the conditions," he said.

"There was a period of having to deal with dented confidence, but that was some time ago. At the time we needed to dwell on some of the areas we hadn't performed well in, and we've done that. Then we need to move on - that's the nature of international cricket. When you perform and you win easily, you don't dwell on that either. You move on," the 42-year-old added.

Hesson's comments came ahead of the two-match Test series against Pakistan, starting from Thursday at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content

*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Nov 15 2016 | 2:15 PM IST

Next Story