BLACKCAPS coach Mike Hesson says he has two goals for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Firstly he’d like to win the two One-Day International series and secondly see some of his players further evolved in terms of being “solid international cricketers”.
“If we can achieve both of those things then we will have had a good tour,” said Hesson on the afternoon of the BLACKCAPS' departure for Africa.
The coach, who earlier this year was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for Service to Cricket, admitted the 2-3 ODI Series loss to England in June grated him because he felt like they lost the key moments.
“There were a couple of times when we had the game by the scruff of the neck and we let that slip. We were very disappointed with that. We also exposed some young guys at key times and they will be better off for that.”
That development will continue over the tour which includes three One-Day Internationals and a T20 against Zimbabwe and three One-Day Internationals and two T20s against South Africa.
Hesson said they have a lot of young players that they are introducing to the BLACKCAPS environment with an eye to building to the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2019.
“Two years ago we did the same with Corey Anderson, James Neesham and Mitch McClenaghan that was their first tour,” he said.
“In this group we have guys like George Worker and Ben Wheeler who are trying to make their way in international cricket. If we are looking ahead to four years’ time and the next World Cup this is the perfect opportunity to start that [development].”
That same sentiment applies to the leadership opportunities for Kane Williamson. The world-class No.3 is skipper for the tour in place of the rested Brendon McCullum and it’s a chance that he is very much looking forward to.
Hesson is confident the captaincy will not affect his batting and that the BLACKCAPS will not change their attacking style which has served them so well.
“We can only make our judgement based on history and last year in the UAE Kane scored a huge amount of runs and he evolved as a leader throughout the tour. This is another opportunity to continue his development.
“They are [different characters Brendon and Kane] but Kane is a senior player that has a say in the way we play the game. We don’t all revolve around one person. Brendon obviously makes all of the decisions on the field but there are a number of players who play a part in that.”
Hesson said it was a good opportunity for McClenaghan to step up and lead the bowling group in the absence of Tim Southee and Trent Boult.
“Mitch is a senior player on this tour. He had a very good tour here last time, it was his first one and they didn’t know a lot about him. He has got some confidence from the county scene recently and I know he is really keen to get over there.”
Hesson acknowledged that this tour to Africa is an important one for Adam Milne who suffered a heel injury that ruled him out of the final stages of the Cricket World Cup, the IPL and the England Tour.
“Anyone who bowls at 150km per hour puts a lot of stress on the body and is going to struggle to stay on the park all the time,” said Hesson. “We accept that. That is what we want to see from Adam. He has worked extremely hard to get back. He has had some tough times with an injury that has lingered but he is feeling good. The key for us is to not go too hard too soon with him.”
The same could apply to Worker who is hoping to make his debut for the BLACKCAPS after Mitchell Santner was ruled out of the tour with a fractured thumb.
Hesson wasn’t surprised that Worker, a former NZ U19 captain, had taken his time to breakthrough into the BLACKCAPS at the age of 25.
“Everyone matures a little differently whether that be from a cricket point of view or a life point of view. Some guys peak early and then need a break. George has done the hard yards and deserves his opportunity through performance.”
Hesson won’t be taking anything for granted against Zimbabwe who has enjoyed recent success against India. He expected conditions to be tough, especially batting first with the earlier 9am starts.
They are looking forward to taking on South Africa who will be looking for revenge after the unforgettable semi-final during the World Cup at Eden Park. But first they will look to overcome a determined Zimbabwe outfit.
“Yeah I am sure there will be a little bit of that, but that is a month’s away and we have to get over Zimbabwe first.”