Border smooths ruffled Kiwi feathers

Press, 14 February 1986, Page 32

Border smooths ruffled Kiwi feathers

PA Auckland The Australian cricket captain, Allan Border, spent his first few minutes in New Zealand yesterday smoothing ruffled Kiwi feathers. At a press conference Border was asked whether an interview he gave immediately before leaving Sydney had contained the comment that Australia losing a test series was bad, but to lose to New Zealand was much worse. ' It is believed that Border said he did not mind losing a lest series

to a better side, but did not rate New Zealand — who won the test rubber, 2-1, before Christmas — better than Australia. “I cannot remember exactly what I said, but I did not run down the New Zealand side,” said Border. “I intended to imply that I felt we had as good a side as New Zealand; we lost to New Zealand, and that was a situation I thought we should put right on this tour. “This doesn’t mean I don’t rate New Zealand. They have a very good side. They beat us and

you can’t knock that sort of performance. “Now we haye got a side with an excellent chance of beating New Zealand. Perhaps my comments in Sydney did not come out exactly as they sounded on radio.”

Australia was now considerably stronger than it had been when it lost to New Zealand, Border said.

“We have a more stabilised opening batting pair now; they did well in the one-dayers and I feel sure they will adjust to test cricket The batting of Greg

Matthews and Stephen Waugh is giving our team a new dimension.

“Playing conditions in New Zealand could be a problem, as the pitches give a lower, slower type of bounce, whereas Australian batsmen would prefer the ball coming on to the bat.” Border sees Richard Hadlee as the Australians’ main problem.

“He is the one man we have to overcome. If we do that we will be well on our way to what we want to achieve. “We want to win the series. One-nil to us will

be fine. We are very determined about this.” The Australians, who will start their tour with a one-day match against Auckland tomorrow, will train at Eden Park today. • The New Zealand vice-captain, John Wright, axed from the last one-day match at Launceston 12 days ago, is eager to regain his place for the first test against Australia, starting next Friday.

“I’m training hard and hope I can make the side,” said Wright yesterday.

The national selectors,

Frank Cameron, Don Neely and John Guy, will name their first test team today. The one-day tour selectors, of which Wright was one, made a majority decision to leave him out of % the Launceston game, despite having scored 131 runs in his last four games at a 58.7 strike rate.

He ironically took the field at Launceston as a non-playing captain, substituting for Jeremy Coney who was laid out with a migraine headache. “Test cricket is dif-

ferent from one-day games and it’s all about occupying the crease,” said Wright yesterday. Australia will be tougher opposition: “They are better organised now,” he said, “than the pre-Christmas series when New Zealand registered its first test series win on Australian soil.” The New Zealand selectors may still ponder over the batting skills of Otago’s Ken Rutherford, 639 Shell Trophy runs at 53.25, to open with Wellington’s Bruce Edgar. Rutherford’s deliberate

batting approach might serve to frustrate the Australians and may. be given a chance in the four one-dayers next month. However, it could be folly in the tests to slip Wright down at No. 4 and open with the 20-year-old Rutherford, who failed in all seven test innings against the West Indies last year. “I wouldn’t have thought I would really be considered as a middleorder bat,” said Wright “I don’t mind where I bat as long as I’m picked in the side.”