Our 2008
Cricinfo are reviewing the year for each of the test-playing nations. They seem to be starting at the bottom and therefore are covering New Zealand after visiting Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.
It is not a flattering review. Our year can be summed up by the fact that our high point “came in an inconsequential limited-overs series”, with Flynn getting his teeth knocked out being “one of the enduring images of the year in New Zealand cricket”, Vettori’s fine batting was a “a sad reflection” of our top order woes and Fleming’s retirement foretelling Helen Clark’s election defeat. (It had actually occurred to me that there was a parallel between Fleming and Clark’s premature ends.)
So it was a bad yar: 6 losses in tests and 3 of our 4 wins being against Bangladesh. It also followed on from a couple of very tough years including two series played in South Africa, which more than anything caused our celebrated slide in the ranking. Getting to play England so much really helped our ODI record however.
New Zealand’s depth is so shallow, our position is constantly precarious. We are always going to have bad years coming round. 2008 was a real year of transition. The ICL and IPL have really shaken up the ranks. However, slipped in to the middle of the Cricinfo article is a mention of the successful debuts of Ryder, Southee, Flynn and McIntosh and the improved performances of Taylor and O’Brien. And of course Vettori continues to be a star. So actually, a lot of good has come out of 2008.
