IND vs NZ 2021: Hell Of A Compliment To Tim Southee And Kyle Jamieson That NZ Is Still In The Match - Ian Smith

Former New Zealand cricketer Ian Smith criticized the spin bowling department of the Kiwis and lavishly praised the pace duo of Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson for virtually keeping their team alive in the match.

On Indian pitches, the Kiwis were relying on their spin-trio of Ajaz Patel, William Sommerville, and Rachin Ravindra to deliver. However, it was the pacers who did the bulk of the work with the ball. Southee and Jamieson picked up a combined 14 out of the 17 Indian wickets that fell in the first Test.

“Surviving today is temporarily sealing the cracks. We have to get more revolutions on the ball and stop hiding in the grass. It’s so lopsided in their favor it’s not funny. Just as it is for the quicks when we host teams here.”

“Unfortunately, though for us, that is now coming to our detriment in the subcontinent, and we’ll always do so unless we learn to play it better. It’s a hell of a compliment to Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson that we’re actually still playing this Test match. Our three spinners bowled 102 overs. For India, 10 out of the 11 scalps they’ve got so far are to spin,” Smith was quoted as saying on Mornings with Ian Smith on SENZ.

We have to learn to bowl spin better – Ian Smith

Ian Smith further asserted the need to prepare tracks that aid spin at home. He also implied that the management and selectors need to invest more time in finding and grooming spinners who can win them games in sub-continental conditions.

“The greatest of the tweakers, Shane Warne, marveled at our success in winning the World Test Championship final but without having [or] using a spinner. He did say it was somewhat disappointing and a poor reflection. He’s a tad bias to spin, we know that, but we need to shift ours a little bit more in that direction.”

“We have to learn to bowl it better, and when we do, we’ll learn how to play it better. It might be time to invest in some full-time overseas coaching or maybe discover a Devon Conway type who can turn it square,” Smith added.

New Zealand stayed in the game on Day 5, and at Lunch, they were 79/1, needing 205 runs more to script a remarkable win.

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