Although the treatment of Ross Taylor was beyond poor, and yes we all admit that, New Zealand cricket cannot sit there and feel sorry for themselves any longer otherwise we will continue to get trounced by top tier nations, such as has happened in South Africa.
What Needs To Happen Inside and Outside The Team..
Ross Taylor:
He needs to come back. Simple. Yes he was treated very badly by NZC but Brendon McCullum is the captain now. Ross Taylor can't change that, but what he can change or at least have an impact on, are the teams on field performances. He has to return for the England series, by the time they show up on our doorstep Taylor will have had 3 months away from the game to get himself sorted. I believe that if he chooses not to front up for the England series then he should consider himself dropped from the team and he should have to fully earn his re selection, like every other player in New Zealand.
Martin Guptill:
He needs to start making runs at test level, or the BlackCaps need to pick a new opener. Again, simple. A top score of 13 from his last six test innings is simply unacceptable for any batter, let alone an opener! The fact that he makes big runs in the shorter form of the game cannot justify him remaining in the side at test level. He is no longer a threat to opponents, because they know how to get him out and get him out early! If I was Mike Hesson, I would seriously have my eye out for a new opener.
Team Changing:
Our test team needs to stop changing so often! Look at the top ranked nations and how consistent they are with their selections. That's why they do so well! The BlackCaps however reckon it's pretty reasonable to change the test team every single tour that comes their way and expect partnerships and combinations to form and the team to succeed. We need to consistently keep our team the same, with the exception of injuries of course, and build them up to be able to take on any team. This of course is with exception of particularly bad form i.e Martin Guptill.
A tougher side will start resulting in a better side. We need to start making tougher selection choices, we need to stop wrapping Ross Taylor in bubble wrap and tell him to hurry up and return to the side. He's not getting the captaincy back, so get over it and get on with the job. That's the harsh reality of it. Yes he was treated incredibly badly, everyone admits that, but what's done is done. Surely time to move on?? Surely given the BlackCaps recent run of results, he'll want to get back in the side just as quickly as New Zealand does?
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