Rajkot, Jan 13 (PTI) New Zealand batter Henry Nicholls on Tuesday said the limited amount of one-day international cricket played between major global tournaments has made bilateral series like the ongoing one against India “more important than ever”.
With the next 50-over World Cup still around 22 months away, questions have resurfaced over the relevance of the format and the context of such series, especially with attention shifting to next month’s T20 World Cup.
“Like you say, there’s not as much one-day cricket between major events, and I think that makes these series even more important,” Nicholls said while addressing the media ahead of New Zealand’s training session at the Niranjan Shah Stadium here.
“A few of us have been playing some List-A cricket back home, so we’ve got a bit of the format under our belt. But it’s a format we enjoy playing, so when you have these series now, they’re more important than ever with the limited amount of cricket,” he added.
Reflecting on New Zealand’s four-wicket loss in the opening ODI despite a strong showing, Nicholls said the team needs to execute well for longer periods. “From a batting point of view, we did a lot of things pretty well. It’s about being able to do them for a bit longer. Devon and I had a partnership at the top, and if one of us is able to bat for an extended period of time, it makes a difference,” he said.
“That’s always the case in one-day cricket. If you have wickets in hand and a set batter going into the last 10 or 15 overs, it really extends your options at the death,” he added.
Asked about the learnings for New Zealand’s relatively inexperienced squad from playing against stalwarts like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Nicholls said the bowlers managed to apply pressure at times. “That’s the challenge when you come here, whether you’re a young group or an experienced one, playing against players who have played so much cricket,” he said.
“Seeing it firsthand in the first game and the way the guys adapted, especially from a bowling point of view, was encouraging. If we’re able to take wickets, even as an inexperienced side, we can put teams under pressure,” he added.
Nicholls also pointed out that the use of a single ball after the 34th over makes batting more challenging in the latter stages of an innings. “We saw towards the end of our innings that the ball was much darker and softer, which makes it harder to score freely,” he said.
“That’s why the rule was introduced — to make things tougher during the death overs. It’s something to keep in mind if you’re batting first. Even if you’re on top, it might not be as easy to score at the end, so you may need to take the game on a bit earlier,” he added. PTI
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