Cricket: Time to tweak line up?

Bringing in Daniel Vettori a little earlier to inject him into the powerplay or introducing Nathan McCullum "to take them out of their comfort zone" were options. Photo / NZME.

Keeping the Black Caps' starting XI in the ICC World Cup has its merits but tweaking the line up before the playoffs is an equally compelling argument.

"It's important not to be setting up that same sort of pattern with the same old bowlers because you'll find, as you're getting into the tournament, good teams will start looking at the way the Black Caps are playing in regards to tactics," former New Zealand international Mathew Sinclair said yesterday.

"It might be a good time to mix up the bowlers to keep them guessing," Sinclair, of Napier, said before New Zealand host minnows Afghanistan at McLean Park, Napier, on Sunday.

With four games and as many wins, the Mike Hesson-coached side have stuck with the same 11 players in the premier limited-overs tournament.

Sinclair agreed the Black Caps' "consistency and momentum" were vital factors.

"You want to keep the winning habit going with the balance and style of the players.

"Yes, it can be quite frustrating carrying the drinks all the time but there's still the nostalgia of still being part of the team in the World Cup in the Black Caps environment," said the 39-year-old of the "sub fielders" Kyle Mills, Nathan McCullum, Mitchell McClenaghan and Tom Latham in the squad of 15.

If anyone knows what it must feel like to run out the snake lollies during an ICC World Cup it's Sinclair.

"I got my one chance to play [Bangladesh with Nathan Astle ruled out at No3 with an injury] and I was batting at No7," he said of the 2003 campaign in South Africa, where he was part of the 14-member squad. Stephen Fleming was captain of a side that included incumbents, skipper Brendon McCullum, Mills and Daniel Vettori. Current batting coach Craig McMillan was also at Kimberley.

"We chased down a low score and I was the next to bat [and] Stephen Fleming said to Andre Adams, 'you're up next'.

"So I really never got the opportunity to prove myself," he said. The entire tournament became a waiting game to find out when his turn was going to be amid the humdrum of a routine tour existence.

"If you're not getting consistent play it's a lot different from just training all the time."

Rotating bowlers on Sunday could be an option because some of them "need to freshen up in their own minds".

If McCullum's men were carrying niggles or minor injuries, then it's imperative to change the starting XI.

With the quarterfinals looming it must be satisfying for the New Zealanders to have struck a balance but, at the same time, they need to be careful about not giving away all their trade secrets.

Bringing in Vettori a little earlier to inject him into the powerplay or introducing Nathan McCullum "to take them out of their comfort zone" were options. "Spin bowling is like most things. They need consistency and the confidence to put the ball where they want to so it's all about execution because all it takes is for a spinner to go for one over and it'll be hard to come back," he said.

While it was a godsend to have Vettori, Tim Southee and Trent Boult doing the job, Sinclair said it was equally significant Adam Milne and Corey Anderson got into the act.

"Milne just needs more overs ... alongside other quality bowlers. He needs to be gaining that confidence that when he's up against quality opposition that he'll be able to put the ball in good areas so he needs to be playing as many games as he can," he said.