Cricket: First over crucial for Tuffey

By RICHARD BOOCK

AHMEDABAD - One of the bugs that Daryl Tuffey wouldn't mind catching is the first-over-itis that underpinned his success last year.

The tall Northern Districts seamer has fond memories of the previous series against India in New Zealand, when he made a habit of snaring a wicket in his first over, the five early strikes bringing his total of first-over dismissals to 18.

Far from treating the early breakthroughs as a fluke, last season's New Zealand Cricketer of the Year is hoping to build further on the success, and says he now better appreciates the advantages held by the bowler in the early stanzas.

"I really use it to my advantage now," Tuffey said.

"I've talked to Mark Richardson and Nathan Astle about it and the message has been that opening batsmen like to be able to shoulder arms a couple of times, maybe turn one off their hip to get off the mark.

"They like time to adjust to the pace of the wicket and see what's going on.

"So I try to be on the button from the first ball and make sure I force the batsman to play everything, especially in that first over when they're more vulnerable."

New Zealand's most experienced paceman in the test squad, Tuffey said it was important to be able to adjust to the different conditions in India, whether it was the challenges of generating bounce or the unusual local ball.

Unlike the English Duke or the Australian Kookaburra, the Indian brand looks shinier at the start, but loses its lacquer faster, scuffs up more quickly and is likely to start reversing earlier rather than later.

As for the pitches, the Indian campaign for more pace and bounce does not seem to have reached Ahmedabad yet - if the strip for today's first test is any indication.

Possibly Tuffey's biggest obstacle will be making inroads against a world-class batting line-up in unsympathetic conditions, particularly given his less-than-impressive record when away from the seam-friendly home pitches.

On this occasion, the statistics do tell a story: Tuffey has been extraordinary at home, taking 38 wickets in seven tests at 19.05 - including a six-wicket bag against England.

Outside New Zealand, however, he has struggled, taking nine wickets in seven matches at 59.77. He was aware of the disparity, but believed he was learning to bowl more effectively in foreign conditions.

"It was good having that success against India last summer. You know in the back of your mind that you've competed well against them before, albeit in our own backyard, and I'm looking forward to proving myself in their conditions.

"They've been mentioning revenge, but I don't think it's going to turn out that way. I think it's going to be a tight scrap. We adjusted better at home than they did, and now it's up to us to adjust again."