Cricket: Franklin’s bright end to a tough season

No one knows more than paceman James Franklin just how tough the summer's programme has been.

Pasted by the Australians, Franklin bounced back from another scatter-gun effort in the first innings at the Basin Reserve to take four wickets in the second innings and end with 21 for the home season.

His performance yesterday was particularly useful for the New Zealand cause, as he was able to remove the three biggest threats in the Sri Lankan line-up, Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.

The 24-year-old left-armer then returned with the new ball to send back Chaminda Vaas and close off New Zealand's first reputable test win in more than a year.

"To get four wickets and help win a test match is a great way to finish the summer," he said last night.

"Getting out Jayawardene and Sangakkara was pretty critical for us, but just the feeling of getting the last wicket - knowing it was the last for the summer but also a test-winning wicket - was pretty satisfying."

Franklin, who often runs hot and cold in the test arena, was feeling out of sorts and under pressure on the first day of the test, possibly because the conditions were helpful and much was riding on his shoulders.

However, he revealed yesterday that some advice from his Wellington coach, Vaughn Johnson, helped settle his nerves and set the scene for a much more efficient performance yesterday.

"I was very disappointed with my first-innings bowling, but I rang up Vaughn and he came down and worked on straightening up my run-up.

"I tried it out today and it worked. He knows my bowling better than anyone else, he can generally tell when things are going wrong and help out with ways to fix it."

New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming had given Franklin and others a dressing down for their laxity on the opening day, but said he was encouraged in the way he and fellow paceman Kyle Mills got stuck into their second innings work.

"I was disappointed with James and Kyle in the first innings," he said. "But the way James and Kyle came back on a flatter wicket, which was probably what they're more suited to, was very heartening."