Cricket: Richardson spins out but wins a test bat

By RICHARD BOOCK

Mark Richardson completed one of the most startling transformations in the history of New Zealand cricket yesterday when he was named in the test squad to tour Zimbabwe.

Initially a promising spin-bowler, the 29-year-old former Aucklander quit the game in the mid-1990s. He reinvented himself as a batsman and has now been called on to open the batting for his country.

As the champagne corks popped in Dunedin last night, the Otago lefthander said he was still coming to terms with his elevation, which followed strong form in the Shell Series and a stand-out performance on New Zealand A's recent tour of England.

"The hardest thing was that I knew," he said last night. "I was told in advance and had to keep it under my hat, which I found pretty hard.

"Now that everything's been announced, I'm just completely stoked and excited. But I do find myself thinking back over my career and wondering, 'how did this all happen'."

The man who once said he "just woke up one morning and couldn't bowl," took the season off after a slump in 1993-94 and, while surfing Dunedin's beaches with the likes of former All Black John Timu, decided to try his hand with the bat.

He becomes the third ex-Auckland Otago player after Paul Wiseman and Matt Horne to win selection in the current test squad, and one of New Zealand's oldest specialist batsmen to be introduced to the ranks of international cricket.

Bryan Young was 29 when he made his test debut in the 1993-94 summer, Rod Latham was 30 when he walked out to bat in 1991-92, David White was 29 in 1990-91 and Bert Vance was 31 in 1987-88. Andrew Jones, a celebrated late bloomer, was 27 on debut.

"Age has treated me well," Richardson said. "As I've got older I've got my head around the game, and I've started to feel quite comfortable about facing the different challenges and pressures.

"I don't feel old. My game's only just come together and from what I've seen, New Zealanders tend to be late developers.

"Cricket's a mental game and maturity counts for a lot. I reckon I'll still be peaking when I'm 32."

Richardson celebrated his selection with close friends, including fiancee Janine Campbell, daughter of former Otago and New Zealand cricketer Keith Campbell.

Along with Richardson's inclusion, the features of the test squad were the promotion of New Zealand A skipper Scott Styris, the retention of young paceman Daryl Tuffey and the hopeful selection of the injured Dion Nash - subject to a fitness test.

New selector Brian McKechnie said the panel viewed Styris as a potential test bowler-cum-useful lower-order batsman, who could possibly provide some much-needed cover for a player like Nash.

"Scott bowled one extremely good spell in England in front of (convener) Sir Richard Hadlee, and proved that he could be a force at the bowling crease," said McKechnie.

"We're hopeful that he can build on that."

On the one-day scene, there has been slightly more movement, with Tuffey included for the first time and World Cup star Geoff Allott back in the fold and hopeful of becoming the quickest New Zealander to take 50 one-day international wickets.

The left-arm paceman has so far taken 43 in 22 matches, and is on track to overtake Chris Pringle's mark of 50 wickets in 33 ODIs.

The news was not so good for test batsmen Mathew Sinclair and Craig Spearman, both of whom were dropped from the one-day squad following lean form last summer.

Test squad: Stephen Fleming (capt), Mark Richardson (Otago), Matthew Horne (Otago), Mathew Sinclair (Central Districts), Craig Spearman (Central Districts), Nathan Astle (Canterbury), Craig McMillan (Canterbury), Chris Cairns (Canterbury), Adam Parore (Auckland), Dion Nash (Auckland), Daniel Vettori (Northern Districts), Scott Styris (Northern Districts), Paul Wiseman (Otago), Shayne O'Connor (Otago) and Daryl Tuffey (Northern Districts).

ODI squad: Fleming (capt), Astle, Chris Nevin (Wellington), Roger Twose (Wellington), McMillan, Cairns, Chris Harris (Canterbury), Vettori, Styris, Wiseman, O'Connor, Geoff Allott (Canterbury) and Tuffey.