Cricket: Tips from one in know for Richardson

By ROCHARD BOOCK

JOHANNESBURG - Former South African test captain Kepler Wessels has been playing his part in one of New Zealand cricket's most extraordinary player transformations.

The 34-year-old Wessels, who played 24 tests for Australia and 16 for his home country, South Africa, has been spending some time during this tour discussing tactics with New Zealand's greatest discovery of the year, opening batsman Mark Richardson.

At a time New Zealand's top-order batting has been about as reliable as the Johannesburg weather, Richardson has emerged from one of world cricket's most daunting assignments with an enhanced reputation, and in the process has cemented his place in the test side.

If the weather has the final say in the third test at the Wanderers and New Zealand are not required to bat again, Richardson will finish the series as the side's highest run-scorer with 232 runs at 46.40, comfortably ahead of Mathew Sinclair, who after the first innings had collected 212 at 42.40.

The story of Richardson, a promising young spinner who reinvented himself as batsman, has captivated the South African media during the tour, particularly as he has followed up his 99 against Zimbabwe at Harare with some solid form against the likes of Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini.

Wessels, who was a grafting, left-handed opener like Richardson, captained Eastern Province at the time David Trist was coach at Port Elizabeth, and was well-known for his economy and efficiency at the crease, not to mention his difficulty in expressing praise, or being complimentary when off the field.

However, he has apparently recognised similar resolve to his own in Richardson's game-plan, and rates the New Zealander a decent chance of becoming a top-performing test opening batsman.

"I'm a bit of a grafter and I hear he was, too," Richardson said yesterday. "He's been a great person to talk to because he knows the opening game like the back of his hand, and he knows how to go about scoring runs at this level."

Wessels, who averaged 41 in test cricket while scoring six centuries and 15 half-centuries, also emphasised the need for the 29-year-old Richardson to work hard at his fitness in order to retain his reflexes - so important for a test opening batsman.

Richardson has strung together scores of 23, 77, 26, 60 and 46 so far in this series, and, while frustrated at his inability to post a genuinely meaningful total, has taken a lot of confidence from his performance and now believes in himself at the highest level.

"Looking back, there's no question in my mind that I'm good enough to make the grade at test level, and that's probably been the biggest development for me on this tour," he said.

"One of my goals on this tour was to become the team's No 1 opener and I guess I've done that, but I'm also very disappointed I haven't been able to convert my starts into really big scores."

The former Aucklander seems to have been pigeon-holed as an ordinary fieldsman, despite his sound catching record for Otago.

He has attempted to specialise under the helmet at short square leg, but ,although taking a couple of excellent catches close in off the spinners, he struggles when the pacemen are operating and has been suffering from the usual back problems at the end of the day's play.

He said: "One of the things Kepler told me was that I would have to work extra hard to stay in shape and to keep my reflexes, which were the first things to go as you got older.

"At 29, I feel like I should have another five years at the top, but I know I'll have to work hard physically if I want to stay in the game."