Cricket: Selections a farce from the start

By RICHARD BOOCK

If that was really the best New Zealand one-day side, then it was also the country's most shambolic World Cup campaign, featuring a selection panel that came straight from the Sybil school of multiple personalities.

Only a week after being lauded as the "best ever" by chairman of selectors Sir Richard Hadlee, the New Zealand team were reflecting on one of the country's worst tournament records, on a par with the mediocre efforts of 1983 and 1987.

The richest irony was that Hadlee should have bestowed such a compliment on his own side, given New Zealand were hamstrung by a series of witless selections - which left the batting line-up and bowling attack in constant flux.

Much had been made of the selectors' three-year plan for this tournament, but the reality was that the side might have been better selected from a hat - at least then there would have been a slender chance of getting it right.

As it was, the selectors proved immoveable on key issues until it was too late, and then fell headlong into the trap of being reactive, adding to the panic and anxiety which undermined the latter stages of New Zealand's campaign

If this was representative of the new initiative to have the panel's chairman operating on tour, then the sooner New Zealand Cricket fit an ankle bracelet to Hadlee and place him on home detention the better.

For starters, there was the tournament-deciding lapse over the credentials of Daryl Tuffey - who emerged from the home series as the international player of the summer, and ended the season as New Zealand's most wasted commodity.

Having proved both expensive and seriously unlucky in the first match against Sri Lanka, Tuffey was tossed on the scrap-heap for more than a month before being re-introduced on Friday night - on the best batting pitch in South Africa and against the most formidable opposition.

Hadlee's explanation - that specialist bowlers had to be able to bowl their full allotment of overs to gain selection - proved a complete nonsense as the tournament progressed in that he seemed to have different criteria for different players.

Fair enough, Tuffey might not have been in vintage touch against Sri Lanka.

But the fact was that Hadlee's panel persevered with so-called multi-skilled players despite the fact they were hopelessly out of form in their main discipline.

This was never more evident than in the charmed run of Andre Adams, who deteriorated game by game, but kept getting picked ahead of Tuffey on the basis that he could bat a little.

It wasn't until Adams hit the selectors square between the eyes with his effort at Port Elizabeth, bowling a double-bouncer and a beamer in the same spell, that they seemed to appreciate the need for a change and thought again about their options.

Trouble was, by that stage the horse had not so much bolted as disappeared into the sunset.

But if Tuffey's continued absence was mystifying, the decision to omit Daniel Vettori from the team to play Sri Lanka was unfathomable, particularly as the opposition spinners had enjoyed a field day at Goodyear Park during the previous week.

As for the batting line-up, this was another area where Hadlee's panel wavered, leaving New Zealand to fly by the seat of their pants at the most crucial time of the tournament.

Having fiercely defended the decision against bringing over specialist opener Chris Nevin, the selectors then proceeded to launch experiment after experiment at the top of the order, often sacking players after a single failure.

There was the case of Craig McMillan being asked to open for the first time in his life, performing moderately well and then being dropped for Lou Vincent - who was discarded after returning for one game.

Then there was the move to open with left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, a curious decision considering Hadlee almost spontaneously combusted after former coach David Trist attempted the same experiment in 2000-2001.

If there was one constant in the New Zealand team during most of their campaign, it was the atmosphere of tension and anxiety.

While some individuals were still able to shine, there was little sign of collective poise.

But, given the destabilising influence of the selections, it was hardly surprising.

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