Taumaunu's risk-taking all part of being coach

Silver Ferns coach Waimarama Taumaunu. Photo / Richard Robinson

Top coaches would relate to Wai Taumaunu's dilemma when it came to choosing her world championship Silver Ferns squad this month.

Taumaunu had a problem as she settled on her 12 players to try and stop an almost two-year rot against world champions Australia when the world champs start in Sydney on August 7.

Did she stick with the players who might be the best on paper or, having discovered that blend is not working in terms of kick-starting the W column against the Aussies, should she take a punt?

Australia have won the last nine clashes between the countries. New Zealand's most recent victory was in Invercargill in September 2013.

What to do.

So Taumaunu juggled the deckchairs, ditching experienced players Liana Leota and Joline Henry in favour of Kayla Cullen and specialist circle defender Phoenix Karaka, in case of mishap to either of the first choice tall timber veterans, Leana de Bruin or captain Casey Kopua; and brought in promising Malia Paseka as goal shoot for the seasoned Cathrine Latu.

Taumaunu had found herself in a hole. Whether it comes off remains to be seen, but she swallowed hard and took a bold initiative.

The easy win over Fiji this week and the two internationals against Southg Africa in the next four days will give Taumaunu and her staff an early idea if she's on the right track. It won't compare, of course, with facing Australia, England or Jamaica next month.

It is a situation with which many coaches — or in the case of Kevin Pietersen, administrators — would be familiar.

England won the first Ashes test handsomely at Cardiff; then got a flogging at Lord's. From a horizontal position on a Miami beach, Pietersen's fingers got working.

"Deep in thought right now ... ridiculous that I'm lying on a beach when I should be in UK prepping for the 3rd Test! So silly really!" he wrote.

And again, in case he was misunderstood: "So, so, so, so silly."

There's an argument that Pietersen, armed with 23 test hundreds, four against Australia, is the one batsman the Aussies might fret over, although that's not an emotion they're greatly familiar with.

Point is, Pietersen is not trusted, in the words of the England and Wales Cricket Board.

He soiled relationships when last in the dressing room and so he has been terminated, and his card marked NTR — Never To Return.

The public want him back; England can't do worse with him. So what if coach Trevor Bayliss goes to the hierarchy and says "fellas, we need the tall guy"?.

Being an Australian, he might well be told to get on with his job and leave the sticky stuff to his paymasters.

Tough decisions are made all the time. Coaches stand or fall by them. That's the deal, unfair as it sometimes is.

Taumaunu bit the bullet and will hope her move, at the least, sheds fresh light on how to topple the seemingly unstoppable Aussies.