|
Sir Richard Hadlee is wary of dressing room disharmony ahead of Ross Taylor's return to the NZ cricket side to face England
New Zealand's record wicket-taker Richard Hadlee has warned that factions remain inside the current team's dressing room ahead of Ross Taylor's return for England's tour.
Taylor has been recalled for the upcoming limited overs series for the first time since he was controversially dumped as Black Caps captain.
In the fall-out of his dismissal Cricket New Zealand offered a public apology for their handling of the situation before Taylor skipped the recent tour of South Africa.
The 28-year-old met with coach Mike Hesson last week in a reported attempt to broker peace, following their own dispute, and pave the way for Taylor's return.
While that has been achieved in so much that Taylor has been named to play when the three-match Twenty20 series begins on Saturday, Hadlee is unsure the divisions in a team now led by Brendon McCullum have been completely smoothed over.
"It is going to be an uneasy time," Hadlee, who took a New Zealand record 431 wickets in his 86-Test career, told reporters.
"Clearly there have been different factions, those supporting Taylor and those supporting another captain.
"The important thing for Taylor is that his head space is right, he has some form and fits back in after what is basically a sabbatical.
"In South Africa, the harmony was good ... so in my view there are testing times still to come."
Despite the public misgivings about the way Taylor's axing as captain was handled Hadlee believes the jury is still out on whether it was the right decision.
Hadlee, 61, says that Hesson, who was only appointed as coach last July, could yet be vindicated after McCullum led the Black Caps to a first ever 50-over series win in South Africa last month.
"Making the decision to replace Taylor as captain shows he has balls," he said.
"(Director of cricket) John Buchanan was very much a Taylor man. Hesson is his own man and not someone who toes the line. That is a good quality as a coach."
Asked if Hesson made the right call, he added: "That is yet to be determined.
"I guess that Hesson and the management team, having watched Taylor in the dressing room and on the field, felt that he is a defensive captain. McCullum, we know, is very positive in everything he does.
"I see a difference in the team and they seem energised under him."
NZN
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment