31 October 1998
Fleming defends leaving out Horne
The Christchurch Press
Matthew Bell's selection ahead of last season's first-class batsman
of the year, Matthew Horne, in the Black Caps one-day cricket team
for the World Cup knock-out tournament was a form-based decision said
skipper Stephen Fleming.
Fleming said there was a desire among the tour selectors, Steve Rixon
(coach), Simon Doull, and Fleming himself to give the inexperienced
Bell, 21, an opportunity at top level.
Horne hardly featured on the just concluded visit to Australia and
Bangladesh, having only one innings where he reached 80 in an
inter-team scrimmage in Sydney. Fleming said Horne was sick early on
in Dhaka.
Fleming, who returned home yesterday with the team from Bangladesh,
said Bell was preferred after Horne had a disappointing run of scores
at the Commonwealth Games.
"We wanted to give Matt Bell a go and you have to give a player a few
chances to prove himself. Matt Horne didn't have a great run of form
at the Games."
The move appeared to run contrary to selection panel convener's Ross
Dykes's desire that Horne was picked as first-choice pairing with
Nathan Astle.
Last season, Horne won the Redpath Cup averaging 53 for the
first-class season. His one-day returns were fewer, averaging just
15.72 last season from 19 one-day internationals. Llorne Howell was
the preferred partner for Astle for much of the season, Horne batting
down the order.
Fleming said the team was not happy to be home early after its first
round elimination by Sri Lanka in the event after its qualifying
match win against Zimbabwe.
"Obviously, we wanted to go further, but it was a pretty lacklustre
batting effort against Sri Lanka.
"I thought our bowling and fielding was reasonable, but we didn't get
enough runs."
Subsequent matches have shown that scores approaching 300 have been
required to win matches on the splendid batting strips.
Fleming said he had been a little sceptical about the competition
before the outset, but now felt it was an exciting tournament which
had a future. The International Cricket Council is likely to schedule
it on an alternate cycle to the World Cup.
Fleming said being without the injured Chris Cairns affected the
team's balance, while Howell should provide another opening batting
option in the one-day arena when fit again.
Fleming is now looking ahead to the domestic season, starting next
weekend with Cricket Max, then Conference Cricket before New Zealand
hosts India and South Africa.
"It will be nice to be playing in our conditions for a change."
Fleming will be one of several Black Caps to be playing their maiden
Max matches for Canterbury in a friendly game against Otago at Timaru
tomorrow.
Canterbury will be at full strength, but Otago will be without
national representatives Horne and Paul Wiseman. Both teams are
playing 13-a-side.
Teams
Canterbury: Llorne Howell (c), Nathan Astle, Craig McMillan,
Stephen Fleming, Chris Harris, Chris Cairns, Ben Yock, Mark Hastings,
Hamish Barton, Shane Bond, Geoff Allott, Darron Reekers, Warren
Wisneski.
Otago: Robert Lawson (c), Chris Gaffaney, Mark Richardson,
Stephen Mather, Andrew Hore, Graeme Greene, Mark Billcliff, Karl
O'Dowda, Rhiane Smith, Martyn Croy, Aaron Gale, Glenn Jonas, Shayne
O'Connor.
Source :: The Christchurch Press (https://www.press.co.nz/)