WELLINGTON, (Reuters) – All Blacks coach Steve Hansen once quipped that it was probably better to “flush the dunny (toilet) and move on” after a poor performance against Italy in 2009 and his cricket counterpart Mike Hesson expressed similar thoughts yesterday.
Hesson’s team were comprehensively outplayed by South Africa in the third one-day international at Wellington Regional Stadium on Saturday as they were bundled out for 112 and lost the match by 159 runs.
The victory gave the Proteas a 2-1 lead in the five-match series and Hesson’s side face a must-win game in Hamilton on Saturday.
“We have to move on pretty quick. We can’t let a performance like that affect how we prepare for the next one,” Hesson told reporters yesterday. “South Africa … were excellent. They challenged us and we didn’t respond.”
Hesson at least has the services of Martin Guptill at Seddon Park after the opening batsman missed the first three games with a hamstring injury.
Guptill’s return creates something of a selection conundrum for Hesson, with Tom Latham likely to relinquish the gloves to specialist wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi for the rest of the series.
Even though he has proved more than capable behind the stumps, Latham has scores of 0, 2, 0, 0, 7 and 4 in his past six ODIs and Guptill is likely to open with Dean Brownlie in Hamilton.
“There’s no doubt Tom has struggled the last little while,” Hesson said. “He’s come off a great series in India where he was our best player and he hasn’t quite reached those heights yet.”
Hesson also brought back off-spinner Jeetan Patel with the pitch likely to offer turn in Hamilton while pace bowler Matt Henry has been released to play a first-class match with an eye to the test series that starts in Dunedin on March 8.
