South Canterbury cricket coach Bruce Carlaw admits he is in a “Catch-22 situation” on just how to solve South Canterbury’s batting woes.
He watched his side get rolled for just 109 in their pre-season one-day match against Christchurch Suburban yesterday, which they lost by seven wickets.
Carlaw admitted the Christchurch pitch was damp after water got underneath the covers from the wet weather during the weekend, but he believed his players did not show the application needed to bat in the tricky conditions.
“It [the pitch] was very two-paced and we found it hard to adjust. There were a lot of dismissals in front of the wicket which shows just how slow it was.”
Seven South Canterbury batsmen made 0.
Carlaw said he was not sure how to get his batsmen into form.
“It’s clear they are not spending enough time at the crease, and the bowling they are facing is not putting them under pressure to score runs.
“They are not facing decent bowling at home and it is making the step-up to the next level, very challenging.
“That’s the catch-22. Short of putting a South Canterbury team in the Christchurch competition, there are not too many options right now.”
Carlaw said the blame for the low total against Christchurch Suburban was “50-50” on the batsmen and the pitch.
After losing the crucial toss, English import Ed Kilbee made 47, while Craig Davies chipped-in with 17 and Dan Laming managed 15.
Christchurch Suburban had little trouble chasing down the total, with only the left-arm fast bowling of Tahir Afridi causing them trouble.
He took 3 for 26 off 10 overs.
It is likely only one of either Kilbee or Afridi will be allowed to play Hawke Cup cricket, with sides likely to only be allowed one overseas player in their team.
Carlaw said the pair were both making strong claims for the role.
Timaru Boys’ High School’s Michael Hogan was in the side yesterday, as Carlaw, assistant Robin Beeby and team manager John Davies look for new talent.
Carlaw said he wanted to see commitment from players, something which he had not seen from Celtic’s injury-prone paceman Glenn Matthews or wicket-keeper Willie Wright so far this season, which had played a part in the duo being on the outer.