It was only through some later fight from Dean Brownlie and Daniel Vettori that a respectable total was posted in the first innings, while the second effort of 150 was especially disappointing. The backup batsman in the squad is BJ Watling but he is unlikely to come in to the mix for the Bellerive Test, which starts on Friday.
"The batting line-up that we chose in the last Test deserves that opportunity [to redeem themselves] but we’re all on notice," Wright said at the Allan Border Field. New Zealand trained at the venue on what should have been the fifth day of the Test on Monday, following their nine-wicket loss to Michael Clarke’s Australians.
It was not only the lack of runs that was disappointing for New Zealand but also the way key batsmen departed. Jesse Ryder’s dismissal in the second innings, when he lifted Nathan Lyon limply to mid-off, was woeful, and he was one of several culprits who succumbed to poor judgment in the first innings as well. "What I’m looking for is substance in out batters, the ability to bat for a long time and sell your wicket dearly. All these players are talented, they can play shots, but we need to value spending time at the wicket," Wright said. "One of the main problems in the last match was that we didn’t look like we knew where the off-stump was.
"The young debutant [James Pattinson] bowled well - he had five wickets by the third or fourth over [he bowled on the last day], so it happened rather quickly - but he’s the same bowler we played in the lead-up match and played [him] quite well, so it can be fixed. That’s what we’re trying to do in the next three days.
"There are signs that if we can put runs on the board and catch accurately we can put Australia under a lot of pressure."
It is a worrying theme for Wright, who took over as coach at the end of last year. In his first Test in charge, New Zealand collapsed for 110 against Pakistan and last month they were 36 for 3 against Zimbabwe. There might not be any changes for the next match, but Wright and his fellow selector Kim Littlejohn cannot tolerate such poor starts for long.
"This is only my fourth Test with the group," Wright said. "We haven’t played a lot of Test cricket. You need to look at the way we play Test cricket and the kind of player we need particularly in the batting department, and the approach you need to take to Test cricket to be successful.
"It is the third top-order collapse in the four matches we’ve played, and to be honest Zimbabwe were a far weaker opposition. In the two Tests against Pakistan and here in Australia our top order haven’t delivered. We need to sort that out with players of substance, players who have the technique and the determination. In Test cricket unless you can bat four sessions consistently, every time you go to the wicket you’re going to be punished."
It was that inability to stay with the Australians that cost New Zealand in Brisbane, where they spent the first two days on a reasonably level footing. Wright said the bowlers had played their part, but had been let down by poor catching and a lack of runs to work with.
"We need to go to Bellerive, we need to bat and catch, we need to see vast improvement in those areas particularly," he said. "I think we have the bowling attack, if we catch accurately, to put Australia under pressure provided we have enough runs." (ONLINE NEWS PK)
