Cricket’s mental side is the part of the game England coach Duncan Fletcher worries about most, and it is where he thinks his side has run into trouble in New Zealand

Lynn McConnell17-Feb-2002
DuncanFletcher
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Cricket’s mental side is the part of the game England coach Duncan Fletcher worries about most, and it is where he thinks his side has run into trouble in New Zealand.The side suffered a record 155-run loss to New Zealand in Wellington yesterday and Fletcher said today that there was only a period of about five overs in the middle of their innings when England competed with New Zealand.The game was not the worst he had experienced since becoming coach, there had been some in England that were equal to yesterday.”What was disappointing was that we played some good cricket in India but suddenly things didn’t work out quite right yesterday,” he said.It was always going to be tough playing any side in their home conditions but the manner of yesterday’s hiding has him concerned.”If you could get inside their brain the game would be very, very easy,” he said.While it was easy to see things that were wrong technically, it was much more difficult, in a touring situation, to know if players were being over-cooked with too much practice and play.The players had been flat but there had been no indication before the game that flatness would be a problem.In the immediate aftermath of the loss it had been one of the first times the team had sat in the dressing room for half an hour afterwards and gone through a few things in the form of analysis.He conceded the 244 New Zealand posted after being put in to bat was a very difficult total to chase.A total of 200 would have been very challenging, he said.Having been through India with the side and now on the New Zealand leg he felt the team, before it played yesterday, was the best XI England could field but it had not been a true assessment of their ability.It was possible to throw around a lot of theory but it had to be remembered New Zealand played very well.”Sometimes the opposition can make you play badly. They had a really good day yesterday. They took advantage of the first 15 overs on a relatively difficult wicket and played some good cricket.”They are a very effective unit now and have come back on a high from Australia,” he said.Fletcher did feel his bowlers could be more consistent in their disciplines.”It is all about setting a tone, you set a tone with your batting, the way you approach the first 15 overs, you set a tone with your bowling in the first 15 overs and you set a tone with how you show your energy in the field,” he said.With the World Cup in mind, England had been hoping to have a good idea of exactly where they stood in the run down to the World Cup by the end of this tour.That was why the Indian and New Zealand one-day sections had been put together.But now the pressure was still on the players to prove they were capable of contesting a World Cup by turning this tour around.Whether wicket-keeper James Foster, who was rested for yesterday’s game, would be part of that remained to be seen.He was one of several young players in the side not used to touring, the playing and travelling requirement faced by all sides. He had been lethargic and was probably on a bit of a downer so the management didn’t want to knock his confidence. Whether he was capable or not was still be found out.Owais Shah was another player given a chance and assessments of how these young players cope was an essential part of this tour.