Colombo, Feb 21 (.) New Zealand batter Mark Chapman said his side is aware of the spin threat posed by Pakistan ahead of their Super Eight clash in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on Saturday.
Speaking during a press conference on the eve of the match, Chapman pointed to the challenge of facing Pakistan’s spin attack, including Usman Tariq, according to ICC.
“I mean, obviously, Usman Tariq has a pretty unique action with the way that he stops at the crease, so I mean that’s something to factor in. Pakistan have a number of really good spinners on their side, so each of them poses their own threat,” Chapman said.
He added that New Zealand are familiar with Pakistan’s strengths, having faced them regularly in recent years.
“Pakistan’s one of the teams that we’ve played probably the most frequently over the last few years. So we’re well aware of what they’re going to bring. So for us, it’s just about making sure we’re really clear in the way that we want to play as a team,” he said.
Chapman also provided an update on the availability of skipper Mitchell Santner and pacer Lockie Ferguson.
“Santner looks pretty sprightly, so I think he’s pretty excited to get back on the park. Barring any last-minute sickness, I think he’ll be there. Obviously, Lockie has left us. I think he’s currently on the way back. So we’ll just see how he pulls up from the flight. I can’t confirm or say whether he’ll be in the 11 or not. I’m not too sure, to be honest,” he said.
On adapting to conditions in Colombo, Chapman said playing multiple matches at the same venue could help the team adjust better.
“When you play in these tournaments, one of the challenges is hopping from venue to venue and adapting. And playing all three games here, we’ll learn each game as we go. For us, it’s quite nice to be able to turn up to the same place and the same venue, similar pitches and adjust,” he said.
“Tomorrow’s our first game here, so we’re going to have to adapt anyway. But we’ll look at that later on and understand the conditions a little bit better. So, yeah, certainly something that we’re not complaining about,” he added.
He also spoke about modifying his batting approach to counter spin on slower Sri Lankan pitches.
“I think here, especially, given the slower nature of the pitch along with the slightly bigger boundaries as well, you certainly have to change your game plan. I guess for me personally, batting in the middle, I could be potentially in the power play or in with very few overs to go. So I guess specifically against the spinners, it’s probably looking at different options around whether you employ a sweep shot more or a reverse sweep,” Chapman said.
“Each batter has their own method, but I guess for myself, it’s looking at different areas of the ground to hit. And obviously, there are big pockets here too, so it’s not all about sixes on this ground. Lots of twos, lots of fours, and running hard between the wickets is really important as well, particularly if it’s not a very high score,” he added.
New Zealand will face Pakistan in their Super Eight opener at the R Premadasa Stadium on Saturday. Tariq has been in impressive form in the tournament, claiming eight wickets at an economy rate of 5.83, including a four-wicket haul against Namibia in the group stage.
. VAN .