New Zealand players improve spin game at Super Kings Academy camp

CHENNAI: In a bid to improve their spin game, four New Zealand players recently visited Chennai for a training camp at the Super Kings Academy.

As part of an alliance between New Zealand Cricket (NZC) and the Chennai Super Kings-owned academy, youngsters Tim Pringle (22 years), Adithya Ashok (22 years) and Rhys Mariu (23 years) went through the rigours during a two-week stint. Dale Phillips, brother of NZ international Glenn Phillips, was also a member of the travelling party but departed early.

The quartet was accompanied by coach Bob Carter and trained under the watchful eyes of Sriram Krishnamurthy, the academy’s chief coach. The NZ players, who hardly compete on spin-friendly pitches back home, were chuffed to gain exposure in ‘foreign conditions’.

“It was an awesome experience. Being a finger spinner, I do not get to see the ball spin a lot in NZ. To come to India for the first time and see the ball spin… it is nice. I worked on the speeds that I should bowl at and the angles with which I can bowl. In NZ, the emphasis is on over-spin because there is not much sideways movement,” Pringle, a spin-bowling all-rounder who has represented the Netherlands but is also eligible to play for NZ, told TOI.

Mariu, a batter with two international appearances for the Black Caps, highlighted the importance of exposure tours for young talent. “If we come back and play in similar conditions, we will have a head start over players who have not been here. We will be able to jump right in, which was the point of coming to Chennai,” said Mariu.

“It was great to train on different soils (black, red and mixed), something which we do not get to do back home. We learned how to play spin better. It was different to what we do in NZ, so it was good to filter out and see what works for us and what does not,” Mariu added.

Besides ‘alien’ conditions, the NZ players had to deal with the sweltering heat during the camp, which also included a few practice matches with the academy trainees.

Carter, a former NZ women’s team head coach, said that the youngsters can rely on such experiences when they encounter pitches conducive to slow bowling in the future. “It is important to get exposed to the conditions at the academy. When we play Sri Lanka or Bangladesh, we can come here and work in these conditions that we are not used to. Rachin Ravindra came here ahead of the Test series against India last year (when Kiwis clean swept 3-0) and the experience proved invaluable,” said Carter.

Academy working towards a bigger goal

Sriram stressed that the Super Kings Academy will continue to work strongly towards making cricket a “stronger” sport. The academy currently has ties with the NZC and Cricket West Indies (CWI). “We want to provide players the experience of understanding how the game is supposed to be played in foreign conditions (for the visitors),” said Sriram.

“We are lucky enough to have this partnership with the NZC and host some of their emerging talent. Right now, the sub-continent is where over 60% of international cricket is played. So, it is becoming a massive destination for players to come and experience what it looks like. Ultimately, cricket will get stronger only when strong teams compete internationally,” Sriram went on to add.