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Martin Devlin: Black Caps tour of Australia was embarrassing and inexcusable

Author
Martin Devlin,
Publish Date
Wed, 15 Jan 2020, 3:02PM

Martin Devlin: Black Caps tour of Australia was embarrassing and inexcusable

Author
Martin Devlin,
Publish Date
Wed, 15 Jan 2020, 3:02PM

Disaster. Utter disaster. The worst most shambolic disappointing cricket tour by the Black Caps I can ever remember. The recent record-setting (for all the wrong reasons) pantsdown performances in Australia have destroyed everything good the team has recently achieved.

It wasn't just the defeats, comprehensive in all three tests, but the manner of the losses which really hurt. We were embarrassed.

And apart from the raucous crowds, which represented NZ and us as sports fans in the best possible way, there is/was nothing nice to say about  any other aspects of it at all. 

Let us not paper over any cracks here. Reputations, including the skipper's, have been forever tarnished by batting that was inept at best and 'fraidy-cat at worst.

To fail in six consecutive innings is inexcusable. And I've asked myself if I'm being too harsh, is it a case of back-to-work-blues, have I come back from holidays in a bad mood? No I haven't.

Alternatively is this something that's been and gone already, are people well over it, is it time time to forgive and forget and what possible good can be gained anyway from regurgitating something as horrible as those three tests ultimately were? No, no, no and a loud resounding NO!

We should never forget the capitulation that was because it's only by acknowledging it, owning it, feeling as awfully uncomfortable about it as we do that we might collectively prevent it ever happening again.

Now as a lifelong Black Caps fan you do get used to some floggings. Bowled out for 45 in SA under Baz springs immediately to mind but it's the consecutive thrashings  that really hurt this time.

We were whacked inside four days in EVERY test. We won maybe one session the whole time. We bowled on every one of the 12 days played.

They absolutely took the piddle out of us and by the end of the Sydney debacle were  glad to see us gone - and for good reason. Never have we sent a team to Australia with so much hope, so much expectation, to be so utterly demoralised.

And, apart from the numbers we brought through the gate, why would they ever invite us back? Gimme one good reason. Because it's certainly not anything we might promise to bring via red ball and willow bat.

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