Valuable lessons learnt

The last time we spoke I had just arrived in Dunedin and I was trying to remember what time of the day it was. My body and my watch were certainly not in the same time zone!

I’m well into the swing of things now, and I can tell you that New Zealand is a great place to visit. Dunedin was a bit miserable in weather terms, but we made peace with it as a team and we figured it was part of the New Zealanders’ strategy to try and break us. We spoke about it and decided that it wouldn’t work and that we were up for whatever they could throw at us.

In fact, being in Dunedin became a factor that worked in our favour. It was a bit like Potchefstroom in that the people are a close-knit community and there is time and space to focus on what mattered most: playing good cricket.

I thought we did that, although we were disappointed that we didn’t get the chance to push for victory when the last day of the first test was washed out. We really believed we were in a strong position to go 1-0 up in the series. But, as cricketers, we’ve all been there before and you simply have to pack your kit and move on to the next game.

Dunedin also set us up well for the second and third tests. We’ve gained strength as a unit by spending time in a place where, because of the lack of distractions, a lot of our focus was on each other and what we wanted to achieve as a squad.

At a personal level I felt really good at the crease in the first innings in Dunedin. Then I got a straight delivery which I thought had pitched outside leg, but DRS said otherwise and I was on my way. In the second innings I wanted to be more positive; I wanted to try to dominate the bowling and as a team we wanted to get rid of the deficit as soon as possible.

Also, being the first test of the series I was determined to stamp my authority on the Kiwis. I didn’t want to be seen as predictable. I wanted to give them something to think about, and to keep thinking about for the rest of my time here.

Unfortunately, things didn’t work out that well for me. If I had scored a century I’m sure people would have said I played a great innings. The truth of it is that 25 is a long way from 100.

But one of the great things about cricket is that you are able to take what you have learnt into your next performance. What I was trying to do didn’t happen in terms of the numbers on the scoreboard, but what I’ve picked up about New Zealand conditions and their bowlers, as well as what I did right and wrong in Dunedin, will travel with me for the rest of the series.

I know, mentally as well as technically, what I want to do. And Seddon Park here in Hamilton looks and feels like a good place to do it. When I walked onto the ground the first day we were here it felt like home. The sky was blue and there was morning dew on the field.

Playing cricket for your country is always a challenge, but I’ve set my sights high and I hope to achieve my goals here.