Black Caps coach wants change to Test Championship
The Black Caps coach Gary Stead wants changes made to the test championship competition to make it fairer.
Newly elected world cricket chair Greg Barclay has suggested the championship, which is due to culminate in a final at Lord's next year, may not be fit for purpose.
Cancellations due to coronavirus and the uneveness of international schedules has forced a change to the points system which may work in New Zealand favour.
However the Black Caps who currently sit fourth with Australia and India at the top, will still need to win all four tests against the West Indies and Pakistan at home this summer and then hope other results go their way if they're to reach the final.
Stead says the points system needs to change.
"I would encourage the ICC to have a look at having the same points, spread over the same number of game - perhaps if they play a five test series maybe the points only count over the first two or three tests which and that might bring a bit more fairness over the whole thing."
Black Caps coach Gary Stead and skipper Kane Williamson. Photo: Photosport
That said win all four of their tests at home this summer against the West Indies and Pakistan and Stead is confident it will be enough to get them into the test championship final.
Stead said given the impact the global pandemic has already had on the playing schedule it's likely there'll be further disruption which will boost New Zealand's chances.
"It's pretty simple for us - win all four tests and we give ourselves a good chance (of getting to Lord's) ...we'd still need some things to go our way but I think when you look at the likelihood of things happening it would give us a pretty good chance of being in the top two."
Steads biggest concern heading into the first test of the summer is that the players may look to be too aggressive.
"The danger I see is that we try and rush things and do things too quickly. We haven't been together (as a test side) for some time so it's still about trusting the skills we have, (bowling) in the right areas for long periods of time and just taking it ball by ball."
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