Former New Zealand cricketer Craig Cumming is unhappy with head coach Gary Stead’s persistence with opener Finn Allen, who failed with the bat in the recently-concluded three-match ODI series against India.
The hosts whitewashed the Kiwis 3-0 with Allen, 23, scoring two consecutive ducks and a 40, raising doubts about his selection in the New Zealand side with the ODI World Cup in India less than nine months away.
The cricketer had made his 50-over debut last year with a few impressive scores against Ireland and the West Indies but has quickly gone into a downward spiral.
“I’m concerned around the style of cricketers we’re trying to produce. I want to produce Devon Conways, I want to produce Kane Williamsons; the guys that have got craft and can bat and they’ve got more than one (skill)ᨊ,” Cumming told SENZ Mornings on Thursday.
“Finn Allen at the moment, he’s young, he’s learning but (he’s in a) really important position for us at the top of the order and he seems to be at the moment a one-pace, one-line hitter.
“At the moment it’s failing and maybe Finn’s getting the experience, I mean they’ve got to stick with him, but he’s not producing enough at the moment.” Cumming compared Allen with India skipper Rohit Sharma, who is not just a strong hitter of the ball but also has the required skill-set to play according to the situation.
“You look at Rohit Sharma and the way they (India) play, yes they’re powerful but they also have skill in the way they go about executing their plans. I just worry at the moment that Finn’s sort of been thrown into that mix where it’s one pace, batter up, it’s a baseball style mentality; try to hit home runs and that’s all we want.”
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