A shell-shocked New Zealand have welcomed the return of a fit again Martin Guptill and dropped pace for spin for the fourth one-day international against South Africa.
Along with Guptill, off-spinner Jeetan Patel was recalled to the side on Sunday in place of pace bowler Matt Henry who has been in the squad but not used since the Bangladesh series in December.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen once quipped that it was probably better to “flush the dunny (toilet) and move on” after a poor performance against Italy in 2009 and his cricket counterpart Mike Hesson expressed similar thoughts on Sunday.
Hesson’s team were comprehensively outplayed by South Africa in the third one-day international at Wellington Regional Stadium on Saturday as they were bundled out for 112 and lost the match by 159 runs.
The victory gave the Proteas a 2-1 lead in the five-match series and Hesson’s side face a must-win game in Hamilton on Saturday.
“We have to move on pretty quick. We can’t let a performance like that affect how we prepare for the next one,” Hesson told reporters on Sunday. “South Africa … were excellent. They challenged us and we didn’t respond.”
Guptill’s return creates something of a selection conundrum for Hesson, with Tom Latham likely to relinquish the gloves to specialist wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi for the rest of the series.
