Latham’s reliable approach brings success

Tom Latham saw his team-mates fall in all sorts of ways as he battled for nearly three hours and became the first New Zealand batsman to carry his bat in an ODI.

While his more experienced colleagues crumbled once again during what has become an arduous tour of the subcontinent, Latham was firm in Dharamsala, where his half-century was the only resistance India faced until he was joined by two defiant lower-order batsmen. From 65 for 7, Latham first collaborated with Doug Bracewell to add 41 runs, and then Tim Southee smacked 55 off 45 balls – his maiden half-century in his 100th ODI – in a 71-run stand for the ninth wicket.

New Zealand finished with 190, which was no where near enough to prevent them from going 0-1 down in the five-ODI series, having lost the Tests 0-3. Latham was the only New Zealand batsman to make more than one half-century during the Test series against India and he scored his unbeaten 79 in the first ODI in the same manner as his long-form runs.

He either left or defended deliveries that moved outside off stump and accumulated his runs through 39 singles and three twos. With a few deliveries bowled from the College End stopping on the batsmen after landing …

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