Important to be Clear on Game Plan and Roles Ahead of World Cup: Gary Stead

Cricketnext Staff | Updated: January 1, 2019, 1:31 PM IST

Like most teams, New Zealand is also in the process of finalising their combination for the upcoming World Cup in England and coach Gary Stead's focus is on the all-rounders.

New Zealand finished 2018 with a record winning streak of four Test series and will now move onto ODIs against the visiting Sri Lankans beginning January 3, in Mount Maunganui.

The New Zealand side will also take on India and Bangladesh in separate ODI series before the World Cup and Stead is planning to use these "trial period" matches to find out the right combination for the World Cup.

"It's really now [about] looking ahead to the World Cup, being clear on the game plans we want to use and making sure the roles we want to get people in — that we're playing to those roles as well," Stead was quoted as saying by the New Zealand Herald.

"They're about tweaking, looking at the style of play and how we want to play and looking at the options who fit those roles as well. It's definitely a trial period still."

The Kiwis are without the services of Colin de Grandhomme (rested), Corey Anderson (injury and illness) but Mitchell Santner is coming back from injury and will join Jimmy Neesham and Doug Bracewell for the series against Sri Lanka. They have also brought in the uncapped wicket-keeper batsman Tim Seifert.

The position of all-rounder is still open, Stead suggested. "We're still looking at some places within our team. We want to see more of the all-rounders, we're looking at Tim Seifert as a back-up keeping option as well."

Along with finding the right team combination, Stead wants to get a few more things ironed out, "The biggest thing for me is looking at the style of play, game plan, and looking ahead to the World Cup, where we know it's likely to be 300-plus scores," he said. "I want to make sure we get our heads around that as well."