Mike Hesson enjoying ‘tiki tour’

They played their warm-up games in Mumbai and went to Nagpur to meet India, then to Dharamsala, Mohali and Kolkata. And now they are in New Delhi for the semi-final against England. Coach Mike Hesson confessed it has been a bumpy ride in terms of travel but he is happy that the team survived the difficult conditions and weathered the storm. 

“We’re certainly doing a tiki tour of India,” Hesson joked. “The key is that no matter what conditions you are dealt, you just have to find a way. “We’ve had four distinctly different surfaces and we’re going to have another one here in Delhi so we are just going to have to find a way with bat and ball to do a little bit better than our opposition.” 

That opponents are England, who fought their way out of Group One after a loss to the West Indies. “They’re a dangerous side,” Hesson said.“They bat very deep and have batsman who can score all around the ground so when they put you under pressure it’s difficult to contain. 

“Taking wickets throughout is important and how we play their spinners through the middle will also be a key factor.” Hesson does not want to dwell too much on his side winning four out of four in the group stage, though he admits that has given his side good confidence. 

“We do gain some confidence and it is quite nice to see other sides having to battle it out at the back end of pool play. But we also realise that’s gone now and we’ve only given ourselves a chance in the semi- final, so we’ll just be as consistent as we can be and see what unfolds,” he added. 

The team trained on Tuesday afternoon where Hesson and co also inspected the pitch before sitting down at the selection table. “We’re unsure if we’re going to be on a used pitch or a fresh one. With Martin Guptill coming back to full fitness it gives us a full squad to pick from. In terms of our bowling attack we could go with anything and be confident.”