Rangana Herath with New Zealand players during a training session (File photo) 

New Zealand spinner Ajaz Patel credited Spin Consultant Rangana Herath for his contributions and strategic insights that helped the side to come out on top against India during their historic Test series triumph. 

He spoke about the importance of the straighter delivery for a spinner and how it makes life difficult for batters on turning tracks and also how the New Zealand batters were well-prepared in that regard.

“Obviously he’s got a wealth of experience in the sub-continent and his record kind of speaks for itself, really, in terms of left-arm spin bowling.” 

“So I mean, for me, it was great to have him because we’re quite similar, I guess, in terms of the style of bowling that we both bowl. But I think the biggest thing was, he gave us a really good idea around the kind of fields to set in terms of Asian conditions and still be attacking but also at the same time, have our options to limit the boundaries as well.”

“It’s an art,” said Ajaz about the straighter delivery. “Every spinner should have it. Especially if you come to Asia or the sub-continent, the most difficult thing is to bowl a straight ball”. 

“Because on a lot of wickets, if you want to turn the ball, you can but the challenge is to keep the ball straight. Rangana has helped a lot in that.” 

“He’s taught us some new techniques, some action techniques. So, the batsmen don’t get cues quickly. We’ve practiced all of that. And we knew that in batting as well, for our batsmen, the straight ball is dangerous. So, we’ve taken care of that in batting as well as in bowling,” Patel added. 

(Agencies)