New Zealand's Will O'Rourke, 2025. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Black Caps bowling coach Jacob Oram is delighted with the way his bowlers have worked together in the series against Sri Lanka.
After winning the T20 series, New Zealand opened the one-day series with a dominant nine wicket victory in Wellington on Sunday.
The Sri Lankans were bowled out for 178 in the 44th over with man of the match Matt Henry taking four for 19. Jacob Duffy and Nathan Smith got two each.
New Zealand's Nathan Smith, 2025. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Oram said that performance showed how well they had bowled in pairs, especially with one of them having to bowl into the wind.
He said it was important that a bowler at one end was not undoing the good work of the bowler at the other.
"Both bowlers have got to do their thing working together, doing their job, passing the baton on as a pack," Oram said.
"Making sure we're hunting together as a team, putting them under pressure from both ends, not just one guy having to do it by himself."
Leading that attack is fast bowler Matt Henry, who has become the number one over the last few years.
Oram said Henry was doing the basics well.
"He's just bowling the ball where it needs to go more often than not and that sounds easy bit it is not.
"To be able to hit consistently around the right length, to be able to ask the questions based on the line as well with sideways movement and good bounce, he's just in good rhythm at the moment."
New Zealand's Matt Henry, 2025. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Oram said 33-year-old Henry's experience was filtering through to the rest of the attack.
"His record has been very good for a long time, it's not just happened, but nothing has really changed in terms of how he is going about his work.
"I think it has just organically happened that he is now the guy at the top and other bowlers like Will O'Rourke and Nathan Smith are looking at him for that direction and he has been able to provide that."
Game two is in Hamilton on Wednesday with the third and final game is in Auckland on Saturday.
This is the last series for the Black Caps before they head to the Champions Trophy in Pakistan next month.
