T20 World Cup 2021 | Shane Bond working with New Zealand spinners for T20 WC, reveals Gary Stead
Former New Zealand pacer Shane Bond, who has been appointed as assistant bowling coach of the Black Caps, will specifically work with the spinners in the selected squad for the T20 World Cup which begins on October 17. New Zealand will start their campaign against Pakistan on October 26 in Sharjah.
Shane Bond has been roped in by the New Zealand cricket team to work specifically with the spinners ahead of the T20 World Cup, which begins on October 17 in UAE and Oman. Bond will assist the bowling head coach, Shane Jurgensen, while working the spinners in the team, as confirmed by the team head coach Gary Stead.
Bond, who scalped 259 wickets from 120 international matches for New Zealand, joined the team bubble alongside Jimmy Neesham and Adam Milne, after Mumbai Indians made an early exit from IPL 2021.
"He's working specifically with the spin bowlers in the tournament for us as well. So, he's been great and it provides another set of hands for Shane (Jurgensen) when you look at a large number in squad are bowlers," Stead told New Zealand Cricket.
"He's working with the spinners, in particular, and just around their strategies. Bondie came in, in the last couple of days as well, when Mumbai (Indians) were knocked out (of IPL)," he added.
Kane Williamson had sustained a hamstring injury ahead of Sunrisers Hyderabad's last outing in IPL 2021, and was eventually he was left out of the team's playing XI. When asked about the New Zealand captain's health status, Stead stated that Williamson is fully fit to lead the national side in the T20 World Cup.
"Kane's fine," Stead said. "He's just had a very, very slight hamstring twinge, but he's getting through everything at the moment, he's feeling good.
"They (Sunrisers Hyderabad) were out of the competition as well, so I'm not sure if that was something he had to play in."
New Zealand will start their campaign against Pakistan on October 26 in Sharjah. Speaking on his team’s preparation ahead of the T20 World Cup, Stead stated that the Black Caps are trying hard to get accustomed to the scorching heat in the Gulf country.
"Today we've probably trained in the hottest part of the day. Two o'clock we start and it's somewhere between 35 and 38 degrees probably. You can feel you burn pretty quick. We've just got to keep the fluids up," Stead said.
"A little bit of shock therapy and getting get people back into the hot weather and working hard.
"And then just making sure we manage guys in the next wee-while and be clear around our training and what we're trying to achieve. We're certainly not doing it to try and cook people."