Kiwi coach Moles does some plain speaking

If you thought New Zealand were looking at the bright side of their loss in Christchurch, think again. Coach Andy Moles made it plain that no amount of aggressive cricket or fighting spirit could make up for results.

If you thought New Zealand were looking at the bright side of their loss in Christchurch, think again. Coach Andy Moles made it plain that no amount of aggressive cricket or fighting spirit could make up for results.

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“The way we lost yesterday, some people say it was a good game,” said Moles. “We lost but we did well. We are under no illusions. We must become a winning side. When we lose, we lose, whether we lose badly or lose well.”

But Moles did feel that his team needs to get its bowling right in order to take on the Indians and keep the series alive. “We are still playing good cricket, but we are missing on our bowling plans. The 166-run start we had last night and Jesse Ryder getting his first hundred was a fantastic achievement,” said Moles.

“The way Brendon (McCullum) batted upfront put us in a position from which we should have done better. But the Indians bowled well. There are no excuses from our side. We weren’t good enough.”

Moles also insisted that his team needed to make life harder for the Indians. “If we execute our plans properly, as we are capable of doing, then it would be a different game,” said Moles.

“The Indians are a wonderful side and batted quite beautifully. But we need to make life lot harder for them.”

Moles also said that should Sachin Tendulkar not play (after aggravating a “sore muscle”), it would be a bitter-sweet thing.

“From our point of view, we will be delighted to not to have to bowl at him. But the public would love to watch him play,” said Moles.

“It’s a bitter-sweet situation. The Indian batting will be a lot weakened, but they still have many good players.”