West Indies Cricket Fans Forum
Black Caps batsman Tom Latham keen to scope out the West Indies
Black Caps batsman Tom Latham is keen to gather a little early intelligence this weekend when he captains New Zealand A against the West Indies in Lincoln.
Drafted in at late notice for the injured Martin Guptill, Latham will open in the three-day match beginning on Saturday.
First and foremost, the call-up gives him a chance to hone his game at the top of the order after batting at No.5 in New Zealand's recent three-match ODI series against India.
But it also allows the 25-year-old left-hander a chance for an early look at the Windies ahead of the first Test beginning in Wellington next Friday.
"It'll be a chance to have a look at their opening attack," Latham said.
"It's nice to get a look at them first up, away from a Test match environment. Hopefully we gather as much information as we can over the next three days and report that back to the whole group."
Latham's performance in the middle was a highlight of the Black Caps' brief tour of the sub-continent last month.
He amassed 206 runs over the series, a tally bettered only by Virat Kohli's 263, and his unbeaten 103 from 102 balls set New Zealand up for an opening six-wicket win in Mumbai.
Latham managed a low-key 38 in the second ODI, with India recording a six-wicket win, then impressed in the third match with a 42-ball 65 as India secured the series with a six-run win.
He isn't expecting the switch back to opening to be too much of a challenge.
"I think it's more of a mind-set thing.
""You know you've got the technique to get yourself here, so if you can switch on mentally and adapt to each scenario and each condition then hopefully that will give you a good chance of success."
Latham is expecting a Windies team which showed their potential in winning the second Test against England by five wickets in August.
"They've got a well-rounded squad - they were in England recently in similar conditions to what we have here and they competed really well," he said.
"We know what sort of side they are, we know what sort of threats they possess and we're going to have to play well if we want to beat them."
NZN
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