Smith urges New Zealand to unleash speedster

New Zealand great Ian Smith has implored the Black Caps to roll the dice and play express fast bowler Lockie Ferguson and suggested the tourists play four quicks for the first Domain Test against Australia in Perth. 

Smith, New Zealand's gloveman in their only Test series win on Australian soil in 1985, says Ferguson's raw pace, which has been clocked at speeds of 145kph, is an asset the visitors cannot afford to overlook when the luminescent pink ball stops moving off the seam and in the air. 

"I believe he should play," Smith said at Perth Stadium on Wednesday. 

"He's an element of the unknown. They've all seen him do very well in the World Cup but you can't coach 145-150kph from time to time and if it's very accurate it's very often hard to play and commands respect. 

"The reason I would have him is it's all very well for the ball to swing and seam around initially but at 135kph when it stops doing that, how are you looking? 

"That's bit of a problem from New Zealand's point of view. I'd have him in the side."

Squeezing Ferguson into New Zealand's bowling attack is no easy task should seasoned seamer Trent Boult be fit to play.

The pace trio of Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner have been a major reason why the Black Caps have ascended to No.2 on the ICC Test team rankings but all bowl in the 125-135kph region, with the exception of Wagner who can crank it up, while left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner has been a reliable commodity with both bat and ball in the lower order. 

But given the pink ball's tendency to curve more under floodlights, Smith has entertained the thought of dropping Santner for Ferguson in a four-prong pace attack. 

"What I would think about here (Perth Stadium), knowing it hasn’t had a massive history of Test cricket or spin, I might even think about playing four (fast bowlers) and just going at Australia and saying, 'You against us, us against you, fight fire with fire'," he said. 

"But got to find room for (Ferguson)."

However, if New Zealand feel the need to play a spinner, veteran seamer Tim Southee could be the one to make way for Ferguson. 

Over three Test tours across the Tasman Sea, Southee averages 50.68 in seven matches, striking every 87.2 deliveries.

Those numbers are greatly inflated from his overall career record, which has him taking a wicket every 59.7 balls at 30.01 runs apiece.

But Southee is one of the premier swing bowlers in the world, and it's for that reason why Smith would be reluctant to drop the right-armer, who turns 31 today. 

"It's a difficult call, it's one they have to consider because if it's a one-for-one and you keep Santner in probably Southee is the one they're looking at," he said. 

"But I'll bring in the pink ball to that. Red ball, bright sunny day late in the afternoon I'm with you (dropping Southee), but I just worry that late in the afternoon the pink ball kicks in all night and Southee over the years has been one of the best seam/swing bowlers that we've had and that is an asset we might just need at this particular venue."

This all is a moot point if Boult fails to recover from a side injury in time. The left-armer suffered the injury on the final day of New Zealand's win over England at Mount Maunganui late last month and is expected to be given until match day to prove his fitness. 

Boult is one of the most dangerous bowlers in the world with a pink ball in his hand, and while Smith says New Zealand need his services, he is equally reluctant to risk the champion seamer. 

"I know they'll leave it up to him, he's been around long enough," Smith said. 

"It will be as late as tomorrow morning maybe when they finally make up their mind but they need him, they want him. 

"Would they risk him for the long term? The long term is the next two Tests. I'm not sure that I would. 

"If he wants to play and he's says he's ready to play then wouldn't want to be a medical man to overturn that because he'll know. 

"Got to have him. He'll be one of the bowlers Australia would talk about the most in terms of worry."

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