It shows the kind of impact that Mike Hesson had, in his term as a head coach of New Zealand that he recently resigned from, on the players around him, that most of them having nothing but praise for the man's dedication and his service to the team and its players. Corey Anderson is another such player.
The Kiwi all-rounder, who was recently playing for Royal Challengers Banglore in this edition of the Indian Premier League in quest of an International comeback, was quoted saying to Sportstar as, “It’s sad to see him(Mike Hesson) go. When I started playing for New Zealand, he was in charge. He gave me opportunities. In four or five years, I could see from a distance how much New Zealand has grown into what it is. The credit goes to him. At the international level, there is a difference between an average coach, a good coach and a great coach. I think he has been right up there,”
It was Hesson who gave Anderson the much-needed opportunities ahead of 2015 World Cup that allowed the youngster to impress the selectors and book his place in the squad for the most important event.
He further said, “We had a core group for a good period of time and I think he knew what the team needed. He will leave a big hole like the time when guys like Brendon (McCullum) and Dan (Daniel Vettori) left; it is going to be a similar thing,”
Anderson is out of the national team and is really desperate to get back. He wants to play next year's World Cup in England, just like he did in Australia and at home in 2015. He also believes that New Zealand has a great chance. He said, “I didn’t get to spend enough time in the team since Kane became the captain but I have played a lot of cricket with him. He is an absolute legend in his own right. What Brendon did with captaincy, Kane is putting his own spin to it and he is trying to make sure the team continues what Brendon had started, There is a strong group of core players with Tim Southee, Boult and Martin Guptill. Kane can reach out to anyone for help if needed. We can hopefully build our way to the World Cup.”
Anderson knows for guys like him, the best route back is to perform exceptionally well in the white ball game across leagues around the world.
“A handful of guys will play in different competitions, the Caribbean Premier League and the other T20 leagues will follow. I will be heading to Somerset for T20 blast. The World Cup, since in England, is going to be slightly late than it normally is. There will be plenty of cricket before the tournament kicks in,”
(Inputs from SportsStar)
