New Zealand's Gareth Hopkins in action against Australia at
Seddon Park in Hamilton. Photo by NZPA
An Australian journalist stared at the New Zealand
cricketer at the press conference and nudged his mate. "Who's
he?" The shaven-headed chap peering over the top table beside
his skipper was Gareth Hopkins, hardly a household name in
Australia and someone who wouldn't have featured much on the
tourists' pre-series scouting list.
Not any more.
Yesterday's third one-day international at Seddon Park in
Hamilton was wicketkeeper Hopkins' finest in a 16-match
career stretching back to 2004, and marked him down as more
than just a stop-gap.
Even if it was in a losing cause, as Australia took a 2-1
series lead with a six-wicket win, the 33-year-old more than
earned his keep.
Arriving at a shaky 146 for five, passing New Zealand's key
hitter Ross Taylor on his way out, Hopkins cracked 45 off 51
balls to desperately try and revive their targeted par score
of 300.
Twice he cleared the ropes, including one remarkable top edge
off 150kmh speedster Mitchell Johnson that flew well over the
pickets. And later with the gloves he produced a direct hit
runout of dangerman Shane Watson then a late stumping off
Daniel Vettori to remove centurymaker Brad Haddin.
Yesterday's innings topped his previous best one-day score of
35, set against Australia last Saturday, which showed how few
chances Hopkins had received since his debut in England in
2004.
"The Australians wouldn't have seen me so wouldn't maybe have
the stronger plans that they might for some of the other
batters," he said as the team headed to Auckland for
tomorrow's fourth and penultimate match.
"That's always going to be interesting because after seeing
the last couple of games they'll have some better plans, so
it's up to me to tweak it or look at doing it a lot better."
Wellington-born Hopkins made his first-class debut in
1997-98, but first Adam Parore then Brendon McCullum loomed
largest in the eyes of the national selectors.
He got his chance in England in 2004 when McCullum was ruled
out, but only now does he feel comfortable in the set-up.
"I haven't really performed at international level and that's
always been in the back of my mind. I always believed and I
was always confident. Now it's about finishing off games and
my focus will be on that.
"Mentally I've worked on a few things. I have been a lot more
confident this year and it's domestic form as well. I'm happy
with my gameplans and had a good winter in India with the A
team.
"Being part of the Twenty20 has helped, it's lifted the
intensity that you need at international level and I've felt
comfortable with that."
The world Twenty20 championship in the Caribbean next month
looks a certainty for Hopkins and so, too, does a regular
spot in the one-day side as a specialist "finisher" in the
power play overs.
Hopkins is comfortable in Auckland, his fourth first-class
team after Northern Districts, Canterbury and Otago.
He left Northern Districts due to former test Robbie Hart
standing ahead of him; then Canterbury didn't renew his
contract and Otago snapped him up.
He learned his batting trade under Glenn Turner, learned to
be more attacking, then shifted north when McCullum returned
south from Canterbury.
This season he led Auckland to the domestic Twenty20 and
one-day finals, albeit both for painful defeats to Central
Districts and Northern Districts respectively.
"The boys give me a bit of grief about that (moving). Five
minutes ago Peter Ingram was asking me if I was going to play
for CD. I've got a good thing going in Auckland."
And the New Zealand brains trust will say he's got a good
thing going with them, too.
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