Craig Cumming states that Finn Allen's performance is currently lacking

Former New Zealand cricketer Craig Cumming has expressed concern over young opener Finn Allen's recent struggles in the ODI series against India. Allen, who made his debut for New Zealand in 2022, had a strong start to his career with some impressive knocks against Ireland and West Indies. However, he has recently been struggling in the format, registering scores of 29, 1 and 25 in the tour of Pakistan and 40 and consecutive ducks in the 3-0 series defeat in India.

Cumming believes that Allen's style of play is not what New Zealand should be trying to produce. "I'm concerned around the style of cricketers we're trying to produce. You've just got to look at (Tuesday) night and when it comes to cricketers within our own country and the way we're trying to produce it, I want to produce Devon Conway's, I want to produce Kane Williamson's; the guys that have got craft and can bat and they've got more than one (skill)."

He added that Allen's one-pace, one-line hitting is not enough for the important position he holds at the top of the order. "Even you look at Rohit Sharma and the way they (India) play, yes they're powerful but they also have skill in the way they go about executing their plans and I just worry at the moment that Finn's sort of been thrown into that mix where it's one pace, batter up, it's a baseball style mentality; try to hit home runs and that's all we want."

Cumming also noted that the absence of veteran opener Martin Guptill, who was omitted from the team and released from his central contract to pursue opportunities overseas, has left a gap in the team's ability to get off to good starts. He urged New Zealand to focus on shaping Allen's style of play in ODIs, saying "I'd like to see a little bit more craft when it comes to the way he's playing and a little bit more craft when it comes to the cricketers we're trying to produce."

It is clear that Cumming believes that Allen has the potential to be an important player for New Zealand, but that he needs to improve his style of play and performance in order to reach that potential. The onus is on the team management to work with Allen and guide him towards a more well-rounded game. It is also worth noting that young players often have their struggles and it is important to give them time to develop and grow.