Black Caps vs Bangles
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And they go at six an over to get themselves a day at the beach.
Pretty comprehensive victory despite the poor catching and that no-one got a hundred.
Nonetheless - Tom Latham averages 100.66 for the series, Nicholls 77.5, Kane 79.5 and Rossco and Santner also over 50. Good average padding work, which is the requirement when playing the minnows. Book yourself in for another few tests.
BJ, Raval and CdGh with averages in the 20s have missed the golden opportunity.
Boult, Wagner and to a slightly lesser extent Timmy (collectively 33 wickets) helping their bowling averages. Santner (49) and CdGh (150) - (collectively 3 wickets) not really helping theirs.
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That's a pretty satisfying result all up. We haven't been brilliant against the Bangles in recent years so to white-wash them after doing Pakistan 2-0 is the best possible lead up to Aus/SA we could get.
By far the biggest concern is the fielding. If you drop Smith on 10 he will go on to make 150 just about every time. We just cannot afford that, so I hope that's their biggest focus at the moment.
I have Santner in my 11 above but if he's not taking wickets then I think Ish Sodhi is absolutely worth a go. He can hold a bat and his 6/11, even though it was a T20, will give him a heap of confidence.
I'm taking the boy to Eden Park next Monday - bring it on!
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Do the BCs change a winning team? That's the big question for me. They have a spinner who they didn't use but who batted well and a medium pacer who bowled pretty ordinary stuff but who slogged them to a convincing victory. Their places might be in doubt if Sodhi and Neesh are fit. Nicholls should be safe but with that technique shit could get fucken ugly vs Steyn et all.
Not sure what the solution is with the fielding. Traditionally we've always been strong in this department but have fallen away which, with cricket being fully professional, is really surprising. What I do like though is the fact we always have a really useful tail. Southee as always is hit or miss but Wagner strikes me as a real battler who is capable of staying around and Boult is no mug either.
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The only potential change to the test team that I can see would be Neesham or Anderson in for CdGh and then only if one of those is fully fit and firing.
The No. 5 eggs are in the Nicholls basket and I can't seem them being tipped out after he just made his highest test score unless Anderson or Neesham do something extraordinary in the meantime.
On Santner, I reckon he is firmly entrenched as our number 1 test spinner and under no threat whatsoever.
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Agree @Chris-B, I just hope they aren't look at Santner through Vettori-tainted glasses. He's got talent but right now he doesn't have the stats to back that up. I really like Ish as a bowler so would like to see him given another go if his form warrants it.
On No. 5, that innings was hugely important for Nicholls and will keep him in the team for the rest of the summer. As I said before I am far from convinced, but happy to see him score some runs. The flaws in his technique are easily fixed and he does have a good eye.
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They won't change a winning team, but they should.
Neesham for CdG. Also would solve the slip catching issue as he was the incumbent second slip. (By god Mark Craig was a fantastic second slip before him.....)
I do like watching Colin play, I reckon his bowling is the ideal 4th seamer mould. But his batting is just too loose For test level, and 6, if filling that spot with an all rounder, should be a batsman who bowls.
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@No-Quarter said in Black Caps vs Bangles:
Agree @Chris-B, I just hope they aren't look at Santner through Vettori-tainted glasses. He's got talent but right now he doesn't have the stats to back that up. I really like Ish as a bowler so would like to see him given another go if his form warrants it.
What stats are you talking about here? Assume FC bowling record?
Because at international level his record is good, but more importantly he's fulfilling the role they want; a spinner with control on generally non spin friendly pitches.
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@Rapido said in Black Caps vs Bangles:
@No-Quarter said in Black Caps vs Bangles:
Agree @Chris-B, I just hope they aren't look at Santner through Vettori-tainted glasses. He's got talent but right now he doesn't have the stats to back that up. I really like Ish as a bowler so would like to see him given another go if his form warrants it.
What stats are you talking about here? Assume FC bowling record?
Because at international level his record is good, but more importantly he's fulfilling the role they want; a spinner with control on generally non spin friendly pitches.
Batting average of 26 and bowling average of 38 isn't very good. It is probably good enough, however. Todd Astle is probably who I would pick if we wanted a spinner to bowl more overs. The truth is our pitches just don't suit the spinners very much.
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Yeah, he's in the "not quite a good enough batsmen, not quite a good enough bowler" category at the moment. I think you really need to command your place in at least one of those disciplines to be an asset to the team. Otherwise the 6 batsmen / keeper / 4 bowlers would be my preference.
He has undoubted talent though, so I can see why they are persevering with him. IMO he needs to command the number 6 spot in the lineup if he wants to be in the team long-term, as I don't think he will ever be a big wicket taker.
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@hydro11 said in Black Caps vs Bangles:
@Rapido said in Black Caps vs Bangles:
@No-Quarter said in Black Caps vs Bangles:
Agree @Chris-B, I just hope they aren't look at Santner through Vettori-tainted glasses. He's got talent but right now he doesn't have the stats to back that up. I really like Ish as a bowler so would like to see him given another go if his form warrants it.
What stats are you talking about here? Assume FC bowling record?
Because at international level his record is good, but more importantly he's fulfilling the role they want; a spinner with control on generally non spin friendly pitches.
Batting average of 26 and bowling average of 38 isn't very good. It is probably good enough, however. Todd Astle is probably who I would pick if we wanted a spinner to bowl more overs. The truth is our pitches just don't suit the spinners very much.
A spinner averaging under 40 is Warnie/ Murali like by BC standards. Not bowling at all in the previous test certainly helped this though.
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Vettori averaged 34 with the ball and 30 with the bat at the end of his career. In fairness Santner isn't that far off the pace given it's early days.
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@hydro11 said in Black Caps vs Bangles:
@Rapido said in Black Caps vs Bangles:
@No-Quarter said in Black Caps vs Bangles:
Agree @Chris-B, I just hope they aren't look at Santner through Vettori-tainted glasses. He's got talent but right now he doesn't have the stats to back that up. I really like Ish as a bowler so would like to see him given another go if his form warrants it.
What stats are you talking about here? Assume FC bowling record?
Because at international level his record is good, but more importantly he's fulfilling the role they want; a spinner with control on generally non spin friendly pitches.
Batting average of 26 and bowling average of 38 isn't very good. It is probably good enough, however. Todd Astle is probably who I would pick if we wanted a spinner to bowl more overs. The truth is our pitches just don't suit the spinners very much.
For an NZ spinner? Seriously you think a test bowling average of 38 isn't good enough for an NZ spinner?
I'd take that at the end of his career tbh, but I hope for better. Let alone now while he's still a pup.
But at best it would be mid to low 30s (a.k.a John Bracewell, Vettori, H Howarty etc) if using historic precedents.
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@No-Quarter said in Black Caps vs Bangles:
Yeah, he's in the "not quite a good enough batsmen, not quite a good enough bowler" category at the moment. I think you really need to command your place in at least one of those disciplines to be an asset to the team. Otherwise the 6 batsmen / keeper / 4 bowlers would be my preference.
He has undoubted talent though, so I can see why they are persevering with him. IMO he needs to command the number 6 spot in the lineup if he wants to be in the team long-term, as I don't think he will ever be a big wicket taker.
There's no persevering. He's nailing his bowling role.
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as good a place as any to put this
the India v England 3-match ODI series just wrapped up, won 2-1 by India. What a fucking run-fest. All 6 innings well in excess of 300, with the total runs scored 2,090, and an average score of 348. 10 batsmen averaged more than 55. Only 1 bowler went for less than 6 an over (jadeja). As far as i can tell, that's a record runs total for a 3 match series.
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@mariner4life said in Black Caps vs Bangles:
as good a place as any to put this
the India v England 3-match ODI series just wrapped up, won 2-1 by India. What a fucking run-fest. All 6 innings well in excess of 300, with the total runs scored 2,090, and an average score of 348. 10 batsmen averaged more than 55. Only 1 bowler went for less than 6 an over (jadeja). As far as i can tell, that's a record runs total for a 3 match series.
You get that when international class cricketers play a 50 over match on the pitches that resemble the one you had in the middle of your primary school field.
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@Chris-B. said in Black Caps vs Bangles:
The only potential change to the test team that I can see would be Neesham or Anderson in for CdGh and then only if one of those is fully fit and firing.
The No. 5 eggs are in the Nicholls basket and I can't seem them being tipped out after he just made his highest test score unless Anderson or Neesham do something extraordinary in the meantime.
This is something that I don't really get.
Neesham: 10 tests, 2x 100s, 4x 50s, Average 37.94
Nicholls, 11 tests, 4x 50s, Average 31.33Neesham has two tons.. And he hasn't played against the Zimbots and the Bangas, so coulnd't pad his average like Henry has..
Nicholls innings of 76 against Steyn/Philander/Rabada has carried him this far.. -
@mimic - Yeah - I was also particularly impressed with how well Neesham went in the first round of the Chappell-Hadlee when we needed him to bat at No. 4.
I think Hesson mainly has a philosophy that once you're in the team you get a decent go to prove yourself (or not). I like it better than when Sir Paddles was in charge and he chopped and changed every test in his efforts to pull rabbits out of hats, so I'm not going to be too critical. But Jimmy seems to be someone who's been caught in an eddy within this selection philosophy - in part due to injuries.
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@mimic said in Black Caps vs Bangles:
@Chris-B. said in Black Caps vs Bangles:
The only potential change to the test team that I can see would be Neesham or Anderson in for CdGh and then only if one of those is fully fit and firing.
The No. 5 eggs are in the Nicholls basket and I can't seem them being tipped out after he just made his highest test score unless Anderson or Neesham do something extraordinary in the meantime.
This is something that I don't really get.
Neesham: 10 tests, 2x 100s, 4x 50s, Average 37.94
Nicholls, 11 tests, 4x 50s, Average 31.33Neesham has two tons.. And he hasn't played against the Zimbots and the Bangas, so coulnd't pad his average like Henry has..
Nicholls innings of 76 against Steyn/Philander/Rabada has carried him this far..Neesham's main problem is he's made of glass
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@mariner4life said in Black Caps vs Bangles:
as good a place as any to put this
the India v England 3-match ODI series just wrapped up, won 2-1 by India. What a fucking run-fest. All 6 innings well in excess of 300, with the total runs scored 2,090, and an average score of 348. 10 batsmen averaged more than 55. Only 1 bowler went for less than 6 an over (jadeja). As far as i can tell, that's a record runs total for a 3 match series.
A bit like when we last played the poms over there.
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Those middle 3 games 'only' totaled 2,060 runs - but one was a Duckworth Lewis game, one the poms were bowled out in 45 overs and the other they got the runs with five overs to spare. Probably missed at least 150 runs.
