NZ v SA Test Series
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What's South Africa's plan here? Are they happy to take the draw after being down on the first innings? Because at the moment their only path to victory seems a spectacular black caps day 5 collapse which I'd never rule out but equally isn't that sound a strategy
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@Cyclops Probably all changed in the last 10 minutes. For a while it looked like Elgar and Faf were trying to up the tempo. I think the idea would have been for Bavuma to get himself set and then continue to play some shots - maybe set NZ something like 270 in 60 overs.
Now I think they'll just hang on as long as they can and take a draw.
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@canefan As long as we don't clean them up too quickly in the morning.
Philander didn't look comfortable in his brief stay, so if we got Faf early it wouldn't be hard to envisage the tail folding pretty cheaply.
For the Jaapies, I'm not sure how comfortable they'd be setting us, say, 250 off 60 overs.
You could hopefully go at 3 an over for 40 overs and keep wickets in hand. Leave yourself the chance to have a dart at 130 off the final 20. That would be the sort of equation that would worry me if I was Faf.
Then again, their bowlers may turn out to be unplayable on the 5th day and roll us for 100.
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Will we see Hess treat Santner similar to Taylor where the latter isn't in the mix for 20/20s but still first choice for ODI's and Tests.
Seems Santner is looking much more effective in the shorter forms and is trying to bowl a similar style in tests, but it ain't cutting it. He doesn't look threatening at all and hasn't offered much with the bat either. He is a fiend in the field though. I'd much prefer to see Sohdi or a more attacking spinner used. Especially if the extra spinner is cutting Southee out of the mix. We need wicket takers not containing bowlers in that situation.
Latham has gone right off the boil, will be interesting to see how he works his way back into form.
Rain delay in any case so that pretty much wraps up this test as a draw.
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@mimic I reckon you'll get reasonable odds that it will be someone whose surname begins with Br.
But, whether it's Broom, Brownlie or Bruce, who knows?
I'd probably tend to pick Broom, but I think Brownlie was called up last time they had a batsman in doubt.
Surely they wouldn't pick Ronchi?
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@Bovidae said in NZ v SA Test Series:
Broom and Henry come into the squad.
SA had the measure of Broom in the ODIs so I don't think they'll be too concerned.
It still shits me that our go-to new batsmen are Browlie & Broom, someone the other day was asking where our Matt Renshaw (of Habeeb, or Jennings) is, well, they are either not geting training early on, or just never getting picked.
Same deal at wickie where our go to back up us the 73 year old Ronchi
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@gollum said in NZ v SA Test Series:
@Bovidae said in NZ v SA Test Series:
Broom and Henry come into the squad.
SA had the measure of Broom in the ODIs so I don't think they'll be too concerned.
It still shits me that our go-to new batsmen are Browlie & Broom, someone the other day was asking where our Matt Renshaw (of Habeeb, or Jennings) is, well, they are either not geting training early on, or just never getting picked.
Same deal at wickie where our go to back up us the 73 year old Ronchi
Ronchi is due a big score though ( that's what I'm hoping after 50, 000 consecutive failures )
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@gollum I'd settle for Broom turning out to be Voges.
Plunket Shield, 2016/17 batting most runs career Records | ESPNcricinfo
Find Plunket Shield, 2016/17 batting most runs career records and stats on ESPNcricinfo. Check batting most runs career stats of Plunket Shield, 2016/17.
Thing is - when you look at the Plunket Shield runscoring list - who are the young guys making a compelling case for themselves?
Top of the list are Wilson, Woodcock, Ellis, Nicol and Hay - all guys in their 30s and Ellis and Woodcock are really bowlers who bat. Munro is the guy with the really outstanding figures and it's pretty obvious why he's not being given a shot. Bowes looks like a Jaapie. And then you're down to Broom and not long after that, Rutherford, Fulton and Papps.
So interspersed with these old guys who've been tried and found wanting you've got Bruce, Blundell and Cleaver - Bruce and Blundell have been on the fringes in short form stuff. I don't think either has really made a compelling case for test selection (though I'm being harsh on Bruce). Especially someone who is going to bat at 4 alongside Henry Nicholls, who is our anointed young guy (and is struggling).
If I'm Hesson and my job is to win this test series then I can see why he's picked Broom. What will be particularly awkward is if Broom scores runs and Nicholls doesn't, then when Rossco comes back we'll have a middle order of Kane, Ross and Neil to go forward with.
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