Cricket 2021: NZ in England and WTC Final
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Jesus, just read @majorrage post a moment ago just after i'd read this piece by Jarrod Kimber:
Not luck, not fluke - New Zealand deserve to be the World Test Champions
Cricket's second favourite team has fought hard and come a long way to become world No.1
I watched NZ win their first test against England in 1978, just scrape past the Windies in 1980,win with the Ilford Seconds in 1986, Marty & Andrew Jones bat for eons at the Basin, then the apocalypse that was 1995-2012 where we celebrated mediocrity and prostituted our test game for limited Overs - including match fixers.
Then after the nadir of South Africa, the captaincy change debacle, we saw the rise of McCullum (Captain's Knock Edition) - the glory that was the UAE no bumper test , McCullum making doubles and a triple, Southee, Boult, Wags, Rosco , Kane and Latham...s
and all I could think of while they were getting each single run was Bert Sutcliffe never playing ina test win, Martin Donnelly and Stewie Dempster having to make their money playing for County and invitation sides , the 49 tourists playing in England to force 4 day tests, the 73 tourists forcing 5 day tests, and finally thinking how Marty would have reacted to this one.
@MajorRage you said it far more eloquently than I ever could. This one means everything to people like me.
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I think ICC rankings are updated each Wednesday so I would expect Kane to take back top spot from Smith. Should be some other big moves from Jamieson and Conway. Southee is 3 on the bowling list but don’t think he’ll overtake Ashwin (Cummins is streets ahead in the lead).
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Just some final thoughts before I get some sleep.
Spirit of the Game:
From the very start, when Virat made a point of acknowledging and congratulating BJ on his career, this game was played in the best way, with moments of camaraderie, respect and appreciation.
I've just been watching the final days highlights and little things have struck me, Kohli's tap on the shoulder after Rosco got hit in the head, the bromance hug at the end of the game between Kohli and Kane, Rosco and Kane walking off like Tenzing and Ed, the graciousness of Kohli's comments including the good humoured smile regarding Kylo having the wood on him. All these things plus the obvious emotion in Doullie's interview with Rosco.It was a very special match. An advertisement for Test cricket where technique and mental application were at the forefront. Two bowling attacks that operated at as close to 100% as dammit, where a 40 or 50 was worth a century in most other matches, on a pitch that wasn't unplayable but was in that great understatement of test Cricket; a "sporting" wicket.
Now the emotions are more under control, and the stress is gone, this really did live up to the branding. There was imperfect play, but that's to be expected given the stakes and the occasion. And Frankly I'm glad it wasn't at Lords just because I realkly don't like the quality of the actual playing surface with the slope (it's about as flawed a playing surface as Eden Park is for tests). ut both sides have refused to give it away during the two years of the tournament, NZ having to win all 4 tests of their final programmeto qualify, India fighting back in Australia and grabbing victory over England after falling 1-0 down at home.
I've been able to ignore the Bobs and Vags segment of fandom today because they are irrelevant. Just seeing the world wide reaction from test cricket fans, former players and administratorshas reinforced just how good this match was. There's been some quality writing and analysis before during and after this match, for sure,
I really hope that the WTC and the quality of this match keeps Test cricket as the pinnacle of the sport. Sure, improvements need to be made, but no one expected much of the 1930 or 1987 world cups for football and rugby respectively at the time. Thankfully Virat and Kane are absolute champions of the improtance of test Cricket. And yes, I see Virat's POV regarding a best of three final, I just don't agree with him. But at least he's thinking about Test cricket .
I'm probably going to bask in this game for a while at least until the India -England series starts. But tonight I'm sure that there's a smile on Hogan's face and he's at peace. -
I had been sporadically watching the test. Every update was dour. Rain, light, no play. Only one game! They're going to find a way to fuck us again aren't they??!
Then the 6th day. I had lost touch with cricket living in Australia, because of the w@nk fest that is big bash and the complete lack of reporting other nations outside of who Australia is playing. I wasn't aware reserve days were now a thing. I went to work and said "6th fucking day!" to my poor unassuming but fairly interested boss. He said he was aware and he hoped NZ knocked it off.
I have found that a lot of Aussies think that the NZ team is magic and not in a big brother little brother way. They know our players and the rate them. Not so long ago if you asked a smart arse Aussie who our best current player was, they either didn't know or answered the guy with the moustache. Hadlee obviously. But now more and more people I talk sport with, here, respect them. It's not lip service to keep the kiwi guy happy either.
I am so proud of what they have done in the last few years. I think of the super over game as a triumph of sorts. Just the absolute class shown afterward in what was a incredibly difficult result to accept. Go further back to the embarrassment of the 2015 ODI final. The foundations were really starting to take shape around that period. We knew despite the result that we had players that could dictate their own terms. We didn't need to play like anyone else. We had a NZ style and I believe today was another occasion where we put it on show. The system they have now and the pathway to achieve is amazing. It highlights that if sports in NZ can get a system not unlike the one we have with rugby, that we can be great elsewhere. In other sports as well.
Great stuff Black Caps.
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Dig deep, get down and dirty - no one does it better than New Zealand
Delayed gratification comes to those who push on through the suffering - just look at Williamson's men | ESPN.com.au
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@rotated said in Cricket 2021: NZ in England and WTC Final:
Just in case any of you nodded off and missed the pivotal moment of Day 6.
A guy in a team that got soundly beaten hitting a solitary four. Yeah fuck right off with that shit. Even Chris Martin managed a few of those from time to time.
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@mn5 said in Cricket 2021: NZ in England and WTC Final:
@rotated said in Cricket 2021: NZ in England and WTC Final:
Just in case any of you nodded off and missed the pivotal moment of Day 6.
A guy in a team that got soundly beaten hitting a solitary four. Yeah fuck right off with that shit. Even Chris Martin managed a few of those from time to time.
Straight back down the ground to Harbijan Singh IIRC
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Possibly mentioned on here already but anyone saying Test Cricket will die can get absolutely fucked. Low scoring and tough to bat on but this final was a fantastic advertisement for the game.
Great for bowlers and there’s nothing wrong with that. Massive scores can get boring after awhile.
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@rotated said in Cricket 2021: NZ in England and WTC Final:
Just in case any of you nodded off and missed the pivotal moment of Day 6.
In context this was a phone in type poll, like the Vodafone man of the match going to David Warner in a losing team vs nz in Hobart that time.
And yes, both are an abomination on sport and all things decent.
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@no-quarter said in Cricket 2021: NZ in England and WTC Final:
Paddles with a Jamieson like average there…..no accident who is number one and two though. What a devastating pair they are.
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@siam said in Cricket 2021: NZ in England and WTC Final:
@rotated said in Cricket 2021: NZ in England and WTC Final:
Just in case any of you nodded off and missed the pivotal moment of Day 6.
In context this was a phone in type poll, like the Vodafone man of the match going to David Warner in a losing team vs nz in Hobart that time.
And yes, both are an abomination on sport and all things decent.
It's from the ICC.
If the were truly a global organisation, it shoudn't have even been an option.
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Here’s a question to ponder.
If Paddles got picked up by Marty McFly and transported into the future at his peak ( when he was in his 30s ) which of our four pacemen would he displace ?
I mean, he’s fucken Paddles, a better batsman than any of them, better bowler too so no way you don’t select him but which one of our four current champions misses out ?Unpopular as it might seem I’m gonna have to pick Boult.
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@mn5 said in Cricket 2021: NZ in England and WTC Final:
@no-quarter said in Cricket 2021: NZ in England and WTC Final:
Paddles with a Jamieson like average there…..
He was alright, that Paddles chap...
It's great that Blundell is ready to replace Watling, some good succession planning there.
Very happy that Taylor came through with the big innings when the chips were down and we desperately needed his experience. World Test Championship final, 2 down for 40 chasing 140 and it could all go horribly pear-shaped... And Taylor and Williamson just put together another big partnership to seal the game, cool as you like - just another day at the office.
