RSA vs NZ, 1st Test, Durban
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MN5" data-cid="610770" data-time="1472536228"><p>
Do we just accept that we're never going to have all the components of a world class test team at one time ? by the time another opener ( Latham is good enough ) and a test class spinner emerge Taylor may well have retired and therefore the two class top order batsmen we have are reduced to one. The next Bond or even Hadlee may come along but by then Williamson might have gone etc.<br><br>
It seems NZ cricket has been on the hunt for an opening pair since Edgar retired and left Wright on his own and even then he wasn't exactly world class, he was solid and did his job.</p></blockquote>
Pretty much that, although Wright and Franklin are actually our best ever test opening partnership.<br><br>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="gollum" data-cid="610798" data-time="1472546116">
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<p>I'll just leave trhis here as I know how much folk on here enjoy spitting coffee all over theior keyboard -</p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.espncricinfo.com/county-cricket-2016/content/story/1051649.html'>http://www.espncricinfo.com/county-cricket-2016/content/story/1051649.html</a></p>
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<p>Jeetan Patel was hailed as "one of the best overseas players Warwickshire have ever had" by Ian Bell after his career-best one-day bowling performance guided his side to the final of the Royal London Cup.</p>
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<p>Patel, with the first five-wicket haul of a limited-overs career that stretches back to the previous century, expertly applied pressure on a Somerset batting order chasing a testing target on a slow, used surface. With some balls turning and some skidding on, Patel claimed all his dismissals with leg before shouts, punishing Somerset's habit of playing across the line. Warwickshire will play Surrey in the final at Lord's on September 17. When Patel signed for Warwickshire in 2009, he looked a modest addition. He was not the sort of star name that increased the gate and did not have the sort of record - he had a first-class bowling average above 40 - that suggested he would prove a match-winner.</p>
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<p>But a star he has been. He has taken at least 50 wickets in each of the last five first-class county seasons - he is the leading wicket-taker in Division One of the County Championship this year - improved his batting to the point where he averages 26.69 for Warwickshire in first-class cricket (with two centuries and 11 half-centuries) and proved himself indispensable. <strong><em>He deserves to be rated, alongside Allan Donald, Brian Lara, Rohan Kanhai </em></strong>and the rest, as the best Warwickshire have had. He has already agreed to return in 2017 and, if the club ask, will sign for 2018 as well. He insists he has not thought about qualifying for England ("wouldn't I just be holding back a young fella?" was his typically no nonsense response to that question) but admitted it was an intriguing idea. Nobody in England bowls spin anywhere near this standard.</p>
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<p>Or New Zealand for that matter. But Patel turned down the last approach for a recall a couple of years ago reasoning that leaving in the middle of a county season may compromise his relatively secure day job with Warwickshire for two weeks of modestly-paid international cricket. He is, though, a far better bowler - and batsman, actually - than the man who last played international cricket in January 2013.</p>
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<p>Also anything north of a 175 chase for us we have zero chance, no one has ever chased 260+ at Centurion & I can't see Guppy, Nichols & that tail changing that. We were fucked the minute we bowled first in helpful conditions against a mediocre side & bowled a pile of shit at them for a day </p>
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<p>So he gets his first five for ever in a long career, and he's the best ??????</p>
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<p>Man fuck this thread.....I give up....where's my coat ?</p> -
<p>I was a huge Patel detractor after that shit he pulled in SA last time, and will never be convinced that that type of technique was acceptable at all when playing for your country. Fuck if it's scaring the shit out of you then just fucking fake it and grow some, but at least do something to try to better your team's position</p>
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<p>But I'm all for him having a bowl for us if Kane and Hesson and co want him. He's obviously displaying great control of the ball, and that's all that bowling boils down to really.</p>
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<p>If they do want him but he doesn't want to play - well fuck him, discussion over</p>
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<p>If they don't want for reasons we don't know - well fuck him, discussion over</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MN5" data-cid="610802" data-time="1472546754">
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<p>So he gets his first five for ever in a long career, and he's the best ??????</p>
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<p>Man fuck this thread.....I give up....where's my coat ?</p>
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<p>No, he takes 50 wickets a year, every year, 5 consecutive years & he is one of Warks best... you needed to read down further before spit-posting.</p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Siam" data-cid="610805" data-time="1472547513">
<div><br><p>But I'm all for him having a bowl for us if Kane and Hesson and co want him. He's obviously displaying great control of the ball, and that's all that bowling boils down to really.</p>
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<p>He got sounded out a few times, but it was one off test series & it'd have screwed his county contract so I get why he didn't agree. Equally the only way it would have worked is if he'd been handed a decent contract but why would you contract a 34 year old spinner in NZ on big money? So I get why they didn't go overboard.</p>
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<p>I'd argue (as Simon Doull did yesterday in the test, and as Patel notes when asked) that they need to focus on Ish. Jeets is an example of why its stupid to write off a good - but underperforming spinner WAY before he hits peak years for a spinner (the 30's), hopefully Ish will get a LOT of scope to develop.</p>
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<p>Jeetan is an odd one in that he's a kiwi who has been a huge success, really - utterly adored in county cricket, the likes of Vaughan, Swann, Boycott etc all rate him as the best spinner in England, 5 consecutive 50 wicket years in England is staggeringly rare - especially for a spinner, and the NZ reaction to a Kiwi doing well (in this case) is "he can fuck off!!!" </p> -
<p>Both openers out first ball in the same innings.</p>
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<p>Any one know if, or how many times, this has happened before?</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="gollum" data-cid="610808" data-time="1472548833">
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<p>No, he takes 50 wickets a year, every year, 5 consecutive years & he is one of Warks best... you needed to read down further before spit-posting.</p>
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<p>He got sounded out a few times, but it was one off test series & it'd have screwed his county contract so I get why he didn't agree. Equally the only way it would have worked is if he'd been handed a decent contract but why would you contract a 34 year old spinner in NZ on big money? So I get why they didn't go overboard.</p>
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<p>I'd argue (as Simon Doull did yesterday in the test, and as Patel notes when asked) that they need to focus on Ish. Jeets is an example of why its stupid to write off a good - but underperforming spinner WAY before he hits peak years for a spinner (the 30's), hopefully Ish will get a LOT of scope to develop.</p>
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<p>Jeetan is an odd one in that he's a kiwi who has been a huge success, really - utterly adored in county cricket, the likes of Vaughan, Swann, Boycott etc all rate him as the best spinner in England, 5 consecutive 50 wicket years in England is staggeringly rare - especially for a spinner, and the NZ reaction to a Kiwi doing well (in this case) is "he can fuck off!!!" </p>
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<p>I'm perfectly entitled to jump to conclusions and be outraged.</p>
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<p>Back to the action at hand, good plan boys, get our two best batsmen as much time as possible in the middle. Excellent work from Latham and Guptill.</p> -
<p>Usually when people talk about someone being dismissed by an unplayable delivery it's simply that they got one that was too good for them. Peple likie Sachin and Sir Viv got bowled a lot less "unplayable deliveries" than other people.</p>
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<p>But that one Rossco got was borderline unplayable.</p>
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<p>Little Kane goes - we're 7/4 and 26 looking a long way off! </p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MN5" data-cid="610824" data-time="1472551749">
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<p>Solid partnership between Nicholls and Watling, they'll be aiming to get that 20 up then it's game on from there. Bracewell or Southee to top score......</p>
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<p>Wagner would be worth a tenner to top score given he will unquestionably try put Steyn in the stands & Steyn will bounce him letting him top edge a couple of 6's.</p>
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<p>Southees "technique" v quicks - ie back away till you are leaning on the hordings & have a swing, won't last long v these guys if they just aim at the stumps.</p>
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<p>Wagner will get longer as Steyn will be trying to hit him for 5 balls before just yorking him</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="mimic" data-cid="610776" data-time="1472538461">
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<p>Sorry I was really talking about Raval.. who I think is better than Nicholls..<br>
Popli has only one good season, but it shits on anything Nicholls has done..</p>
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<p>Guptill has to be dropped though so then you have to bring in someone else to open.<br>
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<p>To be honest, it won't surprise me at all if Guppy doesn't get dropped. They persisted for longer with less return from Hamish Rutherford.</p>
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<p>I'm inclined to think Hesson runs a supportive regime for his batsmen in that he will back you and give you lots of chances - but, he's also got a streak of Neil Young in him in that - once you're gone, you can't come back - at least not for quite a while.</p>
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<p>I think he's a lot more patient and consistent than us fans - I like it a lot better than the chop and change "pull a rabbit out of a hat" policies we've seen in the past - which certainly saw many rabbits pulled from the hat, but very little magic.</p>
