NZ v Australia Test #1

mariner4life

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Immenso Rapido" data-cid="557945" data-time="1455149677">
<div>
Craig is the least of our concerns though. This is the weakest we've looked for about 3 years. 
Taylor out and Baz no longer the 2014 version, and Corey looking scratchy. This is our weakest middle order since Cape Town. 
Boult and Southee both having listless injury disrupted seasons. 
4. Nicholls 
5. McCullum 
6. Anderdon 
Is powder puff soft. God help us if Ronchi is at 7. 

</div>
</blockquote>
So much this. If Watling can't find some runs as well, it's a dangerous (for us) looking lineup. 
 
 
I'm not a selector, so maybe i am missing something, but how can our form bowler of the summer not get a run? He's taken a bucketfull of wickets by pitching it up, bowling quick, and letting the ball do the work. Surely that's test bowling 101?

No Quarter

<div>New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, Brendon McCullum (captain), Corey Anderson, BJ Watling, Doug Bracewell, Mark Craig, Tim Southee, Trent Boult.</div>
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<div>Australia: Joe Burns, David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (captain), Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill, Peter Siddle, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Jackson Bird.</div>

No Quarter

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="mariner4life" data-cid="557959" data-time="1455153252">
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So much this. If Watling can't find some runs as well, it's a dangerous (for us) looking lineup. 
 
 
I'm not a selector, so maybe i am missing something, but how can our form bowler of the summer not get a run? He's taken a bucketfull of wickets by pitching it up, bowling quick, and letting the ball do the work. Surely that's test bowling 101?
</div>
</blockquote>
 
I agree. I think Southee is very lucky to be in given his lack of cricket due to injury, and then before injury lack of form. He is starting to live off past glories to the detriment of Henry getting a shot.

Virgil

Has a poor record at the Basin too, averages around 44 runs per wicket. 
So um yeah... I'm confident

hydro11

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Virgil" data-cid="557956" data-time="1455152648">
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Oh oh here comes a stat 
Bowling SR's 
Vettori 79 
Is Shodi 83 
Mark Craig..... 69
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SR is less important for a spinner I think. The debate was really Sodhi vs Craig and neither has a great record in the longer formats. Santner's FC record is terrible as well. 4 quicks plus Anderson just wasn't very likely.

Immenso Rapido

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="No Quarter" data-cid="557961" data-time="1455153568">
I agree. I think Southee is very lucky to be in given his lack of cricket due to injury, and then before injury lack of form. He is starting to live off past glories to the detriment of Henry getting a shot.</blockquote>
 
Yeah. I pretty much agree on this one. 
I don't think Henry is a 3rd seamers asshole, so no complaints on Wagner or Bracewell being selected ahead of him. But I think he should be really challenging Southee at the moment for that new ball spot. 
We've got good bowling depth. But so far we've only used that depth to rotate S & B out of the short formats. I reckon Southee is a better bowler than Henry, he has more tools, but if you have an injury disrupted and out of form guy then rotate him out. 
It's easy for us to say thus stuff, but Hesson is going to need these guys to perform after they've been dropped and recalled, so has more skin in the game. However I think Southee could easily be rotated out due to lack of game time in this situation and no one's ego needs to be roughed up.

Gunner

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="No Quarter" data-cid="557961" data-time="1455153568">
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I agree. I think Southee is very lucky to be in given his lack of cricket due to injury, and then before injury lack of form. He is starting to live off past glories to the detriment of Henry getting a shot.
</div>
</blockquote>
Hardly lucky, he's been our senior bowler for a number of years now. A short term injury break isn't going to change that.

canefan

Meteoric rise for Nicholls. I didn't even know he existed until the BBL, a couple of months later he's debuted in the ODIs now the white jarmies

No Quarter

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Gunner" data-cid="557965" data-time="1455155700">
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Hardly lucky, he's been our senior bowler for a number of years now. A short term injury break isn't going to change that.
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I'm not saying drop him from the squad. But you've got an out of form player coming back from injury against a fully fit and firing player that has been taking a bucket load of wickets all summer. Rotating Southee out while he gets some decent cricket under his belt is the smart thing to do, IMO. Hesson's opinion obviously is to play him, and he is closer to the action then me so will have a better idea of how he is travelling. But on the face of it we are just picking him on past glories.
 
And if Southee takes a bag of wickets tomorrow you'll all have me to thank.

dogmeat

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Immenso Rapido" data-cid="557945" data-time="1455149677">
Craig has alternated between bloody marvellous and bloody awful. The issue isn't that Craig is useless, it's that he's terribly inconsistent. Not just between games, but inconsistent between <strike>days or spells</strike> balls.
</blockquote>

dogmeat

Although I agree he has performed for us as recently as Trent Bridge. He's a match winner in the 3/4 innings if conditions suit. and a match loser if they don't

Smudge

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MN5" data-cid="557954" data-time="1455152222">
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The fuck ? has this turned into some gay dating site when I wasn't looking ? Would you like to Waj him too ?
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</blockquote>
 
I don't know if you have watery eyes from choking on Gayle-sized wood too often, but height is a handy attribute for a spinner in terms of extracting extra bounce from otherwise benign surfaces.

Bovidae

A very predictable team but tough on Henry. This is a toss BMac needs to win as I doubt Aust will bat first as they usually do at home. NZ needs to make best use of the likely first session pitch conditions.

Siam

Exciting innit?
 
For every thought of hope and expectation that Guppy will fire, Timmy will fire, Nicholls will join Kane as debutant centurions, Baz wins the toss, BJ bats for 4 hours, Craig takes an unexpected bag etc etc
 
is the dread that
 
Aus are against a wall, DDD has one of his blinders, Smith stops saying "disappointing" all the time, Ussie pulls finger, Siddle relishes the green etc etc
 
 
Bloody hard to pick because as long suffering BC supporters we literally can imagine every best and worse case scenario...and none are out of the realms of possibility.
 
Be a great game to be at and soak up the tension and potential

MN5

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Smudge" data-cid="557975" data-time="1455161338">
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I don't know if you have watery eyes from choking on Gayle-sized wood too often, but height is a handy attribute for a spinner in terms of extracting extra bounce from otherwise benign surfaces. 
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</blockquote>
 
That's a surprisingly good dig from you Smudge, I usually expect that from M4L, TR, NTA or Virg. Does that explain why Suliman Benn is the greatest spinner who ever spun and normal sized guys like Murali, Warnie, Benaud, Little Mushy, Quadir, harbhajan, bedi etc were all quite shit ?

dogmeat

Aaaah It's all about height then. Explains the Don, Sachin, Ponting, Gavaskar etc ..... and Gayle too.

MN5

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="dogmeat" data-cid="557987" data-time="1455166383">
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Aaaah It's all about height then. Explains the Don, Sachin, Ponting, Gavaskar etc ..... and Gayle too.
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</blockquote>
 
Hey didn't do Joel Garner or Curtley any harm......and "little masters" like Bradman, Lara, Tendulkar etc seemed to benefit as batsmen from being a bit lower to the ground....but to try and claim Mark Craig is good because he has "height" ( Smudge has obviously seen him in too many photos next to McCullum and Williamson ) is the biggest load of tenuous bullshit I've heard since Warnie was claiming his Mum gave him the fat loss pills.

Smudge

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MN5" data-cid="557991" data-time="1455168207">
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t to try and claim Mark Craig is good because he has "height" ( Smudge has obviously seen him in too many photos next to McCullum and Williamson ) 
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</blockquote>
 
 
You should direct your pissy-girl anger at Kiwipie, not me. I'm just giving the background as to why height can be an advantage for a spinner.

MN5

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Smudge" data-cid="558001" data-time="1455173056">
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You should direct your pissy-girl anger at Kiwipie, not me. I'm just giving the background as to why height can be an advantage for a spinner.
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There's no anger and the "background" and amazing insight you imply is non existent, I think it was the lame dig that may have irked me a bit.

reprobate

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Gunner" data-cid="557965" data-time="1455155700">
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Hardly lucky, he's been our senior bowler for a number of years now. A short term injury break isn't going to change that.
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boult is our senior quick and has been for a number of years now, while southee is someone who everyone says is our senior bowler, but doesn't really bowl like it, in my opinion at least. too inconsistent, lacks discipline. he should be one of our best ever - he's tall, quick enough, and moves the ball beautifully both ways. incredible at youth WC. he was getting there under bond, but seems to have stalled somewhat.

The Silver Fern

NZ v Australia Test #1