The Silver Fern

So bring it on!!!!!
Oz in Oz!!!
It’s our best opportunity to win over here but the Ghosts of cricket past still haunt me.
Whitney holding Hadlee at bay in particular!
Can get $4 on the NZ and $8 on the draw so I took both of those.
If we bowl first I reckon they’ll struggle to bowl us out twice.
How often has that happened in the last few years?
Going to the Sydney Test with my 21 & 23 year old boys who have not experienced “real” cricket!
NZ playing in Perth at the MCG and SCG will be lucky if I live long enough to see that again!!!
Ultimate Summer of Cricket!!

I was out there today!
Expected a few more Kiwis but understand how underwhelmed the band wagon jumpers must be so it was only diehard supporters with scarred memories of days of yore!
The numbers and names on shirts (which I initially hated) were very helpful especially with the amount of changes to the team.
It was distressing enough when Henry opened the bowling but when CdG came rollicking in from the other end my only thought was where’s Southee?
FFS he’s taken the second most wickets in this series behind Wagner!
Guess we don’t know the whole story on that one.....
Raval looked really energised in the field early as did the rest of the side but it fell away noticeably as they day got longer.
As others have said everything else was déjà vu ......
Highlight of the day was Smith getting off the mark !!
I hadn’t been to a Test Match in ten years but used to go annually and had forgotten the two best things about real cricket live!

1. No commentary! Just watching the match unfold whilst having a full view of where players are being moved in the field and trying to guess the next delivery! So good for the cricket brain as on radio we only ever visualise and on the box we are totally limited to the vision we are presented with!
2. Hearing punters far more knowledgeable than you discuss the game. My two boys 21 & 23 were totally blown away by this! I follow cricket quite seriously and they are both keen but overhearing discussions on another level about cricket was very cool.
   The boys were hoping NZ batted first!

It’s not going to be pretty but it’s giving some fringe players an opportunity to do something special on a big stage and the older statesmen a last chance to make a statement at the SCG!!

And although they had 14 styles of Aussie Cap in Merchandising the only headwear available for Kiwis was a Bucket Hat!!! I shit you not!!!
I had to buy one as I didn’t take any headwear with me as I intended to buy a cap!

Wagner live was awesome 😎

Interesting build up in Oz for this series.
Two big spreads in the Sunday Tele and multimedia is pumping out the message to the public they don’t realise how good this Kiwi team is unless you start crunching numbers.
Usually not many Aussies care about how the Black Caps are performing unless they play Australia so they are oblivious of some of the marvellous wins we have conjured up in the last three years and their circumstances.
It’s a very tough ask playing pink ball at Perth’s new stadium as the surface will be a bit of an unknown beast and especially with Oz having played their last test under lights and no warm up game for the Good Guys.
Not too concerned with injuries as they’ll only play Trent if they reckon he’s got enough overs in him and why not debut your most exciting new young bowler to Test Cricket in Perth in a very new stadium! Rossco and CdG will fine!!
Not making any predictions until after the first session once I’ve seen the pitch and got the vibe.
This is the big one guys beating Oz in Oz and we have a squad with genuine depth and three (3) tests to do it in.
And the betting odds are so much better than the AB’s 🤓

@Billy-Webb said in RWC: South Africa v Italy (Pool :

Game is at midday SA time on Friday.
I have arranged for a braai and beers for all my staff so they can watch the game in true Saffer style.
You'd better bloomin well be right. Otherwise I am pouring water on the braai and making them all work overtime on the weekend.

This made me log back in after years of lurking because....
Well just because 🤓

Watched the first day of the Gabba test in a Pub in Dubbo Country NSW.
As the locals growling got louder with my celebration of each wicket I curbed my enthusiasm somewhat 🤓

It’s my birthday I can cry if I have to but don’t think I’ll need to.
I’m quite confident about this game as it feels the ABs are taking it as just another step that needs to be taken on “The Journey” opposed to the Oirish shenanigans!
Start with my kids helping me do final preparations on the vege garden that will see us not having to buy any for the next six months!
We will then graze on exotic cheeses seafood party pies and cheerios until the Oz Pom game where the men will go watch and the women amuse themselves.
By the time the game is over the girls will have hopefully gossiped out as we have no internet inside (even though the nearest Telstra/Optus shop is only 20 minutes away😱 so we will stream the game with three of us huddled around the largest mobile we have whilst indulging at an appropriate rate!
Life is good 🤓

@KiwiMurph
Bowling first seemed like the best option and hope for the best...
Missing runouts against Oz you will always get punished and a couple of pieces of luck went against us so I guess we just get up tomorrow with a relatively shiny nut and go like stink in the first session and hopefully playing on a road for the second half of the day.
Pitch looks like it could turn into anything so let’s just hope we get the best batting conditions, knock them over cheaply and score enough to take it to a decider in Sydney !
I am a positive supporter who has been hanging off the bandwagon for 50 years so indulge my fantasies 🤓

@canefan
O Ye of little faith!!!!
Given this is the last day of my holidays and I’ve done three hours work in the garden this morning I’m ready (and allowed justifiably so) to settle in and watch the BCs step up and bat out a solid day!!!!👍
Are we still only one down 🙏
🤓

On the topic of dry powder.....
Savea and Barret starting at 6 was discussed a lot and becomes a reality!
Picking players on form ie Reece and Bridge who would have thunk it at the start of Super Rugby?
I love the way that the team selected is not what scheming Eddie has been planning on!
Also the pod formations have developed to a new level but remain interchangeable making it near impossible to pick how we will structure our set up for attack.
Throw the twin attack of Richie and Beauden into the mix and potentially this could be one of the great AB sides!
We have a tight 5 to match up to anyone but across the rest of the park we have unmatched talent with a youthful enthusiasm that is irresistible!
If we lose it will not be through conservative selections!
ABs by 12🤓

@TeWaio
Deans try 1905 as well!!
Bastards!!!

@voodoo said in Plans for Saturday:

@TeWaio said in Plans for Saturday:

I bloody love this thread

Me too bro, me too.

And they say men aren’t honest with their emotions and are unable to umm
Emote them 🤷🏻‍♂️🤓

@Xpat61 said in Plans for Saturday:

@TeWaio
RWC annulments do not count!

@booboo
Do not start on the Oz in Oz decisions
The Sneddon catch?

@Chris-B
Or one!

@NTA said in Cricket: NZ vs Aus:

@Xpat61 said in Cricket: NZ vs Aus:

@NTA
No credit for it being a great delivery then Nick?

Before I go any further: How hard do I need to suck his dick to make you happy? 🤔

More impressive was the short ball setup and realisation that Labuschagne was shuffling across too far.

The delivery itself was a stock ball at the top of leg stump with a hint of swing.

EDIT: you changed your post

Us Kiwis can be sneaky....🤓

@Mokey
Ye of little faith !

@Chris-B
Five down would be very handy!
Record crow too...

The best batting conditions will be tomorrow afternoon and Saturday when we should be at the crease!
I watched something on TV about drop in pitches today so I feel quite qualified to comment on this!
Restrict them to 330 score 480 then bowl them out for 300 and it’s on😎
I’m taking my sons to the first day in Sydney and I want a decider dammit!

Well this is not going to plan at all!
I’ve been ensconced in enemy territory since the last Boxing Day Test and have to say we have been very bloody average!
To beat Oz in Oz you need to have a couple of players at the top of their game! Can’t knock Wagner but can’t find anyone else who has played to their true potential so we’re getting our asses kicked....
Congratulations to Blundell on his well deserved ton but who decided his nude balls were the ultimate attacking weapon after lunch yesterday?
Weird shit ????
So no one gives The Craps a snowflakes chance in hell in the Sydney Test?
Time to double down and put the house on them because we all know they’ll get smashed 🤓