Now that we're out of the series, I thought I might give everyone a rating out of ten. Let's see:
Astle - 1. Made 45 v England and stuff-all else. Was sad to see him retire, but he really was struggling out there.
Fleming - 4. Consistenly got starts despite looking way out of touch but would then throw it away. His hundred was a good innings but could have been scored more quickly, especially considering the start we got. Captaincy wasn't all that great either.
Vincent - 8. Against all probability Lou Vincent backed up a good score with several more. Should have turned at least one of those fifties into hundreds though. Threw his wicket away in the last game. Still wouldn't be suprised if he fails every game of the C-H series though.
Fulton - 5. Made a start in pretty much every game but would then chip one to the infield. Didn't rotate the strike enough early in his innings. Catching fell to pieces.
Taylor - 6. Could have done far better than what he did really. A few injudicious shots + Fleming running him out stopped him from really making a mark. Should be batting at 3. Several errors in the field as well.
Styris - 4. Bit harsh to judge him really seeing as he only played two games but he looked pretty scratchy. Bowling was what you usually expect from him.
McMillan - 3. One good score, where he should have been gone early on proved to be yet another false dawn for Craig McMillan. Same old, same old.
Oram - 7. Started with a bang and played the innings of his life vs Aus. Failed when it really mattered though. Bowling was unpenetrative and not as economical as it used to be.
McCullum - 5. The opening experiment feels like it was years ago now. Threw his wicket away while opening; failed down the order when it mattered vs England. Keeping started out OK and got better as the series progressed.
Vettori - 6. Bowling was pretty good for the first half of the series but then declined. Was milked for too many singles. Didn't do anything with the bat, but at least he's not batting at 5 anymore
Franklin - 6. A bit of a surprise packet - everyone was expecting him to be slapped all over the place and he didn't disappoint in the first game. After that though, he bowled reasonably well. Chipped in a few handy runs, though nothing substantial. Miraculously turned from one of our safest pairs of hands to the slipperiest.
Bond - 4. Disappointing, really. Took a lucky hat-trick in the first game, bowled economically in the second before the usual injuries took over, and came back bowling poorly. Looked good in the final game, but an expensive final over proved crucial (though better catching would have helped).
Gillespie - 5. First few games were excellent, and if certain people could catch could have been one of the top bowlers in the series. As it was though, he tired as the series went on and was a bit expensive (though more unlucky than any other bowler). Two main problems - 1) Bowls too many no-balls and 2) Seam position. I've seen him get a perfect seam position once, and that was when he bowled Mahela Jayawardene with a massive inswinger earlier this year. Usually it's scrambled and I can't work out why he can't keep it straight - maybe trying to bowl too fast or bowl too much into-the-pitch.
Patel - 5. His figures don't really show how well he bowled, because at times he was excellent. Tended to get spanked in one over every game though. Fielded well.
Mills - 1. Was clearly out of it in the only game he played. Quite a shame really, he was finally repaying the endless faith in him shown by Bracewell. Looks like he'll be out for the World Cup, which means huge responsibility for Franklin.
Marshall - 1. Only played one game, off memory, and made a duck. Dropped a catch too in one of his many sub-fielder appearances. Pity his career has gone absolutely down the toilet, because he was looking so good when he first came on the scene.
Adams - N/A. Didn't play at all.
