Why don't you rate Ryder Rich? Is it his domestic List A record?Quoting this as the most recent post on the long topic, CBA multi-quoting all 20-odd posts on the subject...
New Zealand's best ODI batting card of my memory was: Horne, Astle, McMillan, Fleming, Twose, Cairns, Parore, Harris. That lined-up last in the 1999 WC, but could conceivably still have been together just 2 or 3 years ago. Right now, I'd probably go for something like...
Ryder, How, Styris, Fulton, Taylor, Oram, McCullum, Vettori. Which aside from the openers, neither of whom I rate much, looks pretty good. Fulton is wasted at six, any fool can see that, and the only way to get him moved up is to put McCullum back at seven for mine.
Why on Earth anyone is considering dropping Fulton, never mind for James Marshall, is totally beyond me. Guess the Kiwis will point to Bracewell again?
Ryder: If Sinclair doesn't get his act together in the domestic scene then I wouldn't mind the big Jesse getting the number 5 spot.In domestic ODs he has underachieved greatly but for NZ A I think someone said he averaged around 48 in limited overs games.Dunno, isn't Ryder actually an opener? That seemed to be what I'd read from various sources.
The reason I still don't rate Ryder is, yes, his domestic record is exceedingly poor (23 or summat, isn't it?) and he's so far played 3 innings at the ODI level. He got a single big one, yes, but wouldn't have done had Owais Shah been able to catch. The jury would remain out after just 3 innings anyway, but right now the verdict is poised on "poor" rather than "good".
How has simply looked awful near enough every time I've seen him TBH. Last season against Sri Lanka - albeit in a Test rather than ODI - I've rarely seen anyone look worse. Compared to Matthew Horne, the best New Zealand opener I've ever seen, he's shocking. And no, I never rated Richardson that much.
Daniel Flynn has been picked for the next two games. I guess theyre going to play him as if they just wanted someone to carry the drinks then why woud they take a young guy out of domestic cricket where he might learn a bit more, but you never know.It also doesn't help that our batting line up is completely ****ed up.
The most effective order would be McCullum, How, Taylor, Fulton, Styris, Ryder, Oram
Interesting, they obviously want to persist with Flynn.Daniel Flynn has been picked for the next two games. I guess theyre going to play him as if they just wanted someone to carry the drinks then why woud they take a young guy out of domestic cricket where he might learn a bit more, but you never know.
If Flynn plays then the whole batting order would be changed again. One of the batsmen would have to go to make room for him. My guess is either Fulton or How. Styris hasnt done that well but our team needs a bit of experience,
If How goes then I hope this happens
McCullum
Ryder
Taylor
Fulton
Styris
Flynn
Oram
If Fulton goes then who knows
Its not ideal but we have an abundance of players that are good at batting 3-5 and no one apart from our wicket keeper who can bat at 7 now that Adams has gone and Franklin is injured. I definitely don't want Fulton at 6, he'd be worse than anyone else. Ideally I'd have Ryder or McCullum down there but McCullum has been great at the top of the order recently so putting him back down would make the opening stint a big waste of time. I can't see Ryder going down the order either and really his role shouldn't be changed so dramatically this early in his career, not that he's a number 6 anyway. Styris could maybe do it but why waste our best ODI batsman down there?Why bat Flynn so far down the order, when he plays at number 4 for his province? He's a top order bat, not a middle order slogger, and shouldn't be shoehorned into such a role, especially not at this stage of his career. I presume he's been brought into a team as a potential replacement if Ryder doesn't recover in time for the rest of the series, so the batting lineup would look something like
McCullum
How
Taylor
Flynn
Styris
Fulton
Fulton hasn't been out of form, he just hasn't had a chance. Basically, we have three openers in the team, someone has to go. If a middle order player were to go I'd pick Taylor who has averages something like 29 since the carribbean. But of course he's the exciting young golden boy of NZ cricket..Why are some of you leaving Fulton in and taking How out?
How has more to offer to the team whereas Fulton looks completely out of place and is costing runs in the field. Domestically How hasn't been in too bad of touch and looked adequate in the Wellington game and the Christchurch Twenty20.
I would not pick Tuffey in a month of Sundays. Not these days anyway. He's not been the same player since his last injury. I would personally have Bond, Franklin and two out of Mason, Mills, Martin and Southee; depending on the situation. Ideally, Mason wouldn't ever be required and Martin has improved out of sight over the last 12 months, and appears to be a bit more injury resistant than your average Kiwi bowler. And I have NO doubts that O'BRIEN would have done better than Hitchcock.Well I certainly hope we never see Hitchcock again, but honestly - I really don't think O'Diren would have done much better.
When you've got 4 bowlers you'd ideally like to pick (Bond, Mason, Franklin, Tuffey) unavailable, you're always likely to struggle. We're reduced to the likes of Plunkett and Bresnan, NZ are reduced to O'Brien and Hitchcock. South Africa are reduced to the likes of Kruger and van der Wath. The list goes on.
Tbf, I coined the term O'Diren because of his continued selection for the Black Caps despite the fact he's not international class.Maybe until you are a better player than O'Brien you might want to consider stopping calling an excellent First Class bowler 'O'Diren'. Not only does it include the cliquey-ass 'Dire' but puts down an excellent servant to Wellington cricket; totally uncalled for.
Not international class... yes. 'Dire'... no. And much, much better than Hitchcock as a bowler - regardless of how many wickets Hitchcock has 'bought' on the cheap in List A.Tbf, I coined the term O'Diren because of his continued selection for the Black Caps despite the fact he's not international class.
Dire at international level, yes.Not international class... yes. 'Dire'... no.
No (and I know what Richard's reply to this will be). He bowled well against Bangladesh in a test match at the Basin Reserve. Better than 'Dire' at international level, but not by much.Dire at international level, yes.