**Official** England in New Zealand

[Richard]

'ey Ath, y'know, that avatar challenge has finished now. You could put the old one back to celebrate the bowling-catching-double combo we've just seen.

 

[Richard]

6 men around the bat to Sidebottom!

 

[Richard]

Third new-ball taken.

Wonder how many third-new-balls have been taken (10 overs late too) at 348? Not too many I'd guess.

 

[Jamee999]

Monty gone.

 

[Richard]

A cool 868 dot-balls this innings.

Anderson now 28-62-1 in his game. That's pretty poor since the last look.

Mills gets the last wicket 1st ball, MSP gone. Right, now we see whether McCullum will be promoted.

 

[Jamee999]

Considering McCullum's kept for the past 2 days, he shouldn't open.

 

[Athlai]

Mr I played well against Bangladesh so therefore am obviously the best opener in the country gets picked up for a duck.

Sidebottom is the man though.

 

[Richard]

Siiiiiiiiiiiidddddddddeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyy.

 

[Athlai]

45 overs remaining, score at 4 an over and we're leading by 300 runs. Giving us all of tomorrow to bowl them out. 350 would be the cautious cat total to aim for but I hope the Black Caps go for the more attacking option of score runs today and bowl all (or close to all) of tomorrow.

Patel and Vettori should be lethal on the 5th day.

 

[Richard]

Were I a betting man, my money'd still be on the draw TBH.

Bell back at short-leg.

EDIT: and moved out.

 

[Richard]

Beautiful stuff from Fleming, APU.

If NZ score this innings (which I'd rate more likely than not) I really hope he gets lots.

 

[Athlai]

A decent knock from Fleming will see his average go over 40, hope he gets it. Also hope to see another good innings from How.

 

[Richard]

Well, with 6 hours to go, I think it's time to do something novel: make so many fairly random predictions, the odd one's bound to be wrong... so here we are.

Let's see how we're going so far...

I reckon the match will have a result.

Not looking good, and I thought that was a decent banker too.

I reckon Kyle Mills won't break-down after 6 overs the way he did the last time he played England (and the first time he played anyone) at Test level.

That WAS a decent banker.

I reckon Ryan Sidebottom, provided he doesn't bowl like he's obviously short of fitness, will take at least 6 wickets in the match.

Still pretty fair chance here, but if he only gets 2 this innings it'll be my good fortune he bowled at Chris Martin.

I reckon Brendon McCullum will score whatever runs he scores at a very considerable strike-rate - maybe even close to or over a-run-a-ball.

Pretty high chance there.

I reckon Ross Taylor, if he plays ahead of Peter Fulton (which he shouldn't), won't score very many.

I reckon Kyle Mills' first (proper) and Mathew Sinclair's first meeting with England will produce interesting results, whether of the outstanding or abysmal variety.

Sinclair yes, Mills no so far. Mills the only one of the NZ bowlers not to do something of great note.

If the pitch turns as some seem to think it will, I reckon Vettori and MSP will swarm all over their respective oppositions.

Hasn't really turned a hell of a lot... yet.

 

[Athlai]

You won't believe how ticked off I was with you guys with your Taylor bashing in recent times. He is an extremely talented young man and only gets out when he gives his wicket away, and due to that I always thought he had that superb disciplined coming of age knock in him. Hopefully in this innings we can also see a confident display of his more natural game, he took leg side shots almost entirely out of his arsenal and showed us the future this young man has.

The pressures off now Rossco, show us what you got.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

A decent knock from Fleming will see his average go over 40, hope he gets it. Also hope to see another good innings from How.

ATHLAI!!!!!

 

[Richard]

You won't believe how ticked off I was with you guys with your Taylor bashing in recent times. He is an extremely talented young man and only gets out when he gives his wicket away, and due to that I always thought he had that superb disciplined coming of age knock in him. Hopefully in this innings we can also see a confident display of his more natural game, he took leg side shots almost entirely out of his arsenal and showed us the future this young man has.

The pressures off now Rossco, show us what you got.

I'm certainly open to a fairly swift mind-change regarding Taylor. You know I never change on 1 innings, but up until this game I'd never seen a shred of suggestion he could play the sort of excellent knock he did in the first-innings. Just another couple of decent pieces of play and I'll be fairly confident he has a long, prosperous Test career ahead of him.

John, it is so good having you back. I hope this is not a one-off?

Vivaldi's Spring now being played over the speakers, ITSTL. Class piece, BTW, but not what you'd expect at the cricket.

Sadly I'll have to be heading to bed soon, though. Just as the game, possibly, gets really interesting.

 

[Richard]

ATHLAI!!!!!

Oh, yeah - John, tell Heath to stop being such a knee-jerking, hasty bugger and take me off <ignore>.

 

[Richard]

Beautiful stuff from Fleming, APU.

Flemo is such a dreamboat when he's driving.

 

[Athlai]

ATHLAI!!!!!

Missed you Heathster.

I'm certainly open to a fairly swift mind-change regarding Taylor. You know I never change on 1 innings, but up until this game I'd never seen a shred of suggestion he could play the sort of excellent knock he did in the first-innings. Just another couple of decent pieces of play and I'll be fairly confident he has a long, prosperous Test career ahead of him.

Well Richie that may be because you haven't seen him as much as us Kiwi's have. On the general whole we rate him quite highly apart from the stats-guru Permster and the knee-jerking efforts of dear Phlegm. Anyone who saw his grinding century against the Lankans or a lot of his earlier knocks was able to appreciate this rather attacking players method of batting, and the mind behind it. As his career goes on his greatest weakness (lapses of concentration) should hopefully become a thing of the past, I have high confidence in this regard.

John, it is so good having you back. I hope this is not a one-off?

We'll have to see.

 

[Athlai]

Oh, yeah - John, tell Heath to stop being such a knee-jerking, hasty bugger and take me off <ignore>.

Telling Heath to slow down would be like telling Sidebottom mullets aren't awesome.