**Official** England in New Zealand

[Blakey]

You're suggesting the NZ team did not look at the strip this morning?

Well if that is the case and it has changed dramatically then they have made a mistake.

However the England captain also said he would have had a bowl first if they had one the toss.

 

[TT Boy]

Gillespie bowling all over the shop like he did in South Africa, although, hopefully England doesn’t gift him a five wicket haul like RSA did.

 

[pasag]

Nice start from England, though mixed feelings supporting them after what they did to Hoggard

 

[Richard]

You're suggesting the NZ team did not look at the strip this morning?

Well if that is the case and it has changed dramatically then they have made a mistake.

However the England captain also said he would have had a bowl first if they had one the toss.

I know, and that seems to suggest they might have made the same mistake.

TBH, I think it's probably very lucky for Vaughan he didn't win the toss. I could see that being the beginning of the end for his captaincy if he'd fielded first and it'd backfired here, as it was for Hussain in 2002\03. Given the way people tend to totally overreact to bad field-first decisons.

 

[Richard]

Gillespie bowling all over the shop like he did in South Africa, although, hopefully England doesn’t gift him a five wicket haul like RSA did.

TBF, he bowled much better in his wicket-taking spell on day-three than he did in his awful spell on day-two. It was far from a convincing performance, but it was one that held a bit of promise.

Apart from 1 or 2 deliveries, though, he's repeated his opening spell here.

 

[Richard]

Interesting, Martin now finding some late inswing-to-the-right-hander, and Oram getting it to go both ways off the seam.

Highly unusual Kookaburra behaviour to do not-that-much with the brand-new and a bit after 20-odd overs.

EDIT: apparently this can happen in Wellington when it warms-up, according to some Sky New Zealand commentators.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I'd probably be best advised to wait to Lunch, but I'll go for it now as I'm off for a bath and some supper at Lunch so... question for Kiwis (I see John, DoG and Geg reading this thread for starters): what are you thinking of Vettori's (or whoever's - blame Bracewell if you prefer ) decision so far?

Strikes me, as I say earlier, as hasty, based on looking at the pitch yesterday not today.

Hmm....

Either way, Danny Vettori wins the toss and fields. Wise decision for mine.

"Hasty" wasn't exactly what you said earlier, was it...?

 

[Richard]

Yeah, thought it was wise at first, rapidly changed my mind after actually looking at the pitch for the first time.

At the toss, I'd not seen the pitch, merely heard the CricInfo description.

 

[Richard]

I'd probably be best advised to wait to Lunch, but I'll go for it now as I'm off for a bath and some supper at Lunch so... question for Kiwis (I see John, DoG and Geg reading this thread for starters): what are you thinking of Vettori's (or whoever's - blame Bracewell if you prefer ) decision so far?

Strikes me, as I say earlier, as hasty, based on looking at the pitch yesterday not today.

The "earlier" I was thinking of was here BTW:

Been mostly taken off, apparently. Seems whoever's in charge of New Zealand's decision-making has made the mistake of deciding what to do at the toss on the day before the game, rather than the morn of the game.

 

[Richard]

'Tis Lunch. 79 for 0, pretty damn good start. Still in with a chance of going to McLean Park at 1-1 (where by the looks of things so far it might just stay as it goes in).

 

[grecian]

Top first session for England. Played proper cricket without allowing the score to atrophy.

 

[Athlai]

No point in asking me, where the hecks Jeeves? Builds pressure and two spinners force results on later days.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Jeetan should have been playing in this game, for sure. He'd done nothing wrong in the last game and Gillespie's only just back from injury. Same mistake as England in the last test, potentially.

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

Is this our own KiWi I wonder?

Nope. I'm too cool for cricinfo

 

[Richard]

GOT 'IM! What a brilliant ball 2nd up after Lunch!

Think that might just be the best ball I've ever seen Jacob Oram bowl.

 

[MoxPearl]

Oram gets another

WTF ... patel out for gillespie ??

:S :S

 

[Richard]

Cook gone too! Possibility of no edge, but seems to have been bat on ball and bat on pad simualtaneously.

Oram is a great talent for New Zealand.

 

[Days of Grace]

The English commentators (I heard Jonathan Aggers say this) wrote Oram off before the start of the series, saying that he was finished as a test bowler of any class.

Think again chaps.

 

[Richard]

Anyone who thinks Oram doesn't offer something on a seaming surface is out of their minds.

With his height, excellent seam-position and generally pinpoint accuracy he'll always be one of the best at getting whatever there is out of a green (even if only slightly) pitch. Not up to much on non-seamers, but he never has been. And New Zealand haven't often played recently, less still played on seaming surfaces.

You know what media men are like, though - even the good ones like Aggers - a series isn't complete unless they say someone is finished as something.

 

[Burgey]

Haven't seen the dismissals, but sounds like Oran's produced a quality spell here.