**Official** New Zealand in England

[Richard]

I'd go as far as suggesting Broad as next man in if Strauss falls, to retain the left-right mix.

Plus Broad has more form than those three put together at the moment.

Remind me again of how often promoting a bowler-who-bats-a-bit up the order tends to work?

 

[_Ed_]

Remind me again of how often promoting a bowler-who-bats-a-bit up the order tends to work?

Mills v South Africa was hugely successful.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Remind me again of how often promoting a bowler-who-bats-a-bit up the order tends to work?

Remind me again of Bell, Collingwood and Ambrose's net run haul thus far this series.

 

[Richard]

Mills v South Africa was hugely successful.

That is an ironic comment, isn't it?

 

[weldone]

I'd say 80-20.

70-30 at best...2 quick wickets after lunch (1 won't do though) for 20-30 more runs will turn the game on its head...And 2 wickets for another 20-30 runs isn't impossible, though tough, if luck favors NZ way and Vettori employs appropriate field placement (which he isn't at the current moment)...

 

[Richard]

Remind me again of Bell, Collingwood and Ambrose's net run haul thus far this series.

Shocking. But that doesn't for a second mean Broad is more likely to score than them, especially if handed the stigma of a four-position promotion.

Trying something that off-the-wall is always, always a very, very bad idea. If Broad goes in he'll almost certainly get out very quickly - that then makes Bell feel three times worse - one, he's struggled in his last 2 innings; two, he's had a tailender invested with more confidence than him; three there's two, rather than one, quick wickets just gone down.

 

[weldone]

Shocking. But that doesn't for a second mean Broad is more likely to score than them, especially if handed the stigma of a four-position promotion.

Trying something that off-the-wall is always, always a very, very bad idea. If Broad goes in he'll almost certainly get out very quickly - that then makes Bell feel three times worse - one, he's struggled in his last 2 innings; two, he's had a tailender invested with more confidence than him; three there's two, rather than one, quick wickets just gone down.

AWTA...NZ will love Broad come after the fall of 1 quick qicket...Whether it'll work or not is a separate issue altogether, but it's most likely not to work...

 

[Sir Redman]

This is ******* unbelievable. We had the game in the bag yesterday. Absolutely pathetic batting display and our bowling and fielding today has been ****. No way England should have even had a sniff from 180 behind the way the pitch was playing. Looks like it's flattened out a bit, and we've had no luck at all with edges falling short and going over and all sorts of crap, but we've got noone to blame except ourselves. FFS. Disgusted.

 

[_Ed_]

This is ******* unbelievable. We had the game in the bag yesterday. Absolutely pathetic batting display and our bowling and fielding today has been ****. No way England should have even had a sniff from 180 behind the way the pitch was playing. Looks like it's flattened out a bit, and we've had no luck at all with edges falling short and going over and all sorts of crap, but we've got noone to blame except ourselves. FFS. Disgusted.

Well said. Sums up my feelings pretty well too.

 

[James]

This is ******* unbelievable. We had the game in the bag yesterday. Absolutely pathetic batting display and our bowling and fielding today has been ****. No way England should have even had a sniff from 180 behind the way the pitch was playing. Looks like it's flattened out a bit, and we've had no luck at all with edges falling short and going over and all sorts of crap, but we've got noone to blame except ourselves. FFS. Disgusted.

Think you'd said what pretty much every NZ fan is thinking right now....

 

[Richard]

This is ******* unbelievable. We had the game in the bag yesterday. Absolutely pathetic batting display and our bowling and fielding today has been ****. No way England should have even had a sniff from 180 behind the way the pitch was playing. Looks like it's flattened out a bit, and we've had no luck at all with edges falling short and going over and all sorts of crap, but we've got noone to blame except ourselves. FFS. Disgusted.

Don't underestimate the part the pitch (and the odd bit of run-of-the-ball) has played. I'd never, ever have dreamt it was going to play as easily for batting as it has today, having made batting exceptionally difficult for NZ against MSP yesterday.

Pietersen with the 1st run after Lunch.

 

[_Ed_]

Great over from Vettori. Why didn't he bowl into the wind earlier?

79-21 in England's favour now.

 

[Richard]

Pietersen beaten by loop and really late drift there and almost run-out by short-leg.

 

[99*]

Calling it now.

 

[Richard]

Pietersen actually manages to strike a six, unusual.

C'mon now... just another 4 runs to get the target below 100...

 

[_Ed_]

This is getting pretty painful now.

Fantastic batting by Strauss though. Deserves a ton.

 

[Richard]

89 now needed, Strauss latching onto Vettori very well indeed... OK, I'm starting to feel pretty confident now.

Even we'll find it difficult to lose this. Not impossible at all mind.

 

[Richard]

Fantastic batting by Strauss though. Deserves a ton.

Cripes, he's up to 92!

I hope he can see us home. If he can, this'll be maybe his best Test innings. How incredible that I and almost all the cricket-watching public (and certainly near-universal CW) thought he was gone just 5 innings' ago.

Absolutely brilliant from him these last 4 knocks.

 

[PY]

This could be perfect for KP getting some form with a 50-odd and a not out to his name.

 

[Natman20]

The pitiful batting display yesterday has cost New Zealand the game. It was theirs to win. Anyways this game has had twists and peak with random glimpses of good batting and random bounce. Its good to see a bit of help for spinners although Vettori hasnt had much success this innings.