**Official** New Zealand in England

[FBU]

Strauss has been called up so Cook won't be playing.

I would think Wright, Bell, Bopara, Pietersen, Shah, Collingwood, Ambrose, Swann, Broad, Sidebottom, Anderson.

 

[NZTailender]

Strauss has been called up so Cook won't be playing.

I would think Wright, Bell, Bopara, Pietersen, Shah, Collingwood, Ambrose, Swann, Broad, Sidebottom, Anderson.

Good to know your top order is just as weak as ours, then.

 

[GGG]

Ask Martin Crowe... man great interview.

On the money once again.

 

[S.P. Fleming]

You know a batting order is in dire straights when marshall and hopkins are playing and I fear what the loss of Oram will do for this team mentally.

Unless Taylor, How or McCullam fire tonight the best we can hope for is a grinding 200ish score. ...Please John Bracewell realise that McCullam needs to keep and the MArshall simply isnt good enough

 

[Flem274*]

What does Peter Fulton have to do to get a ****ing game? Am I right in saying he has the highest ODI average in the side and has more experience than half of our top order? FFS, Hopkins as a keeper/batsman combo is a nice back up for McCullum but he will never, ever be better than Peter Fulton. I'd have Fulton ahead of all batsmen bar Taylor and possibly How (McCullum is the keeper so he shouln't lose his place to a specialist batsman).

Good interview with Crowe, why can't he commentate with such good analysis?

 

[Bahnz]

I think Mills must rate extremely highly in the squad judging by his poor form with the ball.

Being in the top 5 in the world will do that...

 

[Prince EWS]

Being in the top 5 in the world will do that...

Haha yeah. He didn't look too good in the first two Tests but he was under-bowled and he looked pretty good in the third IMO. He's never been a good death bowler in ODIs or a good Twenty20 bowler thus far so his performance in the Twenty20 was hardly surprising - he's still New Zealand's best ODI fast bowler by far though so this shouldn't even come close to putting his place under threat, especially when the next in line is Gillespie.

 

[NZTailender]

Highly optimistic. Most fans who like Twenty20 who are not already Test fans will never like Tests. Twenty20 is overwhelmingly a game for people who don't like cricket.

Whether it's genuinely bad for cricket we'll only wait and see.

How overwhelmingly elitist and sickening.

 

[NZTailender]

It'd be for MSN, not the forums. If our paths cross any time soon, then we'll talk.

Send me an email, because I'll most likely forget otherwise. Also, I can't remember the last time we ever spoke on MSN.

 

[Prince EWS]

Strauss called up to the ODI squad? God, it doesn't get much more ridiculous. It's pretty easy to tie the bloke down - you just bowl a full length (even a half volley tbh) on middle and off and he's stuffed. The worst part of this isn't even what he'll do to the ODI team though as I can see the need for some experience in the top order and he has played some good innings in the format before - it's what it'll do to his game. He might even succeed if he gets a game here, but I doubt it'll be long term and it'll do damage to the Test team if he's given an extended run. His original Test slump came about when he tried to change his game for ODIs and start driving at everything. He's looked so refreshed since Test recall; lets hope he doesn't play another ODI ever again.

 

[Flem274*]

So, whats the likely England side? Also, Strauss is the lesser evil out of him and Wright, at least Strauss is international class.

 

[gettingbetter]

Cricinfo's probable England team has Bopara listed at 3. Lets hope so.

 

[superkingdave]

Reading this thread, has made me realise i've never played cricket in my life. Don't know what it was that i played now though, but i had fun

I'll have to look out for the figures next time they trot out those sports participation figures, cricket should undoubtedly be about 400 or so

can i make the suggestion that all threads not discussing FC or test cricket be moved to off topic?

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

As I sit here reading Richard's idiotic posts, I realised something.

I'm not actually reading!! Because I don't do it at the highest professional level.

As I type this, I realised something.

I'm not actally typing!! Because I am not a professional typist.

****! What am I doing? Please help! I have lost all confidence in my english ability.

Ahhh, this isn't even english, is it?

 

[Flem274*]

Haha

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Come on guys! Leave poor Richard alone, he can't help it!

If Richard annoys you again, before you post a witty reposte, just think to yourself, "Those people who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do" and then post.

 

[Richard]

Reading this thread, has made me realise i've never played cricket in my life. Don't know what it was that i played now though, but i had fun

Good, as whether you had fun or not is really all that particularly matters.

can i make the suggestion that all threads not discussing FC or test cricket be moved to off topic?

Why? OD stuff is still cricket as long as they're affiliated to the First-Class game, and still cricket at lower levels, even according to me. Can't really see much else that gets discussed in CC, apart from Twenty20, and well, we all know my feelings there.

As I sit here reading Richard's idiotic posts, I realised something.

I'm not actually reading!! Because I don't do it at the highest professional level.

As I type this, I realised something.

I'm not actally typing!! Because I am not a professional typist.

****! What am I doing? Please help! I have lost all confidence in my english ability.

Ahhh, this isn't even english, is it?

FFS, you'd think people would actually respond to what I'd said rather than what I'd not said. But maybe not. Anyway, this is my last word on this whole absurd matter.

 

[Richard]

Strauss has been called up so Cook won't be playing.

I would think Wright, Bell, Bopara, Pietersen, Shah, Collingwood, Ambrose, Swann, Broad, Sidebottom, Anderson.

Strauss called up to the ODI squad? God, it doesn't get much more ridiculous. It's pretty easy to tie the bloke down - you just bowl a full length (even a half volley tbh) on middle and off and he's stuffed. The worst part of this isn't even what he'll do to the ODI team though as I can see the need for some experience in the top order and he has played some good innings in the format before - it's what it'll do to his game. He might even succeed if he gets a game here, but I doubt it'll be long term and it'll do damage to the Test team if he's given an extended run. His original Test slump came about when he tried to change his game for ODIs and start driving at everything. He's looked so refreshed since Test recall; lets hope he doesn't play another ODI ever again.

Agree entirely with that. Naturally soon as I saw the Strauss-call-up news my reaction was I'm far more worried about Strauss' Test game being damaged again just when he's got it back on track than I am about yet more ODIs being wasted on someone who we know beyond question isn't a ODI-class batsman. I'm not really terribly surprised, though - awful England selection (especially concerning ODIs) is so old-news the next case is just a "oh, here we go again " case and no more.

So, whats the likely England side? Also, Strauss is the lesser evil out of him and Wright, at least Strauss is international class.

Test-class, yes. ODI-class, emphatically no. At least with Wright we'd gain something out of playing him now - hopefully he'd be well out of the picture this time next year.

Cricinfo's probable England team has Bopara listed at 3. Lets hope so.

Obviously if Cook isn't fit Bopara batting three is the only remotely sensible alternative (not that Strauss' call-up (along with the countless millions of decisions the last 7 years) suggests sense can be banked upon, but it'd be good nonetheless. Still wait with interest to see whether he can perform the role required though.

 

[Leslie1]

Quite timely we get a filler before the 1st ODI. Thanks for the riveting discussion.


If Hopkins does well, are we maybe looking at McCullum throwing away the glove work for ODIs? A world class all rounder for a wicket keeper batsman. Good call.

Jesse.

Franklin.

The old fool on radiosport today basically extended his ignorance towards cricket by claiming that it's a minority sport in NZ.

 

[Richard]

Daniel Vettori wins the toss and will field first.