***Official*** New Zealand Domestic Season 2008/09

[Flem274*]

Yeah, he really shouldn't have been. He was one of only two batsmen to emerge from the SA tour with any credit, and then he gets dropped on the basis of one poor series against Bangladesh. Really poor stuff from the selectors.

Didn't Cumming get smashed by Steyn? As an opener, he's expected to deal with pace and I think thats where a lot of his credibility fell away.

In any case, until Cumming sorts out his lBW issues I wouldn't want him opening for NZ.

 

[Bahnz]

Didn't Cumming get smashed by Steyn? As an opener, he's expected to deal with pace and I think thats where a lot of his credibility fell away.

In any case, until Cumming sorts out his lBW issues I wouldn't want him opening for NZ.

He got hit on the head, but that he was injured was more bad luck than anything. Batsmen get hit on the helmet all the time. Up until that moment he had batted with a lot of confidence against Steyn, and had looked pretty solid.

 

[Polo23]

Didn't Cumming get smashed by Steyn? As an opener, he's expected to deal with pace and I think thats where a lot of his credibility fell away.

In any case, until Cumming sorts out his lBW issues I wouldn't want him opening for NZ.

Getting hit on the head takes away your credibility? Justin Langer probably got hit on the head more than anyone else in the game, yet he was a fantastic opener for Australia. Mark Richardson confessed that he was afraid of pace bowling and that there was never too much protection.

Pretty sure Cumming would have sorted out his issues of playing around the front pad, if he hasnt he is a complete idiot...and from what i've heard he's a pretty educated bloke.

 

[JimmyGS]

Guptill, but of course he's injured.

Coming back for the first warm-up game vs Windies. Should be back at 100% soon.

Will be interesting to see how he goes vs an International attack.

 

[Polo23]

Coming back for the first warm-up game vs Windies. Should be back at 100% soon.

Will be interesting to see how he goes vs an International attack.

Damn...wanted to see that game but will be in hospital. Sky Sport should have a cricket channel where it covers all these matches, **** the rugby channel, rugby is boring as ****.

 

[Craig]

Thought I read somewhere that he has pledged himself to NZ cricket. He might be lucky with Franklin and now Boult already available.

Wagner never played professional cricket in South Africa, played amateur cricket for Northerns, so it wasn’t like he had much hope of playing for South Africa. He did however go on an academy tour to Bangladesh earlier this year and did nothing other than get fined for dishing out some verbal.

Believe he has a long term contract with Otago and will look to qualify for New Zealand…

Yep, he's pledged his allegiance to NZ and hopes to one day become a BlackCap.



http://www.odt.co.nz/sport/cricket/29551/cricket-wagner-composed-and-ready-deliver

Fair enough.

Damn...wanted to see that game but will be in hospital. Sky Sport should have a cricket channel where it covers all these matches, **** the rugby channel, rugby is boring as ****.

AWTA.

 

[Polo23]

Oram's back for CD...and he's back bowling. It makes you wonder why he wasnt selected for the second test against Australia.

ND are 41/1 against CD, Watling the man out for 2. Merchant on 30*, Parlane with him on 7.

Otago have got away to a blistering start and are 74/1 against Canterbury. They have just lost Cumming though for 31. Haig is flying along on 34 and Todd has just joined him.

 

[Flem274*]

Haig is interesting. Got moved up the order from number five because he's a dasher and prefers the harder ball. He's had a few streaky shots but he's tonking a few good NZ prospects (Davidson, Bennet and Burtt). Its in Invercargill too isn't it? My initial thought at the high opening stand was "flat track" but there's not many flat tracks down there...interesting.

Don't think Haig is a prospect yet though, is probably another Vincent (opening wise). Maybe an ODI middle order chance theoretically if he carries on his merry way. We'll have to see how he does by the end of the season.

Bet Leslies mate Merchant will get picked for the WI ahead of Redmond if he scores big today. The selectors will think "Ooh, an Australian opening the batting and scoring runs, we mustz pickz him immediatelyz"

 

[_Ed_]

Sad, but true.

 

[Polo23]

To be fair, Merchant obviously has talent. He's been smashing all club attacks around with ease and now seems to be doing the same to a pretty handy CD bowling lineup (Thompson, Sherlock, Oram). Regardless, it's good to see him scoring runs.

 

[Polo23]

Oram injured again.

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=148458

Looks like a broken finger...excellent, just what we needed!

 

[Smudge]

Haig is interesting. Got moved up the order from number five because he's a dasher and prefers the harder ball. He's had a few streaky shots but he's tonking a few good NZ prospects (Davidson, Bennet and Burtt). Its in Invercargill too isn't it? My initial thought at the high opening stand was "flat track" but there's not many flat tracks down there...interesting.

Don't think Haig is a prospect yet though, is probably another Vincent (opening wise).

Haggers is not a prospect. Can we please stop talking about players after a couple of good innings as potential prospects? I know you haven't done that, Flem, but "don't think Haig is a prospect yet though" sounds to me like you're open to the idea.

I played against him on his senior debut back in 1998 when he was just a 16-year-old on the dirty old Taieri plains. He's a diminutive chap, but he's got very quick hands, and is very much a "stand and deliver" type player.

The problem for him is that he goes through ruts where he just can't score for innings on end and has just the one hundred to his name from 11 first-class matches. Even as recently as a year or two ago, he was drafted into the North Otago Hawke Cup team which indicated he was half a step down from the senior Otago side.

He's a good bloke, but he's a provinicial player at best - the late 2000s version of Chris Gaffaney for Otago.

 

[_Ed_]

Oram injured again.

http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/newsdetail1.asp?storyID=148458

Looks like a broken finger...excellent, just what we needed!

 

[Matt52]

Good to see Sherlock playing. At least he is available for selection. I dont mind if this Merchant guy gets in the side, just as long as he can give us a bit of an opening partnership.

 

[Polo23]

Good to see Sherlock playing. At least he is available for selection. I dont mind if this Merchant guy gets in the side, just as long as he can give us a bit of an opening partnership.

Yeah, to be fair we could stick Chris Martin in the opening spot and it wouldnt make a lot of difference.

 

[Flem274*]

Good to see Sherlock playing. At least he is available for selection. I dont mind if this Merchant guy gets in the side, just as long as he can give us a bit of an opening partnership.

A) he's a number three

B) Lets just have a look at him in domestics first before deciding on his test future or not eh? Instead of handing out the Black Cap in a brown paper bag lets make our batsmen, especially openers atm, really earn the priveledge of playing for the Black Caps.

 

[James]

Tend to think why don't we just open with McCullum and Ryder in Tests as well as ODIs. At least they'll score some runs at the top of the order.

It's clear we don't have any decent opening batsmen going around.

What's happened to Styris? Has he retired?

 

[Polo23]

A) he's a number three

B) Lets just have a look at him in domestics first before deciding on his test future or not eh? Instead of handing out the Black Cap in a brown paper bag lets make our batsmen, especially openers atm, really earn the priveledge of playing for the Black Caps.

A) He is opening for ND, so while he may have played 3 previously, he can obviously open since he is doing it with success in FC cricket.

B) No one has said he should be playing for the National team. Someone mentioned the selectors would probably be stupid and select him based on one innings and Matt said he wouldnt mind even if he was selected. No one said he should be.

 

[Polo23]

Tend to think why don't we just open with McCullum and Ryder in Tests as well as ODIs. At least they'll score some runs at the top of the order.

It's clear we don't have any decent opening batsmen going around.

What's happened to Styris? Has he retired?

I don't think Ryder should open in tests, but I wouldnt mind seeing McCullum just chucked up there. We are getting nothing out of him in the middle order, and nothing out of our openers, so it wouldnt change a lot. Still, i'd prefer to see him at 7.

Styris has retired from tests but still plays ODI's. Currently playing FC cricket in NZ for Auckland.

 

[_Ed_]

Merchant on 88 now from just 119 balls, impressive knock.

Good to see Broom going well for Otago too, two runs away from a 50 at the moment.