**Official** New Zealand in Australia

[Ikki]

dammit, I've been enjoying Hussey's average slowly creeping down to the realms of the slightly-less-absurd, but it's gonna be on the up again

Frankly, I am sitting in the opposite seat. I wish him to get as good/high as possible so we can maybe glance what Bradman was.

 

[Precambrian]

Frankly, I am sitting in the opposite seat. I wish him to get as good/high as possible so we can maybe glance what Bradman was.

Hussey can never be in the league of Bradman. And he will not average above 70 anytime in his future and most probably end his career with his average somewhere in the high 50s.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Have to admit I've never really rated him as Ganguly-bad or Hussey-good, but Hayden does seem to have had a couple of run-outs since Katich became his opening partner. Might be coincidence, but might also suggest a trust issue between them too.

Then you haven't seen the runouts then. Hayden's last one he hit it straight to mid-on and just ran. He'd have got home 5 years ago but he's not going to make those anymore, regardless of how fit he is. He needs to accept it.

 

[Ikki]

Hussey can never be in the league of Bradman. And he will not average above 70 anytime in his future and most probably end his career with his average somewhere in the high 50s.

Most likely that will be the case. Would love him to finish in the 70s though

 

[Magrat Garlick]

NZ to win the toss and bat first, put on 425 all out, mark my words!

Words duly marked.

 

[Briony]

Frankly, I am sitting in the opposite seat. I wish him to get as good/high as possible so we can maybe glance what Bradman was.

Well if Bradman was like Hussey, we didn't miss out on too much. He's a solid, consistent batsman but not in any shape or form, out of this world. He's not preternatural like we assume Bradman to have been.
'

 

[NZTailender]

Then you haven't seen the runouts then. Hayden's last one he hit it straight to mid-on and just ran. He'd have got home 5 years ago but he's not going to make those anymore, regardless of how fit he is. He needs to accept it.

Yeah, exactly. Also, have never seen Katich criticised on his running between wickets until today. Pretty sure around the time he was dropped but still in the ODI side he said something how he had been working on things like that to try and keep his place and provide the maximum effort to the team.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Then you haven't seen the runouts then. Hayden's last one he hit it straight to mid-on and just ran. He'd have got home 5 years ago but he's not going to make those anymore, regardless of how fit he is. He needs to accept it.

To be fair I wasn't exactly banging my fist on the desk and saying it was all Katich's fault in my last post, I was responding to Geg suggesting he was one of the most commited runners he'd seen. If he was Hayden might've had a vague prayer today, in spite of the merde initial call which was admittedly his own.

Although equally, yeah, if Hayden's calling is now shot it isn't going to inspire confidence in his partners, whoever they are.

 

[Bahnz]

You know, I've decided I actually want New Zealand to lose this match. I think John Bracewell taking over a team ranked number 3 and leaving them ranked number 8 is a fitting reflection on his abilities as a coach in the longer form of the game.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Well if Bradman was like Hussey, we didn't miss out on too much. He's a solid, consistent batsman but not in any shape or form, out of this world. He's not preternatural like we assume Bradman to have been.
'

To average that highly I assume Bradman would've been ala. Hussey but just better at it. Hussey is scratchy at times but there's no one who places a higher value on his wicket, I assume Bradman was the same. He was obviously much more talented, especially with placement and timing, but sometimes you have to think that Hussey puts as much steel into his innings that Bradman did.

I'm in no way saying Hussey is the best since Bradman or any such thing, I'm just saying that I feel Bradman was probably similar in his steel at the wicket.

 

[NZTailender]

To be fair I wasn't exactly banging my fist on the desk and saying it was all Katich's fault in my last post, I was responding to Geg suggesting he was one of the most commited runners he'd seen. If he was Hayden might've had a vague prayer today, in spite of the merde initial call which was admittedly his own.

When I said committed runner I meant when he actually runs. Today he didn't run, it was a bad call from Hayden.

 

[pasag]

To average that highly I assume Bradman would've been ala. Hussey but just better at it. Hussey is scratchy at times but there's no one who places a higher value on his wicket, I assume Bradman was the same. He was obviously much more talented, especially with placement and timing, but sometimes you have to think that Hussey puts as much steel into his innings that Bradman did.

I'm in no way saying Hussey is the best since Bradman or any such thing, I'm just saying that I feel Bradman was probably similar in his steel at the wicket.

In a way, but Bradman (in the beginning especially) scored so quickly. He was risk free in that he didn't hit it in the air, but unlike Hussey crease occupation wasn't his thing as much as scoring big and fast.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

In a way, but Bradman (in the beginning especially) scored so quickly. He was risk free in that he didn't hit it in the air, but unlike Hussey crease occupation wasn't his thing as much as scoring big and fast.

Well yeah, that was why I stressed I wasn't comparing them in any way in relation to skill. I still doubt Bradman went out to attack ala. Hayden, I imagine he was immovable at the crease and was just so gifted that he naturally scored quickly.

I may be wrong but that's my take on it.

 

[BoyBrumby]

When I said committed runner I meant when he actually runs. Today he didn't run, it was a bad call from Hayden.

Yeah, it was horrible, but the way I see it is that if the trust was there Katich would've gone.

As I said, I don't think there was a run there anyway, but any hesitation and it was deffo Goodnight Vienna time.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Yeah I agree with Brumby in a way.

If it was Langer, he'd have run no question. If it was Langer though, Haydos probably would've been early to mid 30's and made the run, .

 

[pasag]

Well yeah, that was why I stressed I wasn't comparing them in any way in relation to skill. I still doubt Bradman went out to attack ala. Hayden, I imagine he was immovable at the crease and was just so gifted that he naturally scored quickly.

I may be wrong but that's my take on it.

Yeah, you wouldn't have seen much tonking at Test level (though in the lower levels there was plenty of it).

 

[thierry henry]

As to rumours of Boult being fast, bit of chinese whispers going on I think. I remember someone claiming that he had been clocked at 149 km/h during a school fast-bowling comp. The actual speed was 129. As far as I'm aware the only other time he's been clocked was during the U19 world cup where if memory serves he was half a yard slower than Southee. Admittedly he's 6 months younger than Timmy, but at best he'd still probably be only as fast as him.

tbh, I watched them on TV at the U-19 WC. Southee wasn't the pitch it up and swing it type like we see now, in that company he was seriously like Curtly Ambrose or Andrew Flintoff. Boult was more Bradley Scott than Wasim Akram.

 

[Top_Cat]

And regarding Katich's commitment, whenever I've watched him play he seems to always put his best into running, to the point of risking injury to get home.

If he knew how to run, he wouldn't need to dive. Kat's a great guy, love watching him bat but he's a nervy type and in the Hayden run-out, he was totally ball-watching. It was Hayden's fault he didn't notice this but there was absolutely a run there and had Kat responded to what was his call, they both would have made the run easily. Kat should watch how Ponting and Hussey run together, quick calls and trust.

I was at the game today, Ponting was glorious to watch. Every shot along the carpet, his driving was awesome. Was a massive shame to see him go because with Hussey looking to leave everything, was the most entertaining batsman today. Had he got to 100, would have surely been one of his best knocks. Faultless aside from his dismissal.

Thought Hayden was looking in great touch too. Pitch had nothing in it today, though. Reckon there was one or two balls which beat the bat all day. NZ didn't bowl all that badly, just that every slight error was punished.

 

[Rant0r]

You know, I've decided I actually want New Zealand to lose this match. I think John Bracewell taking over a team ranked number 3 and leaving them ranked number 8 is a fitting reflection on his abilities as a coach in the longer form of the game.

maybe we are underestimating how much fleming brought to the team as skipper, and how much learning vettori still has to do, would have been nice for nz for him to stick around for a bit longer and take him under his wing.

messers astle, vincent, mcmillan, cairns, oram, bond, richardson might help also

 

[GGG]

Great to see Vettori trying the leg spin option of Redmond, no that would be stupid, the ball isn't swinging or seaming so lets give Ryder a bowl instead.