**Official** New Zealand in Australia

[Nutter]

Really need BFJ and Oram back to sort out the batting order. But not gonna happen this series.

 

[Mister Wright]

And what's he done in one day cricket? Bugger all. To be fair, he hasn't actually played a lot of it recently, but his career OD domestic record is pretty damn poor and it's not like he's been breaking FRC records in the past couple of seasons.

Anyway, go and search posts made by vic_orthdox containing "Noffke" for an explanation of why he's not in the reckoning. If you've read them and you're still surprised by his omission every time a squad is named then you're beyond help.

Actually Noffke has been quite decent in ODD the last few seasons. Last season he barely had a chance to perform as the team was constantly getting bowled out for sub 150 scores, and he'd often be the man to score some late order runs to give the bowlers, 'something to bowl at'. Obviously this season he's been injured a fair bit, but he bowls tight and takes top order wickets.

 

[Flem274*]

strong rumour that Styris may be back in black tomorrow.

Mixed feelings about this, Styris' time is over in the black caps as far as I'm concerned. Don't know who you'd drop for him?
* Guptil - would be harsh
* Broom - Unthinkable
*Fulton - Most likely candidate, but looked good last night

Styris is a damn fine player, but his form since WC 07 has been mediocre. Personally I think the issue is our Oram replacement, Diamanti, is a medium pacer who can bat a bit, and a journeyman opener turned middle order OD batsman who can average 30 (at a push) but not really be the decider in a series. Also a 19 year old seamer is a huge variable.

If I could select the squad it would have been:

Guptill
McCullum
Fulton
Taylor
Broom
Elliott
Franklin
Mills
Vettori
Southee
O'Brien

Patel
Watling
Thompson
Boult/Williamson/Sinclair/Ingram/toss a coin because this spot is a big ummmmm

Reserve bench looks more talented (in OD cricket terms) and can fit the first XIs possible needs.

 

[HMas]

Ryder
McCullum
Guptill
Taylor
Elliot
Oram
Broom
Mills
Southee
Vettori
Brian

 

[Mixmasterreece]

Ryder
McCullum
Guptill
Taylor
Elliot
Oram
Broom
Mills
Southee
Vettori
Brian

Brian?

 

[stephen]

Yeah, but why bring him up now when the squad's been named? It's like you actually looked at the squad and thought "What? No Noffke?!?!" which would be, at best, stupid, if you knew why he hasn't been getting picked before. His situation hasn't changed, so he's not going to get a game.

I think he deserves a chance as well but if we have to have the same discussion every time the selectors name a team he isn't in, it's going to get a bit tiresome. In fact, it already is. I think it's time we accept he isn't going to play and move on.

I brought it up now because they just shuffled players in and out of the squad. Like seriously, they just dropped Harris for Siddle.

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

Awesome

 

[HMas]

Brian?

Ian O Brien

 

[Polo23]

Flying over Styris is a good idea. He looked in decent touch in the T20 and if McCullum is out we need the extra batsman. 10 overs out of Styris and Elliott is a bit of a worry but it's a gamble that needs taking.

Hell, even if McCullum was fit to keep i'd still probably want the extra batsman in the side.

 

[thierry henry]

Deadset hate the attitude of NZ fans, if one of our best ODI players of the last decade is slightly out of form and 33 there's apparently no point picking him ever again.

Just because so many NZ cricketers pack it in prematurely doesn't mean we should start basically retiring a guy because he's at an age where really he should still have a lot to offer.

 

[Top_Cat]

Epic knock by Elliott, gutsy and ballsy at the same time. What a legend. NZ's replacement for Chris Harris? Suspect he's a better bat, though.

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

Deadset hate the attitude of NZ fans, if one of our best ODI players of the last decade is slightly out of form and 33 there's apparently no point picking him ever again.

Says the guy who constantly rubbishes another one of NZ's best ODI players of the last decade.

 

[Athlai]

Deadset hate the attitude of NZ fans, if one of our best ODI players of the last decade is slightly out of form and 33 there's apparently no point picking him ever again.

Just because so many NZ cricketers pack it in prematurely doesn't mean we should start basically retiring a guy because he's at an age where really he should still have a lot to offer.

Because he's a **** mostly.

 

[Howsie]

Is Trent Boult any chance of playing in this series?

 

[thierry henry]

Because he's a **** mostly.

?

You're a Styris-basher?

Anyone thinking that Broom>Styris pretty much boggles my mind ftr

 

[Athlai]

?

You're a Styris-basher?

Anyone thinking that Broom>Styris pretty much boggles my mind ftr

Styris is a bit of a dickhead which works a bit against the team dynamic. His hissy fit after being left out of the Test side was so over the top.

 

[thierry henry]

Styris is a bit of a dickhead which works a bit against the team dynamic. His hissy fit after being left out of the Test side was so over the top.

What? Since when was Styris a dickhead? Dire stuff Athlai

 

[Athlai]

What? Since when was Styris a dickhead? Dire stuff Athlai

Stopped liking him about the same time he called Richardson a "geriatric ****head" and told him to "die choking on your own **** that you speak."

 

[thierry henry]

Epic knock by Elliott, gutsy and ballsy at the same time. What a legend. NZ's replacement for Chris Harris? Suspect he's a better bat, though.

I think Harris was a MUCH better bat than Elliott overall, but Elliott may well turn out to be (at least statistically) a better ODI bat.

I however hold the fairly unpopular view that Harris was wrongly used throughout his career, and that his main skill was as a #4 or #5 batsman in the longer form of the game. Of course, he also has himself to blame there for not doing enough in test cricket.

There isn't much in Elliott's domestic performances to suggest he is going to be a gun ODI player, but he certainly seems to have something about him....tbh if he can keep his average above 30 and his strike-rate at least in the 70s, combined with his tendency to perform when most needed, he may well surpass Harry....not convinced he can sustain any sort of excellence with the ball though.

 

[Athlai]

I think Harris was a MUCH better bat than Elliott overall, but Elliott may well turn out to be (at least statistically) a better ODI bat.

I however hold the fairly unpopular view that Harris was wrongly used throughout his career, and that his main skill was as a #4 or #5 batsman in the longer form of the game. Of course, he also has himself to blame there for not doing enough in test cricket.

There isn't much in Elliott's domestic performances to suggest he is going to be a gun ODI player, but he certainly seems to have something about him....tbh if he can keep his average above 30 and his strike-rate at least in the 70s, combined with his tendency to perform when most needed, he may well surpass Harry....not convinced he can sustain any sort of excellence with the ball though.

Yeah he's nowhere near as good as Harris with the ball but boy does he hit runs when we need him to.