*Official* New Zealand in Sri Lanka

[Hurricane]

I don't think Taylor is the mindset to bat for 1.5 days. Based on the fact he his hitting over the top.

It is up to Flynn to save us.

 

[Meridio]

you should be able to get a drawn series out of Pakistan at home just make them as green as you can.

Seriously hope we do prepare some green pitches this summer. Sick of the low and slow roads we've had in the last few years.

 

[Meridio]

Um, Taylor? There's one over left before tea. Not sure going over the top is the right option right now.

 

[TT Boy]

Looks like Taylor wants to go down swinging.

 

[_Ed_]

Asif will like that.

But Bond should be back for New Zealand by then. Should be a good series, just hope the weather is ok. Seems a bit too early for a test series in New Zealand.

It should be fine. Spring seems to be arriving early here this year. It was 22 degrees down in Napier today - I haven't seen the itinerary, but I assume one of the matches is there if the organisers have any sense.

 

[DIRK-NANNES]

Haha, hope Flynn protects Taylor for this over

 

[DingDong]

Well they do lack ability. Who of them can actually show enough patience to stay at the crease and make a massive score? And who can do it with any consistency? Neither Taylor nor McCullum can. Ryder is new and well done that guy for his double hundred.

And look at that, Guptill is out - if it wasn't for lack of ability what was it?

It's not that they lack talent, they have lots of it. Remember the whole team was sick only a couple of days ago. It can't be easy to come back from that.

Anyway, well done to Patel. Picked up 6 good wickets when the wicket wasn't giving him anything.

 

[Bahnz]

Message to Guptill: only walk if you're at least as good as Adam Gilchrist.

Be interesting to see if Taylor can get the 25 runs needed to push his average above 40, and if Flynn can actually make a decent score. Beyond that, this match is dead. Roll on the ODI's and Bondy's brilliant return.

 

[Craig]

Asif will like that.

But Bond should be back for New Zealand by then. Should be a good series, just hope the weather is ok. Seems a bit too early for a test series in New Zealand.

And we will probably have Daryl Tuffey back as well.

Look just because Sri Lanka at home are very tough to beat, doesn't mean it should be an excuse to accept poor performances. Murali is an all-time great yes, so it is no shame if you get out to him, but in the manner how McIntosh got out is unforgivable. I know he has probably burnt his bridges at the NZC, or whether or not he would be interested, but we could do worse then hire Mark Richardson to help our openers out. There was a bloke who got the most out of himself.

 

[Hurricane]

It's not that they lack talent, they have lots of it. Remember the whole team was sick only a couple of days ago. It can't be easy to come back from that.

Anyway, well done to Patel. Picked up 6 good wickets when the wicket wasn't giving him anything.

so what is peoples verdict on patel. I didn't rate his 4 wickets in the 1st inning as most of them were tail enders.

But I liked his bowling in the second inning 2 top order wickets. My vote is the status quo should continue if they think it is a turning track play two spinners and leave patel in the squad. But I don't think he did enough in this series to justify us playing two spinners on a regular basis.

What do you think of his performance?

 

[Bravo]

It's not that they lack talent, they have lots of it. Remember the whole team was sick only a couple of days ago. It can't be easy to come back from that.

Anyway, well done to Patel. Picked up 6 good wickets when the wicket wasn't giving him anything.

 

[Craig]

I don't think you should knock Patel for cleaning up the tail, how many times have the tail been able to add an extra 50-100 runs? It's an important aspect for mine to be able to clean up the tail after doing all the hard work getting out the superior batsmen. I mean there is no way Jerome Taylor should ever get a Test century.

 

[Meridio]

so what is peoples verdict on patel. I didn't rate his 4 wickets in the 1st inning as most of them were tail enders.

But I liked his bowling in the second inning 2 top order wickets. My vote is the status quo should continue if they think it is a turning track play two spinners and leave patel in the squad. But I don't think he did enough in this series to justify us playing two spinners on a regular basis.

What do you think of his performance?

Both of those second innings wickets were from batsman charging down the track at him looking for quick runs though. I didn't see any of his bowling in the first innings, but from what I've seen in the second he's looked pretty unthreatening.

 

[Bravo]

I don't think you should knock Patel for cleaning up the tail, how many times have the tail been able to add an extra 50-100 runs? It's an important aspect for mine to be able to clean up the tail after doing all the hard work getting out the superior batsmen. I mean there is no way Jerome Taylor should ever get a Test century.

It was even more ridiculous than McGrath getting a fifty.

 

[Xuhaib]

I am a bit confused since this will be Pakistan's home series to be played in NZl so what will happen to Pakistan's away tour to NZL which is suppose to take place late next year, will Pakistan be doing two trips to NZL in consecutive years.

 

[Smudge]

It stems back to the attitude problem in NZ cricket - a problem which appears to be massive. I was watching Deaker On Sport this week (no, not for Deaker's less than insightful thoughts on, well, anything) and they showed a clip from the Black Caps On Tour programme, taken from the dressing room immediately after they were knocked out of the World Twenty20.

Vettori was laying it on the table saying some guys, quite simply, don't seem to be acting like they want to be there. It must rip Vettori's undies from the front to the back when he watches players with talent (Guptill, Taylor, Ryder, Oram and McCullum - ****ing McCullum) just lack any mental application whatsoever, producing stupid shots at just the wrong time. Meanwhile Vettori, he of what could be described as a minimal, unorthodox technique, comes in and attempts to clean up their mess by grinding away - more often than not, succeeding.

Gilbert Enoka is not the answer - these guys just need more rockets up them, and need to be given more responsibility in their cricketing lives. If they get out in a test nowadays, what do they care? That's not going to affect their Twenty20 contracts. Make these blokes do their own washing on a tour, organise their own luggage, play full roles in net sessions - playing test cricket for your nation is a privilege, not a right.

 

[Bahnz]

Flynn looks so good when he plays the cut...

 

[Bravo]

It stems back to the attitude problem in NZ cricket - a problem which appears to be massive. I was watching Deaker On Sport this week (no, not for Deaker's less than insightful thoughts on, well, anything) and they showed a clip from the Black Caps On Tour programme, taken from the dressing room immediately after they were knocked out of the World Twenty20.

Vettori was laying it on the table saying some guys, quite simply, don't seem to be acting like they want to be there. It must rip Vettori's undies from the front to the back when he watches players with talent (Guptill, Taylor, Ryder, Oram and McCullum - ****ing McCullum) just lack any mental application whatsoever, producing stupid shots at just the wrong time. Meanwhile Vettori, he of what could be described as a minimal, unorthodox technique, comes in and attempts to clean up their mess by grinding away - more often than not, succeeding.

Gilbert Enoka is not the answer - these guys just need more rockets up them, and need to be given more responsibility in their cricketing lives. If they get out in a test nowadays, what do they care? That's not going to affect their Twenty20 contracts. Make these blokes do their own washing on a tour, organise their own luggage, play full roles in net sessions - playing test cricket for your nation is a privilege, not a right.

I think it's better to put a caveat in their national contracts : Perform well or forget the IPL. I think that should buckle them up.

 

[DIRK-NANNES]

no, not for Deaker's less than insightful thoughts on, well, anything

Yet he still manages to get away with being the self-proclaimed 'Lord' of sports broadcasting

 

[Xuhaib]

if NZL get to 200-2.


match on?