*Official* Australia in New Zealand

[Days of Grace]

I made my peace with him not being picked. And now suddenly he is in. This is a total about face by Greatbatch and the selectors.

Why the sudden change of heart. We lost. .

I think if Tuffey hadn't of got injured, Williamson wouldn't have got picked. As it is, I think the selectors are scared of the tail starting at no.8, and rightly so.

 

[Bahnz]

Why do you think he's going to be "humiliated"??

Pretty strong words. And negative. And he's just as likely to take a couple of bad knocks as Vettori is with the bat. By all accounts his technique is sound, so I highly doubt he is more likely to take a knock on the head just because he's 19.

I don't think he will for certain, I'm just saying it's a real possibility. And not just because he's 19, but because he's never really faced an attack remotely resembling the quality of bowling he would face should he play. It would be a particularly big jump this season, given that pretty much every domestic attack in the country is mising 3 or 4 frontline pace bowlers. And I don't think it would add anything to our chances of winning or even drawing. It would just feel like a gimmick selection, a kowtowing to public pressure and as Hurricane a complete about face by the selectors.

 

[Hurricane]

I think if Tuffey hadn't of got injured, Williamson wouldn't have got picked. As it is, I think the selectors are scared of the tail starting at no.8, and rightly so.

Ok this was the type of answer I was looking for.

This makes some sense.

But there were other options at number 8 including Nathan McCullum.

It is still a shift in policy on him.

 

[Days of Grace]

Yes, it is a policy shift.

And you made a good point on Nathan McCullum, who may even have gone past Patel as a spinner, IMO, certainly in ODIs. N. Mac would have been alright at no.8, I reckon.

Who turns it more, McCullum or Patel?

 

[Bahnz]

Yes, it is a policy shift.

And you made a good point on Nathan McCullum, who may even have gone past Patel as a spinner, IMO, certainly in ODIs. N. Mac would have been alright at no.8, I reckon.

Who turns it more, McCullum or Patel?

Much of a muchness I think. From what I've seen of them, Patel tends to give it more air, although generally not with particularly good results.

 

[Flem274*]

I heard it - absolutely embarrassing. Given Matt Gunn's cringe-worthy interviewing style, I wouldn't be keen either. His 'chat' with Williamson was awful.

What happened?

 

[Howsie]

He'll play, the media's already hyping it up too much. If New Zealand cricket doesn't play him there will be hell too pay me thinks, especially when we get spanked again.

 

[Hurricane]

Yes, it is a policy shift.

And you made a good point on Nathan McCullum, who may even have gone past Patel as a spinner, IMO, certainly in ODIs. N. Mac would have been alright at no.8, I reckon.

Who turns it more, McCullum or Patel?

I think Athlai will have the definitive answer on this. From what I have seen they are both similar - maybe Patel by a smidgeon.

 

[thierry henry]

Nice picture to go with the article. Kane Williamson looks a lot like

Spoiler: BJ Watling

(maybe because it is BJ Watling?)

!!!

That's definitely a pic of Williamson

 

[S.P. Fleming]

Good decision to select Williamson - my theory is that if your good enough your old enough. I think there is a alot more to gain than lose from playing Kane.

I also think he will play, simply because the balance of the sides calls for a batting allrounder, someone who can get through ten overs a day. Playing Patel and three quicks leaves perhaps the second to worst tail (top tier) of the decade, behind the Sri Lankan side or 07ish, Also, playing Vettori at eight and skippy up somewhere leaves them half a bowler short. I think this team will play and I hope it does (apart from Ingram).

McIntosh
Watling
Ingram (Sinclair)
Taylor
Guptill
Williamson
McCullum
Vettori
Southee
Arnel
Martin

 

[thierry henry]

It's one test. If he double-fails he won't be the first. I think this theory that failing early in your test career will mentally destroy you for life is a tad melodramatic and very much dependent on the individual.

Worst case scenario would be Williamson making a pair and then not getting selected for our next test. He would go back to domestic cricket exactly the same player he was before and on exactly the same path he was on in the first place- as long as he's made of relatively stern stuff mentally.

 

[Hurricane]

Team of the first test picked from both sides

1 Katich
2 Mcintosh
3 Ponting
4 Hughes
5 Clarke
6 North
7 Vettori
8 McCullum
9 Hauritz
10 Harris
11 Bollinger

 

[Days of Grace]

Really is now love for Hughes, is there?

 

[Hurricane]

I didn't go by how good the player is. I just went based on the stats from the game. This lead to Hughes' selection. I don't really rate his inning given that there was no pressure. But based on my criteria I had to pick him.

Going by stats also lead unfortunately to 2 seamers and 2 spinners in the attack as I picked Vettori for his batting.

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

That's definitely a pic of Williamson

They've changed the picture to one of Williamson, it seems. Before it was a picture of Arnel and Watling with the caption reading Arnel and Williamson.

 

[Athlai]

Patel turns it a fair bit more than NcCullum, he mostly bowls darts tbh. Unfortunately most of our spinners are keyed into the limited overs stuff so we don't get much rip, just lots of variations in flight and pace.

 

[Days of Grace]

So basically just another Vettori, albeit less skillful in said changes of pace and flight?


God, our test bowling attack is D.I.R.E. at the moment. I don't want to think about.

 

[Athlai]

So basically just another Vettori, albeit less skillful in said changes of pace and flight?


God, our test bowling attack is D.I.R.E. at the moment. I don't want to think about.

Yeah pretty much. Bruce Martin isn't up too much despite Phlegm's fandom.

NcCullum in the plunket shield this season has taken 3 @ 67.66
B Martin 5 @ 90.80
Nethula12 @ 54.58
Worker 13 @ 70.61
Beard 27 @ 37.37

Jeets 22 @ 35.45

Funnily enough Todd Astle has some of the best figures out of any spinner.

 

[GGG]

So basically just another Vettori, albeit less skillful in said changes of pace and flight?


God, our test bowling attack is D.I.R.E. at the moment. I don't want to think about.

And wasnt it just a few months ago we were saying it's our best attack in years, I would go as far as saying this is the worse NZ team since the early 90's/

 

[Tungsten]

I see Franklin has been added to the squad, will probably mean Patel wont play