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*Official* New Zealand in India 2010
- Thread starter Shri
- Start date
Mike5181
International Captain
He would have Brendon McCullum in the team to give him tips where needed as well. I wished the NZ selectors would read some of these forums lol.
Flem274*
123/5
BJ Watling is not even a proven test class batsman, sucks against spin, and hasn't kept wicket full time in years.
If he has the (wk) to his name against Pakistan, I'm boycotting every game he keeps wicket in. It would be a slap in the face to the domestic keepers (not to mention better batsman-keepers like Sinclair and Papps) and running up the white flag to the world that we don't have any faith whatsoever in our domestic system.
And if you have no faith in system, you either change it drastically or pack up and go home.
If he has the (wk) to his name against Pakistan, I'm boycotting every game he keeps wicket in. It would be a slap in the face to the domestic keepers (not to mention better batsman-keepers like Sinclair and Papps) and running up the white flag to the world that we don't have any faith whatsoever in our domestic system.
And if you have no faith in system, you either change it drastically or pack up and go home.
Athlai
Not Terrible
Disagree with the Phlegm. a team can only have one keeper and BJ is such a live wire in the field that it's perfectly understandable for a domestic team to keep their regular keeper instead of putting him in. Doesn't mean all that much IMO. If he CAN keep, he doesn't need to do it in first class cricket to prove he can.
straw man
Hall of Fame Member
Think we should just fill our test lower order with reject openers tbh - Watling at 7 and how about Todd Astle at 8? Jamie How at 9 could be our third spinner for matches in the subcontinent... Then, to confuse the opposition even more we could let Franklin open alongside Sinclair with Mills in his rightful position of three.
Flem274*
123/5
Nah, don't agree at all. Young and Hopkins rotated last year, and Young has kept wicket and batted and number three, so you can't just say Watling opening plus keeping was a bridge too far. If he really wanted to keep for NZ he would not have surrendered the gloves.
In any case I don't particularly care what his reasons for not keeping are. He hasn't been keeping full time for years and until he does it will be a complete joke if he does it for NZ, because he is out of practice in the wicketkeeping field and he has done nothing to deserve it. It would be a test cap served up in a brown paper bag.
People are judging domestic keepers off one or two 20/20 games, and I suspect they'd pull out the "Oh you can't judge player x off one or two games" when it suits as well. We've had a guy who is on the fringes of first class cricket say Young is a good keeper and Heef, who watches a hell of a lot of cricket, supported van Wyk either on this site or cricsim. I'm going to put my faith in the guys who have seen a lot more of these blokes rather than Ian "who is Grant Elliott?" Smith.
Watling may or may not have potential with the gloves, but until the better keeper-batsmen in this country (besides Hopkins) are tried then Watling can be kept as a part time keeper only.
Prince EWS
Global Moderator
Yeah lets all bend over backwards to get Watling in the team in any role he hasn't been tried in yet.
If he fails as a keeper he can try opening the bowling - I heard he was very successful doing that in the Under 10s and he'd surely be doing it for ND if they didn't have Southee and Arnel.
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Blocky
Banned
You're emotional and therefore irrational towards this particular issue.
BJ Watling doesn't keep wickets for Northern Districts because Peter McGlashan is just as capable with the gloves as he is, but, McGlashan is no where near the outfielder that BJ is - BJ would be one of the best out fielders in NZ.
He's a proven wicket keeper and also a guy who has proven he can handle the pace of test level, without yet developing the consistency. His average of 25 belies the fact that he's also averaging roughly 55-60 balls per innings in test cricket, I dunno about you but with our test opening record, if I could be 50-0 after 20 overs in test cricket, I'd take it every time.
BJ Watling doesn't keep wickets for Northern Districts because Peter McGlashan is just as capable with the gloves as he is, but, McGlashan is no where near the outfielder that BJ is - BJ would be one of the best out fielders in NZ.
He's a proven wicket keeper and also a guy who has proven he can handle the pace of test level, without yet developing the consistency. His average of 25 belies the fact that he's also averaging roughly 55-60 balls per innings in test cricket, I dunno about you but with our test opening record, if I could be 50-0 after 20 overs in test cricket, I'd take it every time.
Athlai
Not Terrible
If he can keep and I have no idea if can then he should be in the mix as he is as good a batsman as any of the other options. I'm just going to go out on a limb here but the quality of Watling's keeper might be better known to the team itself than all us fans who've never seen him do it.
Athlai
Not Terrible
Blocky McIntosh lasts far more balls on average than Watling. Watling is very middle of the road in NZ openers in terms of average balls faced.
Flem274*
123/5
AWTA
See PEWS. Doesn't matter, he needs to earn it.
And he was **** at opening anyway.
If McGlashan is just as capable with the gloves, why not pick McGlashan? He's in practice, Watling is not.
Watling isn't a proven keeper. Just because he's a proven club keeper, it doesn't make him a test keeper.
Otherwise I can make a case for Tim Weston to take the gloves.
Watling shouldn't make the team as a batsman, let alone keeper. The only spot open is number three, and the main reason he has a chance there is Williamson hasn't taken his deserved spot there yet and at the moment we're playing someone who averages 26 for Auckland there.
If we're going to give a wicketkeeper who gave away the gloves because he was good at batting, then Weston should be ahead of Watling. We all saw how well that went at the Champions League.
Flem274*
123/5
It might well be, which is why he should go to domestic cricket and prove it.
Prince EWS
Global Moderator
Mills is a top order batsman. Daryl Tuffey is an ODI allrounder. Martin Guptill is a Test batsman.
New Zealand selectors have shown that they aren't afraid to pick players based on what they think they could be rather than what they've proven, so I fully expect Watling to get a chance with the gloves. And I expect it to be about as successful as Mills's stint at #3.
New Zealand selectors have shown that they aren't afraid to pick players based on what they think they could be rather than what they've proven, so I fully expect Watling to get a chance with the gloves. And I expect it to be about as successful as Mills's stint at #3.
Blocky
Banned
Watling kept for ND before the arrival of McGlashan and has generally done the job whenever McGlashan has been unavailable. Watling has also kept in ODIs doing the job justice. He's a proven keeper.
I agree Watling doesn't deserve his spot as a batsman, I'm not saying he does. I'm saying when looking at keeping options that aren't Baz, he stands out as a guy who has the potential to average 30+ in test cricket while keeping.
Why not pick McGlashan? for the ODI side, I think he's definitely in the mix of things, but he doesn't have the technique or ability against pace to play test level cricket.
Agree, but not so middle of the road when compared against NZ Keepers who aren't Ian David Stockley Smith, Baz McCullum or Adam Parore.
Athlai
Not Terrible
Phlegm why are you making such a fuss about the difference in keeping? It isn't like batting where you face international bowlers, you keep to your bloody teammates. It isn't an unknown quantity in the selection camp, they are perfectly capable of seeing Watling's ability with the gloves in action.
And he is easily a good enough bat for numbers 7 or 8 where we'd put him.
And he is easily a good enough bat for numbers 7 or 8 where we'd put him.
Athlai
Not Terrible
He plays for a first class team with two fricken wicket keepers nor is there any first class matches before our next Test series.
