***Official*** Zimbabwe in New Zealand 2012

[KiWiNiNjA]

Heef, are you buying your tickets for the Test Match before hand or at the gate?

It says "save with pre-sale tickets" or some bollocks on the ticketek website, but last time I did that I found they had the same ticket prices at the gate, and actually ended up paying more with transaction/credit card fees.

So annoying....

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Heef, are you buying your tickets for the Test Match before hand or at the gate?

Reckon I'll buy at the gate. No way will it be a sell out, and Ticketek's handling charges make me sick.

 

[straw man]

Phlegm is Penfold to Cabbage's Dangermouse.

Heh, this used to be my favourite program. Though I can barely remember anything about it now...

 

[Flem274*]

'sif Cribblett will ever be a secret agent Heef. Zip it McGraw.

So which villains do Cribblett's girlfriends get to be?

 

[wellAlbidarned]

Heef, are you buying your tickets for the Test Match before hand or at the gate?

It says "save with pre-sale tickets" or some bollocks on the ticketek website, but last time I did that I found they had the same ticket prices at the gate, and actually ended up paying more with transaction/credit card fees.

So annoying....

If you were a determined **** you'd complain, pretty clear case of false advertising.

 

[Flem274*]

Bit of talk in a Southee interview that we want more runs from the lower order.

Wouldn't be so important if the top order scored more.

 

[Hurricane]

I saw him practicing sp at the basin and he was all technically correct with his batting. Just doesn't seem to take it seriously in the middle.
People said about 3 years ago give him 5 years and he will be a good lower order bat. Seems like he is due to make the transition and improvement soon.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

He's a chicken with the bat basically. No guts whatsoever.

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

Yeah, I'll think I'll buy at the gate too. Hopefully no lines like the first morning of a Basin Test.

Ticketek are ****, but I'm too lazy to complain.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Yeah, I'll think I'll buy at the gate too. Hopefully no lines like the first morning of a Basin Test.

Ticketek are ****, but I'm too lazy to complain.

When I went to McLean Park for a Test match last, the queues were about 10 people long. Doubt this'll be any different. The only entrance is on the main road. Don't do what I did the first time I went there and try to be sneaky and find the alternative entrance to save queueing time.

 

[Hurricane]

I want to make a post about something I heard on Radiosport - they are saying why not pick James Franklin who is averaging 90 in FC this season ahead of Wells.

The thing with Franklin/Fulton/Hopkins - domestic bullies who perform poorly in tests is this - they are not very good. They have problems with their techniques. I have a theory which I am having trouble articulating coherently but I will give it a go. Those three players in particular are over achievers in domestic cricket. They just have been playing it for so long that they just use oodles of self belief to score runs in the Plunket shield. When they get to tests the bowling is so much better that no amount of mental belief will help you. You are either a good batsman or you are not.

So Wells is a better pick than Franklin.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Mental belief and James Franklin just don't go together.

 

[Howsie]

Looks like a bit of a Grant Elliott selection to me.

I haven't exactly seen a lot of Sam Wells but I can guarantee his bowling will be a hell of alot more effective than Grant Elliott's in test cricket. Condition reliant in all probability but he could make for a pretty handy 5th bowler in test cricket.

 

[Mike5181]

I want to make a post about something I heard on Radiosport - they are saying why not pick James Franklin who is averaging 90 in FC this season ahead of Wells.

The thing with Franklin/Fulton/Hopkins - domestic bullies who perform poorly in tests is this - they are not very good. They have problems with their techniques. I have a theory which I am having trouble articulating coherently but I will give it a go. Those three players in particular are over achievers in domestic cricket. They just have been playing it for so long that they just use oodles of self belief to score runs in the Plunket shield. When they get to tests the bowling is so much better that no amount of mental belief will help you. You are either a good batsman or you are not.

So Wells is a better pick than Franklin.

A few years back Young, Franklin, Hopkins and Ingram were fairly experienced first class cricketers but weren't overly productive with the bat. They just suddenly started scoring bucket loads of runs. It's just adapting to the level of cricket that is the Plunket Shield.

Look at Ingram's first few season averages - 20 (6 games), 24 (9 games), 16 (8 games), 18 (8 games), 13 (4 games)

Franklin- 22 (3), 19 (7), 8 (8), 27 (10), 31 (8), 41 (11), 20 (9)

Hopkins- 30 (5), 23 (5), 17 (9), 43 (11), 26 (11), 32 (10), 28 (9)

Young- 6 (6), 36 (4), 17 (11), 8 (10), 16 (9), 14 (9)

I know players improve but it's just a pattern in a lot of our failed black caps.

 

[Flametree]

I haven't exactly seen a lot of Sam Wells but I can guarantee his bowling will be a hell of alot more effective than Grant Elliott's in test cricket. Condition reliant in all probability but he could make for a pretty handy 5th bowler in test cricket.

Elliott was a bit of a golden arm. 4 wickets @ 35 was it? It was his batting that never looked up to the job. And given his first class stats, it was never going to.

I was thinking of recent similar players who didn't get near a test squad, the likes of Matthew Walker or Tama Canning. Yovich maybe. Of course in the early 2000s we had bowling options coming out our ears with Cairns and then Oram able to bat anywhere from 6 to 8. Plus Styris, Astle and McMillan were around to bowl a few overs.

Given the lack of dibbly dobbly bowlers in our batting line-up at present, I wouldn't be shocked if Wells actually plays on Thursday. I suspect the selectors are very nervous about exposing a lower order of Vettori at 6, unproven keeper, and four bowlers (including Martin) to the South Africans later in the summer. Bracewell and Southee have potential, to be good enough to contribute at 8 or 9, but at present they are both one place too high.

 

[Flem274*]

I want to make a post about something I heard on Radiosport - they are saying why not pick James Franklin who is averaging 90 in FC this season ahead of Wells.

The thing with Franklin/Fulton/Hopkins - domestic bullies who perform poorly in tests is this - they are not very good. They have problems with their techniques. I have a theory which I am having trouble articulating coherently but I will give it a go. Those three players in particular are over achievers in domestic cricket. They just have been playing it for so long that they just use oodles of self belief to score runs in the Plunket shield. When they get to tests the bowling is so much better that no amount of mental belief will help you. You are either a good batsman or you are not.

So Wells is a better pick than Franklin.

If there's one thing other than results Franklin, Sinclair, Hopkins and Fulton haven't exhibited on a consistent basis at test level, it's confidence in their ability.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

If there's one thing other than results Franklin, Sinclair, Hopkins and Fulton haven't exhibited on a consistent basis at test level, it's confidence in their ability.

Add Jamie How in there too.

 

[Bahnz]

A few years back Young, Franklin, Hopkins and Ingram were fairly experienced first class cricketers but weren't overly productive with the bat. They just suddenly started scoring bucket loads of runs. It's just adapting to the level of cricket that is the Plunket Shield.

Look at Ingram's first few season averages - 20 (6 games), 24 (9 games), 16 (8 games), 18 (8 games), 13 (4 games)

Franklin- 22 (3), 19 (7), 8 (8), 27 (10), 31 (8), 41 (11), 20 (9)

Hopkins- 30 (5), 23 (5), 17 (9), 43 (11), 26 (11), 32 (10), 28 (9)

Young- 6 (6), 36 (4), 17 (11), 8 (10), 16 (9), 14 (9)

I know players improve but it's just a pattern in a lot of our failed black caps.

In Franklin's case, he started out his career as a specialist bowler who could bat a bit. It was only really after his knee injury in 2007 that he began to focus more on his batting.

 

[Mike5181]

Franklin has gone through so many stages in his career

1.Bowler
2.Bowler who could bat a bit
3.Allrounder
4.Batsman who could bowl a bit
5.Batsman

 

[Prince EWS]

Franklin has gone through so many stages in his career

1.Bowler
2.Bowler who could bat a bit
3.Allrounder
4.Batsman who could bowl a bit
5.Batsman

Well he actually started out as #4 in youth cricket; his batting was always rated higher.