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

[Hurricane]

Is there a bigger fraud than Colin de Grandhomme? I really doubt it. He's basically made it to the top level because he can hit the ball really far, problem is that doesn't earn you any extra runs at the next level either so he's probably going to be just as usless for New Zealand as he is for Auckland. The less said about his "bowling" the better too.

Love the Tom Latham selection, early but the kid is all class. Just as long as they send him back to Canterbury for the first class stuff I'm happy. The rest I'm pretty meh about, Ellis isn't an international cricketer, Bates is average, and Nethula still bowls too much filith in-between the decent deliveries for my liking.

Ellis is an interesting selection - we won;t really get a read on him if he plays against zimbos.

Echo your thoughts about Latham do you have any theories on why he is so good at list A and not so successful with FC thus far or do you think he needs more time in both to judge.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

You mother****ing jinxing bastard!!

Bull****. We wouldn't have seen any cricket if there hadn't been the rain break!

Where the **** were you sitting? Thought you would have stood out, but didn't spot ya.

 

[Hurricane]

Is there a bigger fraud than Colin de Grandhomme? I really doubt it. He's basically made it to the top level because he can hit the ball really far, problem is that doesn't earn you any extra runs at the next level either so he's probably going to be just as usless for New Zealand as he is for Auckland. The less said about his "bowling" the better too.

I want us to develop a specialist 20 20 team so I would like to see CDG being a part of that. People who can give the ball a whack and or bowl Phasst or who are very young.
He fits into the give the ball a whack category. I figure he will be at least as good as NMAC with the bat but an even bigger hitter.

I don't want to see our ODI and test match players playing 20 20 too much except for Baz who loves it.

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

Bull****. We wouldn't have seen any cricket if there hadn't been the rain break!

Where the **** were you sitting? Thought you would have stood out, but didn't spot ya.

I thought you would be easy to spot too. You still look like this, right?

Chapman stand on Thursday and Friday and Saturday morning (the one with McLean written with the seats). Lowe Stand under the media box on Saturday avo.

Yes, I was there for all 2.166666 days.


Oh, and Ticketek is ****ing **** update.

Buying a ticket online
$45 for a Test Match Pass (+$5.25~$8.25 depending on your choice of tickets) = $50.25~$53.25

Buying a ticket at the gate
$48 for a Test Match Pass

Yay for "savings"!!!!!!

 

[Howsie]

Echo your thoughts about Latham do you have any theories on why he is so good at list A and not so successful with FC thus far or do you think he needs more time in both to judge.

Well he has had quite a few different roles so far in his short first class career. He's played as an opener, specialist middle order bat and then keeper. He's had a pretty settled start into the Cantebury one day team by comparison, that's probably played some sort of part IMO. As I said I hope he doesn't miss any first class cricket for Canterbury because he's busy sitting on the bench and managing perhaps one or two games for New Zealand during the summer.

 

[BeeGee]

First ODI i would run with:

1.Martin Guptill
2.Brendon McCullum (c)
3.Rob Nicol
4.Kane Williamson
5.Dean Brownlie
6.Tom Latham
7.Nathan McCullum
8.Jacob Oram
9.Kyle Mills
10.Doug Bracewell
11.Tim Southee

Looks good.

I'm so glad Watling isn't in the ODI squad or McCullum might pull a fast one and play Watling as keeper.

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

Guptill
Nicol
McCullum
Williamson
Brownlie
Latham
NcCullum
Bracewell
Oram
Southee
Mills

tbh

And if Nethula was to play I'd rather see him replace one of the 4 pacers. Bates in for one of the older chaps, and Ellis

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

I thought you would be easy to spot too. You still look like this, right?

Chapman stand on Thursday and Friday and Saturday morning (the one with McLean written with the seats). Lowe Stand under the media box on Saturday avo.

Indeed. And I was actually wearing my Wellington shirt this time, so should have been easy to spot in CD country. Unfortunately, I was on the grass bank... Which is why I didn't see you. Certainly explains things!

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

Hmmm, I initially went to the grass embankment, but a bit too close to Sonny Shaw for my liking. I was planning on making a trip to find you on the Sunday/Monday, but Zimbabweans ****ed up that plan.

Anyhoo, I don't know why I wanted to meet up with a **** like you in the first place.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Anyhoo, I don't know why I wanted to meet up with a **** like you in the first place.

Free beer?

Didn't notice Sonny Shaw at first. I was more put off by the guy behind us who was singing dirty songs about Dougie Bracewell. I think he was drunk.

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

Free beer?

Didn't notice Sonny Shaw at first. I was more put off by the guy behind us who was singing dirty songs about Dougie Bracewell. I think he was drunk.

I knew there was something.

I really couldn't bring myself to sit on the McLean Park embankment, such an inferior lump of grass when comparing to the Basin. I just had to sit in the stands. That and sitting away from all the beer, temptation and all.

Was that the "Dougie, Dougie, Dougie. Oi, Oi, Oi" guy?
Or the "Dougie Bracewell blah blah blah" guy?

Or were they one in the same?

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

His main song was:

"Here's to Brother Dougie, Brother Dougie, Brother Dougie
Here's to Brother Dougie who's with us today
He drinks and he smokes and he ****s all the blokes
Here's to Brother Dougie who's with us today"

Followed by an explanation of why his song was "pure gold" to his mates who seemed to be trying to ignore him.

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

Thank got I couldn't hear him from the other side of the ground.

 

[Mike5181]

Made me think of that funnel song for some reason

Here's to Heath, he's true blue.
He's a pisspot, through and through.
He's a bastard, so they say.
He tried to go to heaven but he went the other way.
(Drink it) Down! Down! Down! Down! etc.

 

[Athlai]

"We'll keep Sinclair, for now!"

 

[Chubb]

So through being a journalist and all I got hold of Zim manager Lovemore Banda's mobile number. I called him, told him I was a big fan (didn't mention I was press) and wondered where I might get a Zimbabwe ODI shirt. He told me he didn't know if the players had one to spare but he would ask and get back in touch. What are the chances he will do so? Anyone want to bet?

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

If he doesn't, ring back and ask to interview some of the players, surely?

 

[straw man]

Is anyone else starting to think the Littlejohn selection pie is a scam? Not in the way where that sort of approach is always a bad idea. I think basing selections primarily on a proper look at domestic numbers if done well would be a vast improvement over what we had (wouldn't have selected Flynn when we did, well before he was ready, wouldn't have selected Broom for ODIs etc). I think there's some merit in the PEWS approach (sorry haven't looked into the details of your system), as a strong input into selections, with my preference of say 20% 'intuition' from coach/captain/selector. When I say scam I more mean the selections that the pie seems to have made.

Mainly I struggle to see how the selection pie (only 5% coach's intuition allowed) could have led to the selection of Wells in the test squad, how it could have contributed to Watling getting the gloves, how McKay who is something of an incumbent and has done well in domestic ODIs this season could have missed out, while Bates who I'm a fan of but hasn't had a good season is in. Colin de Grandhomme in T20s, when he's excelled in other formats, not T20. From memory Nethula hasn't had a great one-day season for CD so far, but is in the NZ ODI squad. Those are just off the top of my head - I'm sure there are more examples.

I am not saying anything of the above is necessarily a bad thing, but imo there is clearly a lot more than 5% 'intuition' going into these selections. We are getting just as many bolters selected as before, if not more. Can only wait to see how they turn out.

 

[SteveNZ]

Wells' averages over the past three seasons are outstanding, I can see how he'd be picked on a stat-based system. Same with Watling with the bat, with the gloves being an intuitive thing. And again with Bates, discounting this season. I think what counts in Bates' favour is he has got a really high percentage of his wickets with top order players, and internationals at that.

But definitely take your point on McKay as an unfortunate one and de Grandhomme as a lucky one. Maybe it is all a facade.

As for de Grandhomme, obviously I'm one of his biggest fan boys..but I wonder if there's ever been a batsman selected in form of the game for any international team who hasn't scored a domestic half-century?

 

[straw man]

How much bias the magical pie shows toward recent performances over those from past years is a question I don't know the answer to. A good system would definitely weight recent performances higher while trying not to be tooooo swayed by brief patches of really good form. Wells batting numbers might suggest the numbers are not too heavily swayed in favour of recent performances, because 38 and 40 batting averages in last two seasons are not great compared with other lower middle order players around (averaged 60 back in 09/10 FC). Wells is ranked 69th in the MVP points thing (FC) and ironically 1 and 2 are two batsman/medium-pacers (Franklin and Ellis). Yet these two were passed over (Franklin perhaps because of past failures) and Wells picked.

Same with Bates - agree last few seasons has been pretty good in limited overs so if considering that whole period then deserves to be there. But then we have Latham who's been selected from a very short time frame.

Another factor - dunno if they go into this much detail - Wells may (I haven't looked and can't remember) have scored runs when his team were in a bad position, it was a match where not many runs were scored in total and the opposition bowlers were rated highly (by the same pie system). Therefore the system may give his runs a higher value than someone who scores runs in the opposite situation ie. when it's easy. Similar to your point about Bates taking higher-order wickets being more highly valued by le pie.

Anyway that's all speculation. My last bit of speculation is that although only 5% is meant to be based on intuition, I'm pretty sure they rate people on being a good team man, fitness and fielding, all of which are probably just ratings based on gut feel themselves. If you're the coach/selector, this would be very easily manipulated to get the answers you want