wellAlbidarned
International Coach
The selectors better just be ****ing with us with the suggestion of dropping Ellis for Boult. I mean seriously. No-one can possibly say it's a good idea with a straight face.
20 matches opening for Canterbury, with 1108 at 31.65. He was a solid middle order batsman for Aucks, but he's never really scored a big heap of runs opening.wtf. I don't get the Nicol hate. I'm kind of glad he's making his debut and getting a Test run. Has put in the work in domestic cricket, and yeah, he's no brilliant player who will average 50+ but he might do a darn sight better than some of the sorry candidates we've had come through. And if he doesn't, it's no big loss anyway.
And yet it's still better than Andrew "I score runs every time I play" Ellis's average.20 matches opening for Canterbury, with 1108 at 31.65. He was a solid middle order batsman for Aucks, but he's never really scored a big heap of runs opening.
Yeah, Nicol is, but I think Ellis suits the team more, if that makes sense.As much as Phlegm backs Ellis i think batting-wise Nicol is the superior batsman.
Batting 7th and bowling 6th?Yeah, Nicol is, but I think Ellis suits the team more, if that makes sense.
He isn't as inept as I thought he was. He's a competent batsman and against lesser test bowling attacks he probably could perform ok.Yeah, Nicol is, but I think Ellis suits the team more, if that makes sense.
I also have a thing for sticking up for unfashionable cricketers no one else likes.
But we won't be 0/2 after 2.2 if he plays. We'll just be 99/8.Batting 7th and bowling 6th?
I'm not going to deny that Ellis has been good recently; I acknowledged such in my posts. But he's not played as a frontline batsman even for Canterbury other than on a handful of a occasions, he hasn't really made the scores of a batsman, and you shouldn't be selecting the team based on a season's work anyway unless they are clearly special (which Ellis certainly is not).Ellis innings by innings (most recent first)
86, 15, DNB, 65*, 11, 97*, 3, 50*
(season gap)
DNB, 11, 53, 10, 29*, 4, 19, DNB, 22, DNB, 118, 0, 39, 53, 5*, 2
Last season you had a point. This season he's impossible to get out (until you put him in to bat against South Africa).
I cbf doing the same list for Nicol. I'm willing to bet his recent record is pretty average though. I think Ellis would be more useful than Nicol overall.
Just pick Sinclair you ****s.
Your main argument for picking Ellis seems to be that you don't want to mess around with the top four as it stands, but there's nothing stopping you sticking Nicol in at 5-7 anyway.But we won't be 0/2 after 2.2 if he plays. We'll just be 99/8.
Nicol is definitely opening if he plays though, so I'm selecting on that logic.Your main argument for picking Ellis seems to be that you don't want to mess around with the top four as it stands, but there's nothing stopping you sticking Nicol in at 5-7 anyway.
The tail is already long, the keeper is on debut, Vettori hasn't hit any runs for ND and Taylor is coming back from injury. You do not want to add Ellis as a specialist batsman into that mix. I mean you don't want to add Nicol in either really but as much as I rate Ellis higher than most and Nicol lower than most, suggesting Ellis is the better bat or better suited to batting any position is pushing it way too far.
Ellis will definitely bat eight and replace Boult if he plays too, so your logic contains large traces of double standards.Nicol is definitely opening if he plays though, so I'm selecting on that logic.
His logic contains no traces of logic, tbh.Ellis will definitely bat eight and replace Boult if he plays too, so your logic contains large traces of double standards.
^^^^closer to the mark.His logic contains no traces of logic, tbh.
....Ellis will definitely bat eight and replace Boult if he plays too, so your logic contains large traces of double standards.
I'd actually drop Nicol, bat van Wyk at five and put Ellis at seven tbh.
I also think we should bat first. South Africa are far more likely to trip over our stronger suit which is bowling, so in the fourth innings we definitely want to be bowling. If we bat first, then come the fourth innings, any total over fifty would be a hard chase with our batting against Steyn, Philander and co.
If NZ bat first there won't be a fourth innings and there won't be a day 5. The game will be over as a contest on day 1 when NZ are all out for less than 200.Not much to a fourth innings chasing 500 to win either tbh.
We're going to lose either way. Might as well put the bowlers in the best position to work their magic on day 5 if we get to it.