***Official*** South Africa in New Zealand 2012

[straw man]

Surely Nicol must go for the next test. Who comes in? TMac's stint back in domestic cricket hasn't done him good, he's been averaging 14 this year. Even the best of the domestic openers (guys like Raval, Brodie, How etc.) are averaging high 30's/low 40's. Do we give one of them a chance, or bump McCullum up to open, someone up to number 3 and bring in a middle order player?

Shamelessly stealing Flem's carefully compiled stats from the other thread:

GH Worker: 8 matches, 561 @ 40.07, 1 & 3
JM Brodie: 7 matches, 498 @ 41.50, 2 & 1
SJ Murdoch: 7 matches, 481 @ 43.72, 2 & 3
BS Wilson: 8 matches, 458 @ 32.71, 0 & 5
JM How: 8 matches, 454 @ 41.27, 1 & 1
PJ Ingram: 3 matches, 364 @ 60.66, 1 & 2
BJ Watling: 4 matches, 345 @ 86.25, 1 & 3
MHW Papps: 8 matches, 343 @ 24.50, 1 & 2
JA Raval: 5 matches, 325 @ 40.62, 1 & 1
HD Rutherford: 2 matches, 268 @ 67.00, 2 & 0
TG McIntosh: 7 matches, 182 @ 14.00, 1 & 0

Worker, Brodie, Murdoch or Rutherford need a breakthrough season to show they're ready to step up as NZ openers. Unfortunately the Plunket shield is nearly at an end so we're going to be waiting a while. Or go back to Watling.

But for me it has to be Guptill and McCullum opening.

 

[straw man]

Well done SA of course. Still showing more fragility than I'd expect them to but too much class in the end.

As for us, we've fought hard in patches this test series so far and realistically that's all we should be expecting. However we should not be making selection mistakes like Nicol and Arnel - we need all eleven players contributing something to push SA as hard as possible.

 

[Prince EWS]

Surely Nicol must go for the next test. Who comes in? TMac's stint back in domestic cricket hasn't done him good, he's been averaging 14 this year. Even the best of the domestic openers (guys like Raval, Brodie, How etc.) are averaging high 30's/low 40's. Do we give one of them a chance, or bump McCullum up to open, someone up to number 3 and bring in a middle order player?

There's no sense in bringing in another opener; McCullum was only moved to three in the first place to fit Nicol in. Brownlie's fit now; he comes in for Nicol and McCullum goes back to opening.

 

[Bahnz]

If we do go with 3 seamers, I'd actually prefer Boult back in the XI, ahead of Gillespie.
But fair play to lard butt, he's earned a few matches after that spell on friday.

 

[Arachnodouche]

Jesus H., Vernon Philander. When was the last time any bowler had this sort of start to their career? Brett Lee? Looks every bit the heir apparent to Mcgrath.

 

[BackFootPunch]

I know Vettori carried us almost single-handedly a couple of seasons back, but surely we need more from a guy who has played 110 tests. He's not a test number 6 and without a genuine strike bowler in the side his tie-up-one-end bowling isn't very effective. Assuming the Basin is similar to what we've seen pitch wise in the previous couple of games I'd advocate dropping him and playing four quicks as well as the extra batsman. People argue that he's averaged 40 for the last however many years but very few of those innings were at 6. We should really just select our 6 best batsmen, a keeper and the 4 bowlers most likely to take 20 wickets. That'd be logical.

1. Guptill
2. McCullum
3. Williamson
4. Taylor
5. Brownlie
6. Flynn
7. van Wyk
8. Boult
9. Bracewell
10. Gillespie
11. Martin

Vettori can come back in when we're not 1-0 down in a series with one game to play. Incidentally, swap Vettori for the seamer with the least form and that's probably our best team when we're not just searching for a single win to halve a series anyway.

 

[Flem274*]

Vettori is our second best test batsman. He's gotta play.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

Dropping Dan. Just, lol.

 

[BackFootPunch]

Vettori is our second best test batsman. He's gotta play.

Then he can bat at 3 or open. Our batting in this series has been woeful and the most viable alternatives bat in the middle order. And we can't push him down to 8 because then we'll be a bowler short and it'll be second innings in Dunedin all over again.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

Not an awful suggestion, others have had similar thoughts. Though I think anyone put in front of Philander and Steyn with the new ball will get destroyed.

 

[BackFootPunch]

Not an awful suggestion, others have had similar thoughts. Though I think anyone put in front of Philander and Steyn with the new ball will get destroyed.

Yeah I pretty much agree. He's as likely to do well there as anyone else is. Probably more so. It's just so incredibly frustrating that 2 games in a row our bowlers have shown they can do the business, only to be let down by inept batsmanship. I don't care about building for the future right now, we have the bowlers to beat a quality opposition so we've gotta take the opportunity. As far as I'm concerned that means attacking with the ball until our bowlers are out on their feet and then edging, nudging, fighting and scrapping our way to some sort of total with the bat.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

Essentially, it's time we tried something drastically different with regards to our top 3.

 

[Hurricane]

I will go back and read the thread to see what people said when Vettori was dismissed by a Kallis bouncer. I think after watching that dismissal Flem, I would not open the batting with him. It looked like a standard bouncer and he just bailed on it and it was not Steyn who bowled it.
I would put that dismissal straight into the memory bank if I was SA and pepper him a bit more.

In terms of losing in three days - I don't mind. SA are clearly the top bowling attack in the world (with apologies to England).I thought a number of our batsman played to their potential.

Looking forward to the next test I will go to the first day at least.

I am still proud of the blackcaps - they scrapped as hard as the could. We were never going to compete with Nicol and Guptil opening.

 

[Hurricane]

Anyone else starting to think that right now Bracewell is a test match #10 at best? He's got the potential to eventually bat higher, but right now he's nowhere near a test match #8.

Can't see Marto facing a ball.

Didn't he do well in the first test in the first dig? But yes he is underachieving. He should be number 9.

 

[Mike5181]

I'm really impressed by this Philander guy. We haven't exactly had top quality fast bowlers in test cricket since the McGraths and Pollocks were around and there's been a decent drop in quality after Steyn and Anderson for quite a while.

 

[Howsie]

The talk is Daniel Flynn is going to be brought into the New Zealand squad for the third test and apparently will open. Interesting. I wonder if he'll do it for ND tommorow.

 

[Flem274*]

I hope he gets a game for ND opening if that's the plan.

 

[Mike5181]

Always been a Flynn fan so I was almost hoping he wouldn't get selected for the third test. It'll be near impossible to score runs against the South African bowlers without playing against them before.

Not sure where that leaves Brownlie if he's fit. They must be dropping a bowler if the Flynn move is accurate.

 

[Bahnz]

The talk is Daniel Flynn is going to be brought into the New Zealand squad for the third test and apparently will open. Interesting. I wonder if he'll do it for ND tommorow.

If this is true, then YEEAAAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!!

I wouldn't mind Flynn coming in as a number 5/6, but has he even played as an opener this season? And now he'll be opening up against the best new ball attack in the world. The whole thing just reeks of panic and confusion.

 

[Flem274*]

Maybe Wright has a man-crush a la Watling?