*Unofficial* New Zealand Black Caps Thread

[Kippax]

He's almost 37 and helping Notts out with his Kolpak status, so no, there's no 'play England home and away as a swansong?' chance (as I heard the BBC commentator suggest when I was finding the O'Brien interview to make that video).

NZ went '140 or nothing!' mad after Bond's breakthrough season, and our domestic pitches in the early 2000s (on which the likes of Tama Canning and Andrew Schwass were killing it) were encouraging everyone to downplay the figures of any line-and-length merchants with virile contempt.

Also, Adams reminds me a bit of Thierry Henry on CW. Because he's often contrary and sardonic he's never fully embraced. It quickly degenerates into a '...as if I even want to fit in with you losers!' thing. It sounds like it wasn't until he hooked up with guys like Flem and Swann at Notts, guys who really value quirky or mirthful original thinking and independence of mind, that he thought "I can be more or less myself and buy into this team".

 

[SteveNZ]

Would be interesting if Auckland split their side into North Harbour/Northland and Auckland.

Of their Plunket Shield squad, Brad Cachopa, Neal Parlane and Andre Adams are from across the Bridge. You may get Brad's brothers back as well, which covers a lot of the batting and wicketkeeping as well. Then you take guys from Northland - the Marshalls, Yovich, Wilson, Southee and others I'm missing. Makings of a good side.

 

[Kippax]

http://www.blackcaps.co.nz/schedule/blackcaps-in-india/129/series.aspx

Get the feeling NZC is really struggling with that Kane replacement a few weeks out, they just need too many of their various Test and LO hands on deck for the whole period.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Winner of the tombola announced end of July

It's like when you're the last ticket announced and after the previous few have begrudgingly and painstakingly taken the stuff they can palm off as a Christmas present to the doddering aunt you're left with the set of bath soaps that smell like a bombed cat sanctuary.

Obviously I only know about raffles second hand, they're unheard of at Scrabble tournaments.

 

[Flem274*]

You only know about soap second hand as well I imagine.

 

[Howsie]

"We want the best person for the job and will not limit our search for the right candidate,'' White said. "We are aiming to have the new head coach in place by the end of July but will not be drawn into making self-imposed deadlines.''

Bull****. Guarantee Buchanan already has a couple of his second rate cronies lined up for the job.

 

[Flem274*]

Getting to the point where I'd almost let Taylor run the team in conjunction with a specialist bowling and batting coach.

It isn't ideal, but surely better than getting a new coach every twelve months.

We could give Buchanan himself the job I suppose. He's the one Wright left over, and he coached the greatest side of all time. There's both "you got us into this mess, get us out of it" and the "you've got the best CV of anyone in the world" aspects to it.

 

[Flem274*]

The absolute worst choice would be Greg Chappell or Duncan Fletcher.

So it will definitely be either of those two.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Bull****. Guarantee Buchanan already has a couple of his second rate cronies lined up for the job.

Buchanan has cronies???

 

[SteveNZ]

No way Buchanan wants the job, he wants to stay back-room enough to say 'hey, it's the coach who has the major influence' and close enough to accept praise for innovation if it comes his way.

You can almost guarantee Buchanan is going to spring a two-coach method, making him the first to employ it. That's how he rolls. And to be fair, with the schedule, it's not the worst idea.

Siddons=limited overs ?=Tests

 

[vic_orthdox]

Yeah, Siddons was an assistant coach under him, he might be open to the idea of working with him.

 

[SteveNZ]

At Queensland, right? Good point. Found this in an article from Stuff too:

The Press understands New Zealand Cricket (NZC) director of cricket Buchanan played a major role in bringing Siddons to New Zealand with the top job in mind, though Siddons signed with Wellington just a month after Buchanan started in his role.

And I remember another article somewhere that Siddons said he been approached about taking on the one-day role. So I think we can almost lock him in already.

Test coach? I'd love it to be someone of Wright's ilk, who was a Test purist, has lived and breathed five-day cricket and really wants to give it a red-hot go. No one springs to mind

 

[straw man]

Just make Athlai coach already. I see Flem (the real one, not the interwebz imposter) has ruled himself out - we'll get him at some point I'd say though it could be 15 years before he wants to give it a shot.

Quote of the century from cricinfo county report

The Derbyshire dominance was confirmed by the 18 overs it took to reach their target of 94. Martin Guptill, perhaps the best overseas player in the game currently, thumped a 42-ball half-century to polish off a wonderful three days - three days that saw Derbyshire win a fourth game in seven.

Guptill WAG. In true Guptill style he is a god at the level a step down from international cricket and has been scoring buckets of runs for Derbyshire.

At the other end of the scale, Jeets is confirming his WAC status by taking 4/27 in his last one-dayer and 6/95 in second inns of last first class match for Warwickshire. Srsly this is division 1 on wickets that I wouldn't think would turn a lot - are county players even worse at playing spin than our domestix batsmen?

 

[Mike5181]

Guptill's First-class average is finally starting to look respectable.

 

[Flem274*]

Just make Athlai coach already. I see Flem (the real one, not the interwebz imposter) has ruled himself out - we'll get him at some point I'd say though it could be 15 years before he wants to give it a shot.

Quote of the century from cricinfo county report


Guptill WAG. In true Guptill style he is a god at the level a step down from international cricket and has been scoring buckets of runs for Derbyshire.

At the other end of the scale, Jeets is confirming his WAC status by taking 4/27 in his last one-dayer and 6/95 in second inns of last first class match for Warwickshire. Srsly this is division 1 on wickets that I wouldn't think would turn a lot - are county players even worse at playing spin than our domestix batsmen?

This is Guptill's breakthrough season in CC tbh. Was up and down last county stint.

 

[vic_orthdox]

At Queensland, right? Good point. Found this in an article from Stuff too:

The Press understands New Zealand Cricket (NZC) director of cricket Buchanan played a major role in bringing Siddons to New Zealand with the top job in mind, though Siddons signed with Wellington just a month after Buchanan started in his role.

And I remember another article somewhere that Siddons said he been approached about taking on the one-day role. So I think we can almost lock him in already.

Test coach? I'd love it to be someone of Wright's ilk, who was a Test purist, has lived and breathed five-day cricket and really wants to give it a red-hot go. No one springs to mind

Nah, from memory he and a few other coaches (Tim Nielsen, Dene Hills) would rotate through the Centre of Excellence and travelling with the Australian side as an assistant to Buchanan. Siddons would almost still have been playing for SA while Buchanan was coaching them, wouldn't he?

Don't know anything about Siddons being an assistant in QLD.

 

[SteveNZ]

Nah, from memory he and a few other coaches (Tim Nielsen, Dene Hills) would rotate through the Centre of Excellence and travelling with the Australian side as an assistant to Buchanan. Siddons would almost still have been playing for SA while Buchanan was coaching them, wouldn't he?

Don't know anything about Siddons being an assistant in QLD.

Ah okay, just a guess. I know little about the Australian domestic scene, admittedly. But sounds like he might be well-tied into Buchanan already.

Wow, that's a massive rap on Guptill, there are some pretty handy overseas players around I would wager. Especially a Kiwi one that plays for Notts and has led the wicket tally over the last two years.

 

[Scaly piscine]

New Zealand news: New Zealand players could miss first Test in England | New Zealand Cricket News | ESPN Cricinfo

Oh dear.

 

[SteveNZ]

That's sad. It really rips me that 3-4 guys are going to choose family and $ over a Lord's Test, and they have the right to. It shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Spikey]

yeah players having the right to do what they want to do is really annoying. their families should be ashamed.