**Official** South Africa in England 2012

[HeathDavisSpeed]

I presume he's talking about the NZ players who won't be playing some of the series because of the IPL commitments.

I misunderstood - I assumed he was talking about the Eng tour to NZ.

As such, my comments in the first section below are now completely redundant...

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Is it guaranteed that Kiwi players will play IPL? Test tours always seem to be in March these days and the main IPL candidates (McCullum, Taylor, [Ryder]) were all available for the RSA tour last summer.

March 6-10 - First Test, University Oval, Dunedin
March 14-18 - Second Test, Basin Reserve, Wellington
March 22-26 - Third Test, Eden Park, Auckland

IPL doesn't begin until the 3rd April?

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However...

Ignoring that irrelevant comment, I think it is important to remember that Kiwi cricketers earn a pittance compared to stars in England, Australia and India and hence IPL cash is much more significant to them; hence why there is a negotiated agreement between the Player's Union and NZC which states that tours will not clash with the IPL. Hence, whilst I understand it may be a bit distasteful, I suspect if English players were earning the same amount of money as their New Zealand counterparts, there might be a few more arms thrown in the air about this sort of clash.

 

[Viscount Tom]

Tour to England, pretty sure they miss the first test at Lords.

What exactly do the NZ players earn per annum anyway?

 

[Jacknife]

I misunderstood - I assumed he was talking about the Eng tour to NZ.

As such, my comments in the first section below are now completely redundant...

----

Is it guaranteed that Kiwi players will play IPL? Test tours always seem to be in March these days and the main IPL candidates (McCullum, Taylor, [Ryder]) were all available for the RSA tour last summer.

March 6-10 - First Test, University Oval, Dunedin
March 14-18 - Second Test, Basin Reserve, Wellington
March 22-26 - Third Test, Eden Park, Auckland

IPL doesn't begin until the 3rd April?

----------

However...

Ignoring that irrelevant comment, I think it is important to remember that Kiwi cricketers earn a pittance compared to stars in England, Australia and India and hence IPL cash is much more significant to them; hence why there is a negotiated agreement between the Player's Union and NZC which states that tours will not clash with the IPL. Hence, whilst I understand it may be a bit distasteful, I suspect if English players were earning the same amount of money as their New Zealand counterparts, there might be a few more arms thrown in the air about this sort of clash.

It's something that's been mentioned a few times in articles and on comms as well, so I'm not 100% sure, just a case of going on what i've heard, that they'll miss the start to the England tour next year.

I agree I don't blame the players at all, It's a difficult position to be in especially for the poorer boards and sooner or later somethings got to give.

 

[SteveNZ]

In fairness the tests against NZ are as close to pointless as you could get, just make the Ashes 7 tests or play ZImbabwe because at least they'll put out a full side.

That isn't set in stone. NZ players are guaranteed a 5-week window. IPL 2013 starts on April 3. By my count, five weeks elapses on May 8 or there abouts. First Test is May 16. So unless someone puts up a fuss and won't go to England, it'll be status quo. And exactly the same as the Windies series, where we didn't have a solitary warm-up match. Which is also the scenario for our Test series in India later this month.

 

[marc71178]

You know what I mean. Respond to that or leave it alone.

I did respond to it - just because you don't like the answer doesn't make it any less accurate. Umpires call is simply that - there is no evidence to conclusively say the umpire is wrong therefore the review fails.

 

[Garson007]

I did respond to it - just because you don't like the answer doesn't make it any less accurate. Umpires call is simply that - there is no evidence to conclusively say the umpire is wrong therefore the review fails.

On where the ball pitches, with highly accurate cameras?

 

[marc71178]

Since when has umpires call related to where the ball pitches?

 

[Garson007]

Since when has umpires call related to where the ball pitches?

Uh, if half the ball doesn't pitch then it's umpire's call.

 

[Spark]

That I've always found dodgy tbh. Don't see the need, although I guess giving it not out when 49% is pitching on is a bit rough.

 

[Spark]

Meanwhile, KP. Oh, KP.

 

[Jono]

Would love to know whether England fans like or dislike KP. So tempted to run a poll after all he's done for England cricket over the last 8 years, the good and the bad.

 

[uvelocity]

make that 3 off 31 balls ...

there is just no fight left in the english, probly why ireland screwd them up in that movie

 

[Fusion]

Would love to know whether England fans like or dislike KP. So tempted to run a poll after all he's done for England cricket over the last 8 years, the good and the bad.

Would love to know the same. I would think they would be annoyed by him. But as a Pakistani supporter, I know how certain players can elicit extreme devotion from the general fandom, no matter what their faults. Afridi as a case in point for Pakistan.

 

[Arachnodouche]

He has a little of the mercenary inside him. I'm sure he'll wear SA colours again if they cared to have him back and present him with a better deal.

 

[Prince EWS]

He has a little of the mercenary inside him. I'm sure he'll wear SA colours again if they cared to have him back and present him with a better deal.

He'd have to wait four years first though.

 

[Jono]

If you've listened to the interview with Agnew then no he's not after attention, Agnew asked him if he could give any assurances that he's playing for England after the next test match and he didn't want to get into it in the middle of a series and eventually said no he can't because issues have to sorted out.

Amazing how people just presume he's at fault.

Even if there are people in the dressing room leaking information to the media, which is what KP is complaining about, if the leaks are the truth, i.e. that KP wants to be able to skip the NZ test series and other series to play IPL or to take time off etc, how on Earth is this the ECB's fault? Should they be held ransom by KP?

 

[NickDB]

He has a little of the mercenary inside him. I'm sure he'll wear SA colours again if they cared to have him back and present him with a better deal.

He has the talent to walk in to ANY team in the world, but as a Saffer, no thanks you can keep him. Like the make up of our team and don't need that kind of spoiling influence in it. Plus the only person who I might swop him for in our top 5 is Alveiro, and after his first innings knock that would be a bit unfair.

But maybe open with Smith and Rudolph

Smith
Rudolph
Alma
Kallis
AB
KP
Duminy
Philander
Steyn
Morkel
Tahir

Actually that's a damn good team.

 

[ankitj]

I did respond to it - just because you don't like the answer doesn't make it any less accurate. Umpires call is simply that - there is no evidence to conclusively say the umpire is wrong therefore the review fails.

What you are saying now is different from what you were saying in the last post.

In my opinion, it will be better for UDRS to give a result independent of the umpire decision. If there is enough doubt, may be give benefit of doubt to the batsman. It should not matter what was umpire's original decision. It's a strange kind of anchor which allows umpires to make small errors.

Not that there can't be two right approaches to it. It's just the one that I will prefer.

 

[nexxus]

I prefer to think of the umpire's call as benefit of the doubt goes to the umpire.

UDRS benefit of the doubt going to the batsman effectively means that we go back to the bad old days of bowler virtually not having any of leg-stump for LBWs, except this time they don't have half the off-stump and almost an inch of the top of the stumps either. Any close LBW will be referred by the batsman and they're likely to get the benefit. Wasn't this the way it worked during the trials? That was awful.

It's helped bring spinners back into the game as they umpires are starting to finally get over their reluctance to give LBWs and I think it's the best part of the entire system to be honest. The loss of a referral is harsh, but hey, the system's there to stop clearly wrong decisions not give the player a 2nd opinion of a close 'un. If it was in the orange zone, it's borderline and thus by definition, not a clearly bad decision.

 

[Spark]

Yep. The UDRS is not there to reach some Nirvana where every single decision is totally and irrefutably correct, even assuming that you can even talk about what such a state would mean (which IMO you can't)