**Official** Group A Discussion

[Hurricane]

Some good conversation in the NZ squad thread as to whether Dan should play if fit. Consensus is not at this stage. Mchesson may have other ideas. I think we should be competitive. Mahela and Sanga are truly incredible players and are basically guaranteed to score 50+ tonight. This is not ghambiring - just my observations that they are terrific batsman. If we can get them out before the score is 150 we have a chance to restrict them to something less than 300 and give ourselves a chance.

I reckon we are a threat to chase anything up to 300 runs against SL. I reckon anything more than that and we are in tough against Malinga in particular. He is a quality ODI bowler (stating the obvious).

 

[Flem274*]

Sri Lanka have a lot of unorthodox bowlers we just love to collapse against, like Malinga and Senanayake. I've never seen the spinner but Malinga adds the world class tag to his unorthodoxness so we're certainly up against it tonight. A lot hinges on Taylor and Williamson, who would be our best players of spin. Guptill will have to work hard for his runs tonight.

 

[greg]

What i also quite find amusing about the whole "England can't win this tournament because they can't score 300" argument from the Sky commentators is that they almost all to a man have Windies and/or Pakistan as one of their big tips to go all the way. Now leaving aside that i'm not entirely sure where they think all of Pakistan's "firepower" is coming from, but one could just as easily argue that if your batting can be bowled out for 170 on a largely blameless pitch (or struggle to chase 170), then it is pretty likely that you are going to come a cropper at some point as well!

 

[Hurricane]

Love the expression come a cropper - my grandmother would truck out expressions like that when I was 5 years old.

"You've been in the wars today young Hurricane". "Mum what does in the wars mean?"

 

[Flem274*]

This English top three are cornflakes. They're not the most exciting thing out but they're pretty effective. Then the middle order are the sugar. Would be too much on their own but added to the cornflakes they add some much needed interest

When KP returns he will be the banana..

 

[Daemon]

Prefer Froot Loops

 

[Hurricane]

I'll give you 5 minutes to edit this before I make it my sig for a while. @Flem

 

[Daemon]

It's bad enough we have to see him post, don't need a quote of his hanging around after each of yours too

 

[hendrix]

didn't we just have a complaint about the "Ferrer v Murray" thing, and now you start talking about cereal, ffs?

 

[Maximas]

I'd say Sri Lanka a favourites tonight, they have a world class batting line-up that ends with Kulasekara way down at no 9. Talking of him, I think he may be the bowler to go after tbh, I doubt he will get any swing and he is tonkable at his pace. NZ are relying on Guptill and Ross to make the runs, and I don't think their bowling will quite cut-it without Boult and Vettori.

 

[Hurricane]

I'd say Sri Lanka a favourites tonight, they have a world class batting line-up that ends with Kulasekara way down at no 9. Talking of him, I think he may be the bowler to go after tbh, I doubt he will get any swing and he is tonkable at his pace. NZ are relying on Guptill and Ross to make the runs, and I don't think their bowling will quite cut-it without Boult and Vettori.

You had me until the boult thing. I reckon we have our best three ODI seamers playing and boult is not one of them.

I reckon our attack is as good as anyone elses if Mitch fires.

 

[Cabinet96]

Yeah, that article is piss, not least because I'd consider New Zealand and Sri Lanka to be two of the favourites. I'd personally have SL as marginal favourites today because of what Flem was talking about with regards to unorthodox bowlers. Lots of spin options as well of course.

NcCullum in with Vettori; quite happy with that actually, glad they didn't drop him.

I'll give you 5 minutes to edit this before I make it my sig for a while. @Flem

Beaten.

 

[Howe_zat]

Preview for NZ/SL up tonight. I suggest calm and composed kiwis don't read it unless you want to punch Mr Purohit (did he change his last name for the IPL?) in the face.

Ferrer v Murray, in cricket | Cricket News | ICC Champions Trophy | ESPN Cricinfo

That article should be nailed to the dressing room wall.

When I read the headline I had no idea what it was trying to say. I suppose I should have guessed but I came away with the impression that Ferrer should be offended more than anything.

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

So Vettori in for Elliott, huh?

 

[Kippax]

Franklin at 6. Certainly a better choice than Munro against a Sri Lankan attack tbf.

 

[GGG]

Bit of a gamble with Vettori, hasn't played in the middle for ages, also weakens our batting.

 

[James]

Wow, huge call to drop Elliott for Vettori. Hoping Vettori brings his A game

 

[Zinzan]

Pfft, hate SL always winning the toss and batting first against NZ in big tournaments. Loving seeing Vettori back, he almost always bowls well against the Lankan's for some reason.

And sorry, but lolo @ the Lankan anthem, sounds like the theme to Thomas the tank engine.

 

[the big bambino]

Hard on him but NZ should try and repatriate Veets back into international cricket.

 

[Flem274*]

Don't think I will be able to watch this but good to see Vettori back in the ODI side and I hope we do well. Team structure looks a bit weird though. If we're going with Dan at seven I'd move Franko to five to give him some bedding in time and keep McCullum at six, though on the other hand McCullum is at his best imo when he's running fast singles so maybe batting at five will encourage him to do that more.

I hope Mills takes heaps of poles and Mitch M regains full rhythm.

That article I posted earlier reminded me of one of my broken records. New Zealand cricketers need to hate more.

So embrace your hate New Zealand, embrace your hate.