New Zealand Off Season 2014

[Kippax]

Sorry ****. Adam Milne will be playing for Frinton-on-Sea, if you need him.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Lovely place, Frinton. Might get a run for Essex then. Michael Pollard played in Brentwood a couple of years back. Up the Kiwi-Essex connexion.

 

[Kippax]

Yeah, Essex decided to hold fire on an import didn't they, until they have a better idea of what they might want. They have decided though that Hamish Rutherford isn't what they want.

Only the Kiwis with keep their cricket within the bounds of good taste and propriety are in demand for April conditions, like KW and Jeets.

Warwickshire v Sussex at Birmingham, Apr 13-16, 2014 | Live Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo
edgbastonstadium - YouTube

Somerset v Yorkshire at Taunton, Apr 13-16, 2014 | Live Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo
Yorkshire Cricket - YouTube

 

[Kippax]

Actually KW is on BoyBrumby's list as a sly little deviant, isn't he. Only Jeets is keeping it decorous over there.

 

[Athlai]

Dropkins has retired from all forms

 

[Bahnz]

A 6 ball duck - not the most glorious start to the Championship for KW. Also, Jeets off the mark for Warks.

 

[Kippax]

Somerset vs Yorkshire LVCC Div 1 2014 Day One 1, Sun April 13 - YouTube

^ KW's dismissal.

A narrator and sound from the venue? Step back, wild child.

 

[Howsie]

Fulton retained apparently LOL. Patel recalled but he turned them down because he'd rather play County cricket, even bigger LOL. That will be him done in international cricket.

 

[RxGM]

Yea it will be the end for Patel, I don't understand his logic but maybe he wasn't keen to go and carry drinks. There could still be some bitterness from how he was dropped as well.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Sorry ****. Adam Milne will be playing for Frinton-on-Sea, if you need him.

Mervyn Westfield also playing for Frinton. Scored a ton on the weekend. No better an influence for Adam Milne are you likely to find... Hrmm.

 

[hendrix]

Absolutely gutted by Jeets' decision.

 

[jcas0167]

Yea it will be the end for Patel, I don't understand his logic but maybe he wasn't keen to go and carry drinks. There could still be some bitterness from how he was dropped as well.

Plus he's got a wife and new baby. Probably looking for some stability and being able to settle down somewhere for the season with his family.

 

[Bahnz]

It's a pretty mistifying decision. Was Patel really that worried about holding onto his spot with Warks? Given how bare the spin cabinet is in the first division of the CC, it's hard to believe there's much risk of him being replaced after a month of test cricket. A curious end to a sadly unfulfilled career.

I guess it'll be Tastle then for the second spinner's spot. The way that article read, it made it seem like the selectors were seriously considering playing two spinners. If they do, I might have to kill someone.

 

[hendrix]

Plus he's got a wife and new baby. Probably looking for some stability and being able to settle down somewhere for the season with his family.

It's not like Warks is his permanent home though. Seems a rather short term decision. I hope it's not one of those ones he regrets later on.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Two mediocre leggies will be fun.

 

[Bahnz]

It's not like Warks is his permanent home though. Seems a rather short term decision. I hope it's not one of those ones he regrets later on.

He might be starting to think that it is. If he continues to perform, there's nothing stopping him from playing for them for another 4 years. As a senior pro on the county circuit, Jeets is probably making more than he could reasonably hope to get from playing 2 tests a year for New Zealand. They're also clearly rather fond of him, what with winning the player of the year award, and Bell proclaiming him the best spinner in England. It's also quite clear that Ish has been marked as the annointed one, and that nobody else will get a look in except for the occasional sub-continent and WI tours. He's probably decided to stick with the sure source of income, rather than hold out hope that he'll catch a fourth wind with New Zealand.

 

[Kippax]

New Zealand Cricket - Ronchi and Craig in line for BLACKCAPS Test debut

BLACKCAPS Test squad for tour to the West Indies
Brendon McCullum (c) - Otago Volts
Corey Anderson - Northern Knights
Trent Boult - Northern Knights
Mark Craig - Otago Volts
Peter Fulton - Canterbury Wizards
Tom Latham - Canterbury Wizards
James Neesham - Otago Volts
Luke Ronchi – Wellington Firebirds
Hamish Rutherford - Otago Volts
Ish Sodhi - Northern Knights
Tim Southee - Northern Knights
Ross Taylor - Central Stags
Neil Wagner - Otago Volts
BJ Watling - Northern Knights
Kane Williamson - Northern Knights

Hesson says that the 27-year-old Craig provides a nice balance with leg spinner Ish Sodhi.

"Mark has had a strong Plunket Shield taking 22 wickets and his right-arm off-spinners will be valuable against their left-handed heavy top order batting line-up. He’s been in our sights for some time and was also chosen for our winter training squad.”

Hesson confirmed that Daniel Vettori was not available for the tour saying he felt his bowling loads were not yet up to the intensity of Test cricket after major Achilles surgery last June. Jeetan Patel was also unavailable for the tour but for personal reasons.

New Zealand A squad for tour to England
BJ Watling (c) - Northern Knights
Hamish Bennett - Canterbury Wizards
Dean Brownlie - Canterbury Wizards
Colin de Grandhomme - Auckland Aces
Anton Devcich - Northern Knights (returns after one-day matches)
Grant Elliott - Wellington Firebirds
Matt Henry - Canterbury Wizards
Scott Kuggeleijn - Northern Knights
Tom Latham - Canterbury Wizards
Adam Milne - Central Stags
Daryl Mitchell - Northern Knights
Colin Munro - Auckland Aces (returns after one-day matches)
Hamish Rutherford - Otago Volts
Ish Sodhi - Northern Knights (returns after one-day matches)

Added to the NZA squad for the two three-day matches:
Todd Astle - Canterbury Wizards
Michael Bracewell - Otago Volts
Mark Craig - Otago Volts

Schedule for the NZA tour to England
One-day match v Northamptonshire Thu 31 July, County Ground, Northampton
One-day match v Warwickshire Sat 2 August, Edgbaston, Birmingham
One-day match v Sri Lanka A Tues 5 August, County Ground, Taunton
One-day match v England Lions Fri 8 August, County Ground, Bristol
One-day match v Sri Lanka A Sat 9 August, County Ground, Bristol
One-day match v England Lions Tues 12 August, New Road, Worcester
One-day match v Scotland Fri 15 August, Cambusdoon New Ground, Ayr
One-day match v Scotland Sun 17 August, Cambusdoon New Ground, Ayr
One-day match v Scotland Thu 21 August, Grange Cricket Club, Edinburgh
Three-day match v KentMon 25 - Wed 27 August, St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury
Three-day match v Surrey Sun 31 Aug – Tues 2 Sept, Kia Oval, London

 

[Bahnz]

Well that was unexpected. Not about about Ronchi's selection - McCullum can't fill in for BJ even for one-off tests anymore, and given that Latham is only in the fledgling stages of his career as an opener you wouldn't want to over burden him with the keeping duties in an emergency. But Craig...I mean granted we were starting to take a curious look at his performances, but the guy hasn't even been close to an A tour, let alone a full call-up. The fact that the selectors have desperately picked an offie ahead of Tastle also strongly suggests that they are planning to play two spinners. I mean honestly, do these ****wits learn nothing?

 

[straw man]

Wow. Gotta be gutted for Tastle to top the PS wickets, be overlooked in favour of Jeets and then be overlooked again in favour of a guy with 43 FC wickets at 43. I'm excited of course for the new guy, but geeez...

Henry being injured again (as mentioned in another article) is very disappointing and I wholeheartedly disagree with the non-selection of a reserve quick (aside from Neesham), while we are taking two reserve batsmen. Ronchi is completely unnecessary when we have an emergency-reserve keeper in Latham already in the squad, and I definitely would not have retained both Fulton and Rutherford either.

As Bahnz said, there are several things that point to them thinking of playing two spinners - some phrasing in articles, that they didn't want two legspinners but rather a point of difference, that there's no reserve quick... But surely not, surely not...

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Otago Hegemony doing the do.

Time to buy a lottery ticket, Mark.