***Official*** New Zealand in the West Indies 2014

[hendrix]

I like the look of Tastle (unsurprisingly), Santner, Craig, Johnston and Ajaz Patel, in particular.

I hate to side with Blocky on anything, but Santner is the future.

 

[Kippax]

Blocky doesn't really see Santner as the future. He's big on the leggie brother, Elliot Santner.

 

[Blocky]

Blocky doesn't really see Santner as the future. He's big on the leggie brother, Elliot Santner.

Mitch due to his batting and fielding represents a better prospect for limited overs cricket
Elliott is the better pure spin bowler, but not as good in the field
Josef Walker is probably the best of the bunch in Hamilton in terms of pure spin bowling and he's still under 20.

Craig, gave me what I expected, accuracy and flight, as well as something I didn't expect - good levels of rip.
Sodhi - "He bowled brilliantly in the second innings" - in my mind, he still gave three bad balls away an over and while that's his best performance (perhaps ever) in a game of cricket as a spin bowler, play him against a team like Sri Lanka, India, South Africa or England and he'll go for 5 an over without taking wickets.

So now we're only playing two vacationers - Sodhi and Fulton, with Craig proving himself worthy (at least in these conditions) and a guy that needs to learn how to go back to basics in Trent Boult.

 

[ohnoitsyou]

Pretty sure Boult will come right next game

 

[hendrix]

Boult wasn't that bad. He didn't bowl well but he was better than his figures suggest.

 

[GotSpin]

Its so cute to see the kiwis get all hot and bothered over their team. Will make it far more enjoyable when we next smack them around like an Ill mannered red headed step son...

In more serious matters, i really hope that the changes to the Windies batting like up make a difference. Its annoying to see the Windies battling to cross the 200 mark due to the inability of Chanderpaul to bat from Both ends. Particularly interested in seeing how Blackwood goes.

Unfortunately, i have a 0% chance of watching this match live. The internet is particularly dodgy at the best of times here and drops out when there are storms which are quite frequent

 

[NZTailender]

Edit: Re: Fulton

Given he was captain in a warm up match, I think it shows how entrenched he is in the selectors/coaches plans for the tour.

He'll probably be jammy and score 70-odd in one of the innings, maybe even a 100.

 

[SteveNZ]

Interesting article. Kid decides not to bowl darts and makes national team. Probably tells us he will be terrible in ODIs - not that we want him since we have NMac.

I've known him a long time, and he's never been a darter - dunno where his coach is coming from there. Always given it a rip from a good height, glad he told Messer Branks to go do himself.

He's not an ODI player at this stage though, no. Nor do we need him to be, it's great to have a guy that can focus solely on being our Test spinner.

Handily he's also a very good slipper, so not gonna miss Fults there.

 

[BackFootPunch]

The best thing for us would be if we treat Craig a bit like the Aussies have treated Nathan Lyon (though without the random droppings every season or two). They seem to understand that Lyon is the best equipped of their spinners to be a decent Test player and have generally given him a chance to develop. Would love to see things go the same way with Pidge. Leave him be and let him figure a few things out as he goes and he'll be a fine bowler at the top level imo.

 

[Blocky]

Boult wasn't that bad. He didn't bowl well but he was better than his figures suggest.

His issue is that he has no patience, he's so used to having the ball swing massively and late and that's how he troubles batsmen. When the ball stops moving or doesn't go as late, he doesn't have the ability to hit away at a line and length spot to take "hard" wickets. He's the type of guy who runs in trying to take a wicket with every single ball, rather than construct a plan over say ten balls around how to take a wicket. In the right conditions, he can do that. When it's not the right conditions, I'd rather have Wagner.

 

[Prince EWS]

His issue is that he has no patience, he's so used to having the ball swing massively and late and that's how he troubles batsmen. When the ball stops moving or doesn't go as late, he doesn't have the ability to hit away at a line and length spot to take "hard" wickets. He's the type of guy who runs in trying to take a wicket with every single ball, rather than construct a plan over say ten balls around how to take a wicket. In the right conditions, he can do that. When it's not the right conditions, I'd rather have Wagner.

I actually agree with all of this barring of course the last sentence.

 

[Blocky]

I actually agree with all of this barring of course the last sentence.

Wagner is the type of bowler who also energizes the other guys. It's hard to drop your standards in the field or just run in and put it on the spot when you see a guy like that run in as hard for his last ball in the days play as he does his first. Also after the season he's just had, I'd dare say I shouldn't be the only one who sees his qualities.

Boult in swinging conditions - sure - but dust bowls without swing? Give me Wagner.

Boult almost needs to look at Southee as a template though, wasn't too long ago that Southee had the same exact issues as Boult - brilliant in certain spells, average in others.

 

[RxGM]

Edit: Re: Fulton

Given he was captain in a warm up match, I think it shows how entrenched he is in the selectors/coaches plans for the tour.

He'll probably be jammy and score 70-odd in one of the innings, maybe even a 100.

Not in the form that he is in, I think it will be a success if he makes it to drinks.

I was trying to think of an established player who has been through a worse run of form and held his place in the team,

MacIntosh springs to mind but even he only ever went through 3 zilch games before he would contribute, where as Fulton has not contributed in the last 5 test matches, and has scored bugger all in FC cricket.

 

[Howsie]

but Santner is the future.

Of bits n pieces all rounders?

Poor ol Boult. One bad game and the knives are out, FMD.

 

[Hurricane]

Poor ol Boult. One bad game and the knives are out, FMD.

Indeed. From following the descriptions of his bowling on cricinfo he does need to bounce back though. Tempting to play Wagner for Fulton given how low he is averaging recently.

 

[ohnoitsyou]

Other advantages of notable line and length bowler Neil Wagner include both the quantity and quality of short and wide filth.

 

[Hurricane]

In today's Sunday Star times Hesson claimed that our spinners give the ball a bigger rip than the Windies spinners. He said that was the difference in the test.

 

[Flem274*]

Wagner better than Boult. Lol, next someone will be claiming irrelevant domestic player #134 is better than Ross Taylor.

Wagner is a decent bowler nowadays but he's no Boult. Not by a long way.

 

[WindieWeathers]

I don't know why...but i just have a feeling this 2nd game is gonna be a serious dogfight. We simply cannot play any worse at than we did in that 1st test...and i think we're gonna ask NZ some major questions this time...we'll see if they have the answers.

 

[Blocky]

Of bits n pieces all rounders?

Poor ol Boult. One bad game and the knives are out, FMD.

Actually, he's had a few games like this in his career. It's not like the knives are out, but he doesn't know how to take wickets when conditions don't suit - kind of like Anderson. I do love the hyperbole though, you mention that Boult needs to learn how to bowl when conditions don't suit and bring up the fact that he was pretty toothless in this game and people think you're saying he's done and dusted. They'll also take "Wagner plays better in conditions that don't suit swing" to mean "Wagner is the better bowler"

Other advantages of notable line and length bowler Neil Wagner include both the quantity and quality of short and wide filth.

And winning us matches against the #1 ranked test nation at the time, of course.