***Official**** Sri Lanka in New Zealand 2014/2015

[Zinzan]

Loving Kane getting dropped every 30 or 40 runs. It's the next best thing to him actually eradicating the tendency to do something silly at about that point.

Another drop against Williamson - he really needs to make them count. Every 30 or so runs he's giving up a chance.

To be fair, that was just an excellent delivery from Herath. There's not all that much Williamson did wrong there.

 

[Blocky]

Ross Taylor is a nervy starter because he's takes time to work out where his feet go and where off stump is. He has very rarely looked assured when he first comes in (his 154* might be the last time it happened). He's like many, many world class batsmen in this respect. Getting started is hard. Ponting was dodgy early. Clarke is dodgy early. Graeme Smith too. Like all good players though, once Taylor gets to 20 he makes you pay.

Next.

Except Clarke, Ponting, Smith were all noted as heavy trainers who attempted to get their licks in before the matches started, where as Ross is a noted lazy bastard who only ever trains hard when he feels he has to prove something. Which you can see in how badly his technique has degraded since 2012.

 

[Jono]

David : "I'd have Haddin in the Aussie side over Watling any day of the week, Karl. He has a long way to go to get anywhere near Haddin's impact on a game or his keeping ability. Watling would be waiting behind about five keepers in Australia."

David = benchy

 

[thierry henry]

To be fair, that was just an excellent delivery from Herath. There's not that much Williamson did wrong there.

I'm at work following cricinfo commentary tbf. But looking amazing and then just kinda...getting out....is definitely a Kane thing. It's nit-picking for sure, I love the Kane, but not converting more starts (including "big starts" of 60 or 70) is about all that's holding him back atm.

 

[Blocky]

When I was listening to them commentate about the change in technique, I did not hear them once mention "lazyness" as the reason for it. In fact, I heard them discuss that he must have been working on it with McMillan in the nets given the similarity to a [dubious] technique that he employed mid-career and that the change was so substantial that it couldn't have happened by osmosis.

Go review Ross Taylor in 2008-2009. Slouched after his bat, plonking his front foot forward and moving across his stumps mostly to try and smash a slog sweep.
Go review Ross in 2011-2013. Upright, staying a lot more offside of the ball, very rarely moving across his crease, opening up his offside game more.

His technique has degraded to what he naturally used to play like earlier in his career, which is why his average has degraded back to what it used to be earlier in his career.

Anyone within cricketing circles knows he hits the least balls of any NZ batsman in the nets, but apparently saying that is blasphemy and according to some, racism.

 

[Flem274*]

Except Clarke, Ponting, Smith were all noted as heavy trainers who attempted to get their licks in before the matches started, where as Ross is a noted lazy bastard who only ever trains hard when he feels he has to prove something. Which you can see in how badly his technique has degraded since 2012.

Citation needed

Our team is littered with poor starters come to think of it. Baz misses straight balls and Watling is also dire before he gets to 20. Latham is probably the best at getting going early.

 

[Flem274*]

Anyone within cricketing circles

Not you then.

 

[Blocky]

I'm at work following cricinfo commentary tbf. But looking amazing and then just kinda...getting out....is definitely a Kane thing. It's nit-picking for sure, I love the Kane, but not converting more starts (including "big starts" of 60 or 70) is about all that's holding him back atm.

It's a tempo thing in my view, he forgets how to score runs at certain points in his innings and gets bogged down - then tries to get himself out of it with some shots. Almost every chance he's given in this series corresponds with him having a massive slow down in scoring rate previously to it. Then he picks it up again.

 

[Blocky]

Not you then.

Keep dreaming buddy. Taylor at this rate isn't even the third best bat in our side. If he doesn't pick his game up by the end of the year he might struggle to see much test cricket in 2016.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Go review Ross Taylor in 2008-2009. Slouched after his bat, plonking his front foot forward and moving across his stumps mostly to try and smash a slog sweep.
Go review Ross in 2011-2013. Upright, staying a lot more offside of the ball, very rarely moving across his crease, opening up his offside game more.

So, you think the similarity to McMillan's experimental technique is just coincidence? I don't recall Taylor ever employing such an open, crab like stance at any point during his career. I don't see the comparison between this current, admittedly bizarre, development and that of 2008-9 and I can't fathom how you could develop such a foible without practicing hard to maintain it - it's too far detached from the setup he'd have through muscle memory.

 

[thierry henry]

It's a tempo thing in my view, he forgets how to score runs at certain points in his innings and gets bogged down - then tries to get himself out of it with some shots. Almost every chance he's given in this series corresponds with him having a massive slow down in scoring rate previously to it. Then he picks it up again.

Yep. His innings on Boxing Day (I'm sure it's been thoroughly discussed here already) included about the best 40 I've ever seen and then he just decided to block everything for an hour.

 

[Zinzan]

I'm at work following cricinfo commentary tbf. But looking amazing and then just kinda...getting out....is definitely a Kane thing. It's nit-picking for sure, I love the Kane, but not converting more starts (including "big starts" of 60 or 70) is about all that's holding him back atm.

9 test tons at the age of 24 & we're complaining about his conversion? really?

More than pertinent point about Stephen Fleming or even Mark Richardson for that matter, but no way Kane.

 

[Blocky]

So, you think the similarity to McMillan's experimental technique is just coincidence? I don't recall Taylor ever employing such an open, crab like stance at any point during his career. I don't see the comparison between this current, admittedly bizarre, development and that of 2008-9 and I can't fathom how you could develop such a foible without practicing hard to maintain it - it's too far detached from the setup he'd have through muscle memory.

Like I said, go review his technique in 2008 - there are highlights of some of his better innings online - same square technique, slouched over his bat, over-exaggerated movement of the foot to the off stump. It's his "natural" technique - you're quite right, you can't develop a technique that stays regular without a tonne of practice and muscle memory, which Taylor no longer has because he's not been training the technique he worked hard on with Crowe for a number of years.

 

[Flem274*]

Keep dreaming buddy. Taylor at this rate isn't even the third best bat in our side. If he doesn't pick his game up by the end of the year he might struggle to see much test cricket in 2016.

 

[Flem274*]

Superb partnership from this pair.

 

[Zinzan]

It comes down to our board to be honest, we need to be happy playing Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and teams like Pakistan who aren't getting much test cricket either. Once we're starting to threaten being a Top 3 side, we'll find it easier getting the three test series that take us from eight tests a year up to twelve.

I'd be happy enough with that, just not sure it's financially viable forUS to play the likes of Zim & Bang anymore than they are right now, but probably needs as seen a medium/long term investment. Also hopefully the ICC via the 3 big boards help with the funding given they've snubbed playing us very often.

 

[ohnoitsyou]

Same number of test hundreds as Fleming ftr.

 

[Blocky]

Singles for days if they can just hold the instinct to try and look for boundaries, sweeper fielders only ever work when batsmen want to force the pace. We have no need to look for 4s and 5s an over.

 

[jcas0167]

When I was listening to them commentate about the change in technique, I did not hear them once mention "lazyness" as the reason for it. In fact, I heard them discuss that he must have been working on it with McMillan in the nets given the similarity to a [dubious] technique that he employed mid-career and that the change was so substantial that it couldn't have happened by osmosis.

Would be interested to know what Crowe thinks of the changes, I thought he was Taylor's batting mentor.

 

[Blocky]

Same number of test hundreds as Fleming ftr.

Yeah I think the conversion monkey should be off his back, although it is frustrating that a lot of his dismissals in the 60s, 70s and 80s tend to be gifted wickets. I think what people are saying is that he goes from being a great batsman by NZ standards to a great batsman by international standards the moment he stops that tendency.