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

[Athlai]

Baz was always going to give Sri Lanka a little sniff. I can't see them getting close personally. Draw is the likeliest outcome.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Boult and Southee gonna rip through them.

 

[OverratedSanity]

The problem I have is that even if Mathews scores an ATG innings I don't believe SL deserves to win this match.

That's BS. It was BS when it w \as said when we almost chased down 350 at adelaide and it's bs now. If SL chase it down, they deserve it because NZ made a mistake by declaring early. Winning test matches is all about taking advantage of the opposition's mistakes.

 

[Blocky]

Nah look. You aren't earning any money by selling articles that slag of a cricketer's personality. You actually aren't gaining anything from this. Rest of us post her to have fun and banter and talk some **** and discuss cricket and get into pointless philosophical arguments in comparing ATG cricketers. You seem to post here with an agenda to inform us all about how awful certain cricketers are and waste no opportunity to remind us over and over again what you feel about them. That does come across as a little bit sad.

Ever think part of the reason I do it is because of the same exact way people post about Wagner? or Sanga? The amount of times I've had people attempt to throw my support for Wagner at me and remind me about it makes me laugh, it seems a little bit two faced when you can give but can't take. The other thing is very rarely do you see me bother to talk about your posting style, I'll point out the fallacies in what you've said but I don't bother getting personal, so to talk about "being sad" and such, take a look in the mirror - you've spent the last two days liking anything anyone says about me in a negative/personally deragotory way.

Anyway, I CBF taking a ban over the fact that a bunch of you have your knickers in a twist, so I'm going back to the discussion on cricket, rather than feeling like I need to explain myself to people who get offended on behalf of international cricketers they'll never even talk to.

 

[viriya]

Sanga to ton up again.. SL to win.

Thanks Baz.

 

[Spark]

That's BS. It was BS when it w \as said when we almost chased down 350 at adelaide and it's bs now. If SL chase it down, they deserve it because NZ made a mistake by declaring early. Winning test matches is all about taking advantage of the opposition's mistakes.

haha so much awta but did anyone actually say this at adelaide? i don't remember it

 

[Blocky]

For the record; I'm not happy about this deceleration, at all.

Way too generous.
Don't put your team mates hard work at risk so frivolously.

Just like we didn't last year when it was the captain who put in the hard work.

Our advantage is bowlers who had two days of rest against batsmen who had two days of running around after leather, spending all day down in morale waiting for something to happen for them. We need early wickets tonight and then it becomes impossible - but if they are say 50/1 after 15 tonight, 340 from 90 tomorrow is on the cards.

 

[Viscount Tom]

Sanga to ton up again.. SL to win.

Thanks Baz.

Careful you may jinx 'em.

 

[Immenso]

Baz was always going to give Sri Lanka a little sniff. I can't see them getting close personally. Draw is the likeliest outcome.

Why was he always going to? He didn't last year, what's changed?

I'm astounded he's treating his team mates hard work so lightly.

 

[Days of Grace]

Ever think part of the reason I do it is because of the same exact way people post about Wagner? or Sanga? The amount of times I've had people attempt to throw my support for Wagner at me and remind me about it makes me laugh, it seems a little bit two faced when you can give but can't take. The other thing is very rarely do you see me bother to talk about your posting style, I'll point out the fallacies in what you've said but I don't bother getting personal, so to talk about "being sad" and such, take a look in the mirror - you've spent the last two days liking anything anyone says about me in a negative/personally deragotory way.

Anyway, I CBF taking a ban over the fact that a bunch of you have your knickers in a twist, so I'm going back to the discussion on cricket, rather than feeling like I need to explain myself to people who get offended on behalf of international cricketers they'll never even talk to.

No, you'll find that impossible, because now I'm gonna refute your points and you'll HAVE to refute mine.

 

[OverratedSanity]

haha so much awta but did anyone actually say this at adelaide? i don't remember it

Yeah, when we fell short people were saying we shouldn't feel bad because we didn't deserve it anyway.

 

[Spark]

Yeah, when we fell short people were saying we shouldn't feel bad because we didn't deserve it anyway.

hmm, i don't think this is quite the same thing

Why was he always going to? He didn't last year, what's changed?

I'm astounded he's treating his team mates hard work so lightly.

gweh? he's giving his team what he thinks is the best chance of winning.

 

[NasserFan207]

I think NZ would have to bowl very poorly for SL to even get a sniff tbh.

 

[Blocky]

Six times NZ has had a partnership over 300.
Three of those six include Watling.

Incredible.

 

[Jono]

Still can't believe Baz declared. wag.

Why do you think he's given SL a bigger sniff than he gave India last year? More fearful of India's batting, or has more faith in his bowlers now?

 

[SteveNZ]

I'm not sure the timing of the declaration is perfect - many factors dictate it probably never is in foresight, hindsight or at the time - but it does speak a few great volumes.

1) We're prepared to win. We want to be one of the big guns, playing 4-5 Test series, being a Boxing Day drawcard overseas, in the top four of the world. 1-0 isn't enough, we want 2-0. And we bloody love winning Tests, and we know how.

2) It put team ahead of milestones. Bugger 150/250, now is the best time. You're in a team, so we declare when it's the best time for the team. John Wright had this edict a few years ago that milestones meant nothing. Nice in theory but it was silly without example, and human nature dictates it was a tough thing to manage. This shows a line in the sand, if only a small one.

3) We back our bowlers, coz they're pretty bloody good. We probably consult them, we value them and we reckon they'll bowl anyone out given enough opportunity.

 

[OverratedSanity]

hmm, i don't think this is quite the same thing

Nah it is. Everyone was applauding Kohli and Vijay but saying we didn't deserve to win because of how we let things drift in the field and how toothless the bowlers were. Same thing here. It's all just hindsight. I guarantee if Kohli had got us home, there'd be few who would've said anything. about India deserving it or not.

 

[Spark]

Still can't believe Baz declared. wag.

Why do you think he's given SL a bigger sniff than he gave India last year? More fearful of India's batting, or has more faith in his bowlers now?

Might be a sense of what having been achieved having been so monumental that there was no chance he was going to jeopardise it, perhaps.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

Still can't believe Baz declared. wag.

Why do you think he's given SL a bigger sniff than he gave India last year? More fearful of India's batting, or has more faith in his bowlers now?

SL doesn't have a Kohli. Sanga is great but he doesn't have the same ability as kohli to come out all guns blazing.

 

[morgieb]

Still can't believe Baz declared. wag.

Why do you think he's given SL a bigger sniff than he gave India last year? More fearful of India's batting, or has more faith in his bowlers now?

India having a bigger first innings lead helped I think.