wellAlbidarned
International Coach
How did Buttler look? Seems like I was a tad wrong there.
He certainly took too long to put some boundary riders out. They were going at 6p/o for over a good period in the afternoon.Well that is disappointing, sounds like England played well though. Was McCullum slightly over-egging the aggressive captaincy? 5 slips and a gully is fine in the first session, but 350+ in a day suggests he maybe persisted with it a shade too long.
I suspected as much. It's a bit frustrating, as if England had finished the day at 300/7 then you'd still call it - on balance - NZ's day. But 350/7 means England are...well not on top, but certainly in the ascendancy.He certainly took too long to put some boundary riders out. They were going at 6p/o for over a good period in the afternoon.
Its fine against England's stodgier top order but Stokes was absolutely merciless against anything off line or length.
Possibly, but you can't have it every way with the way he plays his cricket. He'll over-attack at times and get it wrong, but as he's shown previously he'll do so to our great benefit at times as well.Well that is disappointing, sounds like England played well though. Was McCullum slightly over-egging the aggressive captaincy? 5 slips and a gully is fine in the first session, but 350+ in a day suggests he maybe persisted with it a shade too long.
Yeah, Boulty looked laboured. Henry I wasn't as worried about, debuting at Lord's you're always a chance of over-exerting and losing your shape/height. His seam wasn't always bolt upright so that was part of the problem, as evidenced by the one that got BJ in the kneecap.Read a report saying that the NZ bowlers looked rusty "especially Southee"...can't agree, I thought that Southee looked in better rhythm then he has for a while- was bowling 140kph and moving it, but his lines deteriorated as the day went on.
Boult was the worrying one, bowled 130kph all day, wtf? I know it ain't about speed but for a 140+ bowler to be bowling 128, 129, 130 etc is a pretty clear sign of a lack of rhythm and I thought Boult definitely looked less threatening as a result.
Henry confused me....looked pretty good all up but was also a yard down on pace but more significantly, he seemed to be bowling with a hacky sack. The ball inexplicably just was not carrying for him, which can be a good thing at times as he has that knack of making the ball stay low out of nowhere. Doug Bracewell has the same knack, can't really explain it.
Ah. It's like the old colonial masters and the brash Aussies are the only ones allowed to overindulge in Nationalistic hubris. It's not my bag, but Crikey old bean.350 runs on the first day, imagine the carnage if England hadn't been playing against the World's Best Bowling Attack.
Boult's bowling the correct pace to be effective. There is little point in a swing bowler in England operating much faster.Read a report saying that the NZ bowlers looked rusty "especially Southee"...can't agree, I thought that Southee looked in better rhythm then he has for a while- was bowling 140kph and moving it, but his lines deteriorated as the day went on.
Boult was the worrying one, bowled 130kph all day, wtf? I know it ain't about speed but for a 140+ bowler to be bowling 128, 129, 130 etc is a pretty clear sign of a lack of rhythm and I thought Boult definitely looked less threatening as a result.
Henry confused me....looked pretty good all up but was also a yard down on pace but more significantly, he seemed to be bowling with a hacky sack. The ball inexplicably just was not carrying for him, which can be a good thing at times as he has that knack of making the ball stay low out of nowhere. Doug Bracewell has the same knack, can't really explain it.
Yeah these were my exact observations, but I only watched the first session.Read a report saying that the NZ bowlers looked rusty "especially Southee"...can't agree, I thought that Southee looked in better rhythm then he has for a while- was bowling 140kph and moving it, but his lines deteriorated as the day went on.
Boult was the worrying one, bowled 130kph all day, wtf? I know it ain't about speed but for a 140+ bowler to be bowling 128, 129, 130 etc is a pretty clear sign of a lack of rhythm and I thought Boult definitely looked less threatening as a result.
Henry confused me....looked pretty good all up but was also a yard down on pace but more significantly, he seemed to be bowling with a hacky sack. The ball inexplicably just was not carrying for him, which can be a good thing at times as he has that knack of making the ball stay low out of nowhere. Doug Bracewell has the same knack, can't really explain it.
I just worry that he's getting too aggressive with his field sets now. I can't remember him ever setting 6 slips before in a test (at least not outside of hattrick balls) - it just seems to me that he might be over indulging in it. As boring as 3 slips and a gully may be, it's popular because it's almost always all that's required.Possibly, but you can't have it every way with the way he plays his cricket. He'll over-attack at times and get it wrong, but as he's shown previously he'll do so to our great benefit at times as well.
In this instance his bowlers didn't give him much. Especially to Stokes, we bowled 3 lengths and two lines. I know they were 30-4 but I don't think we were prepared to be driven enough early either.
Yeah he's probably got to get to a point where he recognises the point to dial it back. But as I say, I can handle that if the pay-off is a nick goes to hand at 4th at some stage where another captain wouldn't have had one. His bowlers didn't help him and he probably backed them too much, but that might also have helped them to be the bowlers they've been in the last 18 months.I just worry that he's getting too aggressive with his field sets now. I can't remember him ever setting 6 slips before in a test (at least not outside of hattrick balls) - it just seems to me that he might be over indulging in it. As boring as 3 slips and a gully may be, it's popular because it's almost always all that's required.
He got over-excited about earning the right to be aggressive, IMO.Well that is disappointing, sounds like England played well though. Was McCullum slightly over-egging the aggressive captaincy? 5 slips and a gully is fine in the first session, but 350+ in a day suggests he maybe persisted with it a shade too long.