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*Official* New Zealand in England 2015
- Thread starter JediNudist
- Start date
BeeGee
International Captain
A pic of Ian Bell with a come hither smoulder.
I tried to find one but all I got was pictures of rat faces.
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Athlai
Not Terrible
Baz is so meta he even calls Watling icing.
Bahnz
Hall of Fame Member
Also, I can't help but feel really sorry for Wagner. He was the bowler of the series when India toured last year. Since then he's played just 2 of NZ's last 10 matches, despite doing nothing wrong in either of them. TBH, I wouldn't mind having him back in the side when we tour Australia at the end of the year. Reckon his skills as a reverse swing bowler, and his tireless aggression, will really come in handy in hot, dry Aussie conditions.
You might've missed the fact the fielder arrived there from cover (?) the very ball that was bowled? Amazing captaincy and bowling to pull it off but man, brainless. And if Joe Root considers himself unlucky, he shouldn't.
Surely Ballance can't be picked for the Ashes. You can't be cleaned up as comprehensively as he has been against Boult then hope to high heaven he'll improve when Australia can pick two genuinely quick left-armers, and Harris can go round the wicket at 145 clicks. Then Bell looks a shell of himself as well, and Lyth is going to find things tough. Who are the other options?
I think Wagner will start as favourite to play as third seamer, especially in Adelaide. Henry had his moments in this series but certainly didn't do too much to suggest he should be the third seamer ahead of Wagner. He'll get there.
Spark
Global Moderator
That whole over was replayed so I saw that. It was excellent captaincy, the way the ball was turning (and Bell looked extremely uncertain) it looked on the cards, but that was just exceptionally daft.
Agree with the Root comment too. He looked dumbfounded to have gotten out - mate, you hit a ball in the air literally directly at the fielder, what did you expect?
I think Henry could actually do really well in Aus tbh (in fact he might even do better than Southee). He definitely complements the attack well. He hasn't bowled brilliantly, but I'd stick with him tbh.
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Enjoyable series and I think a draw is a fair result.
What struck me about this match is how similar it was to last years at headingley, with once again the
main failing being the tactics in respose to an aggressive partnership in the third innings.
It's fairly damning of Cooks captaincy imo.
What struck me about this match is how similar it was to last years at headingley, with once again the
main failing being the tactics in respose to an aggressive partnership in the third innings.
It's fairly damning of Cooks captaincy imo.
That's fine with the bigger picture in mind. Obviously dropping a guy who averages 52 is a bad look and he'll probably score runs in future series. But he's a walking wicket at the minute and he's not a snowball's chance of contributing in the Ashes. He's getting cleaned up by a guy bowling 140km, and he's nicking out to swinging HVs. Not relevant to this conversation but he also swung the momentum completely at Leeds by running Lyth out.
I'll eat my hat with a cheese sauce if he averages 25+ in the Ashes. But yes, I did get carried away suggesting he couldn't be picked. I think if you were honest though and you were picking an XI for next month to beat the Aussies, with nothing else in mind, you wouldn't want him in it.
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Prince EWS
Global Moderator
I think he was just taking issue with your wording more than anything.
Ballance's selection is up in the air and he probably won't do very well in the Ashes if he plays, but "surely can't be picked" is obviously exaggerating it a bit.
straw man
Hall of Fame Member
What a victory! Went to bed with England 5 down, Cook still in and unsure what the weather had planned for us. Read through the thread this morning with a combination of joy and relief at each wicket, especially Cook's. That's a damn good win. As has been commented, every one of our XI contributed to that and the catching rounded out the performance.
Pleased to see Kaneh take some wickets and I liked Craig's armball - he's bowling that better than I've seen before and this was the first time I thought Craig could be anything better than a stopgap for us. Consistency obviously the big stumbling block but good turn, pace, drift at times.
Still have to feel we let England turn a draw into a win rather too easily at Lord's and for a lovely hypothetical, I'd strongly back us to take a decider if one were played.
Pleased to see Kaneh take some wickets and I liked Craig's armball - he's bowling that better than I've seen before and this was the first time I thought Craig could be anything better than a stopgap for us. Consistency obviously the big stumbling block but good turn, pace, drift at times.
Still have to feel we let England turn a draw into a win rather too easily at Lord's and for a lovely hypothetical, I'd strongly back us to take a decider if one were played.
straw man
Hall of Fame Member
In 16 innings the two sides' openers scored 2 centuries, 6 fifties and averaged 46.6 this series, with Guptill's still-respectable average of 35 the lowest of the four. I don't think anyone would have predicted that for a series that was expected to be new-ball dominated.
Cabinet96
Hall of Fame Member
I think Ballance is the sort of guy who looks super bad when he doesn't get bat well. But people were writing him off after the World Cup and the first innings in the West Indies and he hit 100 and two fifties in the next three innings. I'm not sure pace is really the reason either. The Windies and even Aaron last summer are quicker than NZs crop. That's not why he failed this series, it was more the movement they got.
Spark
Global Moderator
More the fact that WI and Indian bowlers are undisciplined and couldn't exploit the weakness by bowling in the right place.
Cabinet96
Hall of Fame Member
I wonder what pitches would suit England. Can't really say turners anymore. Probably just slow seamers and pitches that are hard to hit through the line on. Should be fun...