*Official* New Zealand in England 2015

[CaptainGrumpy]

I hate the culture where people that double back and attack anyone that criticised certain players.
Brendon McCullum came in for a lot of perfectly valid criticism for a long time, and I think was losing some moral authority as leader at about the time Ross Taylor was scoring heavily, culminating in a double hundred against the Windies. I think this competition spurred McCullum into knuckling down, and he went on purple patch of run scoring resulting in his triple century.
As soon as he scored the triple century, the airwaves were full of people out for blood for anyone who criticised McCullum in the past.
This doesn't invalidate the criticism: the purpose of criticism is to voice the fact that something needs to change. Something changed: McCullum knuckled down and didn't throw his wicket away.
No matter what he's done in the past, if he throws his wicket away and it hurts the teams cause, I think it's fine to criticise him.

Ha. Before that series I would have selected Jesse Ryder in the tests. And if one of Jesse or Brendon could not open and the Anderson experiment was to continue then...

I like Brendon. I imagine many people will stay up just to watch him open the innings. If its a late night its a good night, or its an early night. Its win win. He provides entertainment.

 

[CaptainGrumpy]

ok. Well I have seen plenty to suggest that he's a good bowler having a tough series.

Absolutely. But he has changed what he is bowling. He is bowling slower and shorter.

Why?

 

[Skyliner]

Ha. Before that series I would have selected Jesse Ryder in the tests. And if one of Jesse or Brendon could not open and the Anderson experiment was to continue then...

I like Brendon. I imagine many people will stay up just to watch him open the innings. If its a late night its a good night, or its an early night. Its win win. He provides entertainment.

He'll always be an enigma: brilliant one day, infuriating the next. We probably wouldn't have him any other way, and he'll always attract criticism and have detractors. That's the nature of mercurial and enigmatic people.

 

[Hurricane]

CW logic over the years

Ball gets hit for four. Must have been a bad ball.
Ball takes a wicket. Must have been a good ball.
Bowler takes 3 wickets. He bowled really well today.
Bowler takes a nonefer - he bowled crap today.

 

[CaptainGrumpy]

CW logic over the years

Ball gets hit for four. Must have been a bad ball.
Ball takes a wicket. Must have been a good ball.
Bowler takes 3 wickets. He bowled really well today.
Bowler takes a nonefer - he bowled crap today.

Just how much McClenaghan do you watch exactly?

Serving wicket taking pies has its bonuses....

 

[Skyliner]

CW logic over the years

Ball gets hit for four. Must have been a bad ball.
Ball takes a wicket. Must have been a good ball.
Bowler takes 3 wickets. He bowled really well today.
Bowler takes a nonefer - he bowled crap today.

It's the nature of cricket that the batsman plays a poor shot to an ordinary ball, the fielder takes a fantastic catch...and the bowler takes the kudos and has the prized 'wicket' for his innings / match / career haul. How many wickets are taken by out and out jaffa's, and how many of those jaffa's were due to something the pitch did as opposed to what the bowler did?

 

[CaptainGrumpy]

It's the nature of cricket that the batsman plays a poor shot to an ordinary ball, the fielder takes a fantastic catch...and the bowler takes the kudos and has the prized 'wicket' for his innings / match / career haul. How many wickets are taken by out and out jaffa's, and how many of those jaffa's were due to something the pitch did as opposed to what the bowler did?

Factor in economy rate, which unless you bowl a side within 40 overs, is pretty f*n important and what can be solely used to determine the victor in ODI cricket.

Starving a batsman of runs can also bag good wickets from bad shots to balls that aren't necessarily jaffas. But they aint exactly what Mitch does.

Mitch makes batsmen fat and then kills them with obesity and diabetes. "Have another pie".

His economy rate is now up to a morbid 6.13 and climbing.

 

[Hurricane]

It's the nature of cricket that the batsman plays a poor shot to an ordinary ball, the fielder takes a fantastic catch...and the bowler takes the kudos and has the prized 'wicket' for his innings / match / career haul. How many wickets are taken by out and out jaffa's, and how many of those jaffa's were due to something the pitch did as opposed to what the bowler did?

Never mind me I just have a bee in my bonnet about people who make up their minds about a delivery based on how the batsman responded to the delivery.

 

[CaptainGrumpy]

Never mind me I just have a bee in my bonnet about people who make up their minds about a delivery based on how the batsman responded to the delivery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvcnJEogJHY

53 second mark.

I wouldn't mind if Mitch was doing that.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283868.html

This is really telling.

Mitch, is third on the all time list of worst economy rates. Corey Anderson is #2 - but his batting is forgivable. Plus he takes more wickets per runs than Mitch. Ha. With a better strike rate to boot.

Corey Anderson, the new Dennis Lillee, a wicket every 4 overs.

 

[Flem274*]

from watching ben wheeler domestically, im going to put it out there he has a smidge more attributes than trent boult.

yes i just went there.

the problem is boult doesn't bowl anywhere near as many loose balls. he's got the swing, he's got similar or slightly less pace but he gets a lot more bounce.

boult is also the smarter bowler.

matt henry is like a southee/gillespie (jason) hybrid attributes wise. a lot to like there. just stop making him bowl short ffs.

now watch as everyone takes this post as me saying wheeler and henry > gillespie/southee/boult

 

[wellAlbidarned]

from watching ben wheeler domestically, im going to put it out there he has a smidge more attributes than trent boult.

yes i just went there.

the problem is boult doesn't bowl anywhere near as many loose balls. he's got the swing, he's got similar or slightly less pace but he gets a lot more bounce.

boult is also the smarter bowler.

matt henry is like a southee/gillespie (jason) hybrid attributes wise. a lot to like there. just stop making him bowl short ffs.

now watch as everyone takes this post as me saying wheeler and henry > gillespie/southee/boult

what is this. if you don't start jerking your knees immediately you hate america

 

[Skyliner]

from watching ben wheeler domestically, im going to put it out there he has a smidge more attributes than trent boult.

yes i just went there.

the problem is boult doesn't bowl anywhere near as many loose balls. he's got the swing, he's got similar or slightly less pace but he gets a lot more bounce.

boult is also the smarter bowler.

matt henry is like a southee/gillespie (jason) hybrid attributes wise. a lot to like there. just stop making him bowl short ffs.

now watch as everyone takes this post as me saying wheeler and henry > gillespie/southee/boult

I don't necessarily think it's a problem that Boult doesn't bowl anywhere near as many loose balls.
I like seeing new bowlers arrive at the international level. I think that any team that aspires to be an elite sports team has to be relentless about ensuring that they have the best personnel in place at all times. In NZ we have always been conservative, always felt sorry for the players who were dropped rather than the players who were never given the chance. I hope Wheeler takes confidence from the fact get he's made the international stage & that he goes on to become an exceptional international bowler.

 

[Skyliner]

An exchange in The Guardians comments section:

linvoyprimus 1h ago
Any danger of Mitchell McClenaghan bowling in the batsmen's half?

dothestrand linvoyprimus 1h ago
Well I love his snarl and cool hair. Sadly his bowling sits up and screams "spank me".

 

[CaptainGrumpy]

An exchange in The Guardians comments section:

linvoyprimus 1h ago
Any danger of Mitchell McClenaghan bowling in the batsmen's half?

dothestrand linvoyprimus 1h ago
Well I love his snarl and cool hair. Sadly his bowling sits up and screams "spank me".

I like how the bowling was clarified.

 

[Skyliner]

"I don't think aggressive has to mean slogging or hitting the ball 150 metres," said Williamson, who also bowled Eoin Morgan, the England captain, for 71 with his offspin and was named the Man of the Match following his seventh hundred in 77 one-dayers.

Williamson having a red hot go at his skipper here. Astonishing that he would be so outspoken is his criticism.

 

[Flem274*]

you do realise baz can place and run some damn good ones and twos right?

not just discussing his toileting abilities here.

 

[Skyliner]

Matt Henry to me is a mixture of Andy MacKay and Richard Petrie. A slightly built whippet but also a gutsy honest trier. Always has a smile on his face does Matt Henry.

 

[Skyliner]

you do realise baz can place and run some damn good ones and twos right?

not just discussing his toileting abilities here.

Yes, Kane should really try and be more balanced with his comments.
That damn good one and two stuff would have worked a treat against Starc. Start the game off with some positive intent by working a cheeky single.

 

[Flem274*]

and i thought i had the knives out for baz during captaincy-gate...

 

[Hurricane]

I miss Richard Petrie, Who were all the third seamers we went through around that time, there were a number of them