**Official** New Zealand in Australia 2015

[BeeGee]

End of over 35 (5 runs) New Zealand 123/5

So, 123 for 5.

The old NZ are back.

We've reached doom level, gloom to follow shortly.

 

[Howsie]

yeah it's pretty easy now, especially since ross taylor is batting with a twig

Oh come on Phelgm, Taylor has never been at that level. Good player no doubt but Williamson, just like Crowe is a couple of levels ahead. Kane will play an innings like this in Australia, and could probably head to India next week and look just as good on a dust bowl. Completely different level as a batsman.

 

[aussie]

True but Australia is just a different beast at home. Far more ruthless and brutal than Pakistan ever were in the UAE.

Far more ruthless over a longer period of time yes, but PAK in UAE in recent years have shown a great a ruthlessness vs most team than any home side in cricket history one can say.

So even though this test could be out of NZs grasp, recent performances as FLEM274 shows - i don't put it past them fighting back strong.

 

[harsh.ag]

Oh come on Phelgm, Taylor has never been at that level. Good player no doubt but Williamson, just like Crowe is a couple of levels ahead. Kane will play an innings like this in Australia, and could probably head to India next week and look just as good on a dust bowl. Completely different level as a batsman.

He may never have been, but he played more or less at that level for a nice bit of time.

 

[aussie]

Australia does. South Africa does. Why can't NZ? Yeah yeah much lower in population and resources but come on, a country that literally runs something as physical, intense and athletic as rugby can't come up with a few athletes that can be genuine fast bowlers for their cricket team? Well as a spectator that's how I see it. I'd love to get the perspective of someone who lives in NZ to really see whats going on over there. Nz just keeps churning out dozens and dozens of these swing 130k bowlers but there's really no x-factor in there.

Well one of the reasons for this is because in the past NZ fast bowlers used to train on concrete in preparation for test cricket. That is the reason why at the start of 2000s an entire generation of talented quicks/quick bowling all-rounders in Bond, Allot, O'Connor, Butler, Doull, Nash, Cairns, Oram had their careers ended/cut short.

This has stopped which is why the Boult/Southee & co has flourished in recent years. In Adamn Milne they do have a genuine speedster, but i gather NZC are not trying to rush him into test cricket ATM.

 

[Howsie]

Far more ruthless over a longer period of time yes, but PAK in UAE in recent years have shown a great a ruthlessness vs most team than any home side in cricket history one can say.

So even though this test could be out of NZs grasp, recent performances as FLEM274 shows - i don't put it past them fighting back strong.

If Southee is done for the tour, New Zealand are too.

 

[Gob]

yeah hope Southee is ok for perth (no point in bowling here)

fecking love the Aust top 4 btw. Warner and Smith are class obviously and would make in to any side. Liked Usman since the under 19 days. Didnt know much about burns until last summer but really like what i see from him particularly against spin. Given the age(all below 30), should be the permanent top order for the next 5 years

If Ferg can kick on he could replace Voges in time. Maddinson should be in contention too. Think SMarsh is done

 

[weldone]

If Southee is done for the tour, New Zealand are too.

right

 

[Howsie]

yeah hope Southee is ok for perth (no point in bowling here)

fecking love the Aust top 4 btw. Warner and Smith are class obviously and would make in to any side. Liked Usman since the under 19 days. Didnt know much about burns until last summer but really like what i see from him particularly against spin. Given the age(all below 30), should be the permanent top order for the next 5 years

If Ferg can kick on he could replace Voges in time. Maddinson should be in contention too. Think SMarsh is done

Burns will get into trouble, especially as an opener, defending into the covers. From what I understand he hasn't always opened? You could definitely see that in that part of his game anyway.

 

[Gob]

Burns will get into trouble, especially as an opener, defending into the covers. From what I understand he hasn't always opened? You could definitely see that in that part of his game anyway.

Opened in FC cricket for 2 or 3 years i think and did pretty well. Dont mind Burns in @5 in the future with a head pulled in Mad dog opening with Warner

 

[Prince EWS]

Burns will get into trouble, especially as an opener, defending into the covers. From what I understand he hasn't always opened? You could definitely see that in that part of his game anyway.

Burns actually got dropped from the Queensland side when he was batting in the middle order, and then was recalled as an opener because that's where the vacant spot was. That's when he scored all his runs, so he's forced his way in as a genuine opener, so to speak. To me it makes sense to give him a run as an opener given that history, but yeah technically he doesn't look like one at all.

 

[weldone]

Burns was lucky to survive that opening spell from Southee. He looked clueless against multiple times when he was comprehensively beaten and the ball missed the off-stump by a whisker.

 

[Frost]

Was looking forward to a Saturday afternoon of watching the test, now im not too sure. I'm hoping Kane and bj can pile on some runs.Graig has a couple of test 100s in him IMO but I doubt it against the quality of this attack

 

[Spark]

Burns was lucky to survive that opening spell from Southee. He looked clueless against multiple times when he was comprehensively beaten and the ball missed the off-stump by a whisker.

I don't really like Burns' technique and I'm pretty sure I was on the record even during his debut Test as being worried about his open faced prods behind square, but if an opener isn't allowed to play and miss at a few balls on Day 1 of an overcast Test against a world-class swing bowler then idk what to say.

 

[Prince EWS]

Yeah the fact that he got beaten a few times when Southee was bowling a good spell up front isn't the reason he doesn't look like an opener.

 

[Flem274*]

I don't think I've given credit to Australia yet in between my score checking and watching rants and what not so yeah top stuff. I don't know how Lehmann rallied a new look team after an Ashes defeat so quickly but he's done a brilliant job and it sounds like Adam Voges, Usman Khawaja in particular have raised their game considerably. Credit to Joe Burns for facing the new ball so well too.

Whoever said Mitch looks done, well he heard you. Hazlewood bowled a hell of a lot better than he ever did in England too and it was good from the younger Aussie quicks not to lose heart at 102/1 after having everything go their way in the game.

Oh come on Phelgm, Taylor has never been at that level. Good player no doubt but Williamson, just like Crowe is a couple of levels ahead. Kane will play an innings like this in Australia, and could probably head to India next week and look just as good on a dust bowl. Completely different level as a batsman.

The usual Northern Districts class in victory.

I think you're doing a disservice to 2007-2012 when Taylor was dragging Spud Kane, Spud Baz and all the other top six hacks along behind him. Taylor's 2008 England hundred, 2012 Sri Lanka hundred (and the 75 following) and his 56 at Hobart are all examples of things Crowe would have done. Taylor's issue is and always has been consistency away from home.

I agree Kane is batting on a different level. He was completely ruthless yesterday. Today is a new day but if the others had stuck with him and he was switched on he'd be looking at a double. Looks like a bloke determined to put 2011 behind him and shove it up TumTum

I have an opinion on him that I'm not going to say until it's safe in case I jinx it.

 

[straw man]

Williamson to forget about the team's predicament and just focus today on what he likes to do, which is batting. Would be a small consolation if he can peel off a 100 and then 150. Will need someone to stay with him and for the most part that someone is going to have to be Watling.

 

[Spark]

Hazlewood wasn't that bad in England. Merely below expectations given the hype and the conditions, particularly in the third and fourth Tests (not that he had any protection in terms of runs, mind you).

It was definitely a case of him getting carried away with the swing on offer and trying to bowl too many magic balls -- induced in no small measure by the fact that we needed magic balls -- and he was fine, or at least much better, on the two pitches which offered less swing.

I mean, as below-part as he was, he still took 15 wickets at 20 or something like that. Granted, he was bowling to the English top order, but still.

 

[aussie]

If Southee is done for the tour, New Zealand are too.

Ye most likely, so you kiwis have limited faith in lets say Henry/Wagner coming in later in this series to support Boult?

 

[aussie]

I don't think I've given credit to Australia yet in between my score checking and watching rants and what not so yeah top stuff. I don't know how Lehmann rallied a new look team after an Ashes defeat so quickly but he's done a brilliant job and it sounds like Adam Voges, Usman Khawaja in particular have raised their game considerably. Credit to Joe Burns for facing the new ball so well too.

Whoever said Mitch looks done, well he heard you. Hazlewood bowled a hell of a lot better than he ever did in England too and it was good from the younger Aussie quicks not to lose heart at 102/1 after having everything go their way in the game.

Early days yet, but I would put it down to global trend of recent times of most of the test playing nations except for WI/SRI/BANG/ZIM being very strong at home & weak away from home (except SA of course) more so than anything Lehmann might/could have done.