***Official*** Australia in New Zealand 2016

[Immenso]

Size of NZ grounds changing a bit in last few years.

Hamilton shrunk 5 to 10m straight at either end in the early 2000s refurb.

Eden Park is probably a little bigger due to the retractable part of the new main stand. But alignment means it's easier to access.

Wellington has shrunk in that LO cricket is played at Caketin which has 5m circumference deficit on the Basin.

Christchurch has now grown. Hagley way bigger than Lancaster.

Dunedin has grown, but still on small side for dedicated cricket ground. Since move from Carisbrook to University. Although first few years of Uni Oval had one short boundary until wing of neighbouring museum was demolished.

 

[Spark]

Isn't Eden Park literally too small for int'l cricket and has to get an exemption to even be eligible?

 

[RxGM]

Isn't Eden Park literally too small for int'l cricket and has to get an exemption to even be eligible?

It doesn't need an exception, as it is an existing ground prior to the minimum size rules been introduced. But yes it is smaller than the minimum allowable size if you were to build a new cricket ground.

 

[Flem274*]

Who gives a **** how big it is? It could have been the size of a cupboard and Australiwahhh still would have lost because they've proven time and again they can't handle the Eden Park bounce and swing because most of their batsmen are hacks away from hometown motorways.

It's a small ground and a swing bowlers ground with bounce there for into the pitch bowlers.

Move on.

 

[thierry henry]

The Eden Park straight boundaries are 55m iirc.

From which end? My understanding is they were about 50 metres (possibly even a fraction less) for shots behind the wicket, so 70 metres straight. I certainly don't believe an edge only travels 35 metres to the boundaries.

Recently at the MCG they did the graphic where they show the boundary lengths and I'm pretty sure the straight hit was less than 80 metres. So, not even a 10m difference.

 

[RxGM]

As there are aussies in this thread who is Nathan McAndrew (plays for Bankstown) and wtf is he doing playing for auckland.

 

[Athlai]

It doesn't need an exception, as it is an existing ground prior to the minimum size rules been introduced. But yes it is smaller than the minimum allowable size if you were to build a new cricket ground.

Technically correct, the best kind of correct.

 

[thierry henry]

I mean, this is Eden Park:

This is the MCG (noting how far the straight boundaries have been pulled in):

You can draw your own conclusions about whether they're of similar size.

I didn't say they were of similar size, I said Eden Park is primarily regarded as small because of the straight boundaries which are probably only 8-10 metres less than the MCG (at either end...so the difference in length of the entire field for the straight boundaries is probably 15-20m).

In that picture honestly the straight boundaries DON'T look that different, it kinda supports my point.

 

[straw man]

If that's meant to be a vaguely accurate depiction of the Eden Park stands (which it does kind of seem to be), the pitch alignment is completely wrong. It should be left-right.

It is now, but I think I heard radio commentators yesterday saying that's a relatively recent charge. Guess you were there - was it oriented the current way for the World Cup too?

 

[thierry henry]

Why all the noise now? Social media. Didn't exist in the past. The small grounds hashtag grew like wildfire in the World Cup. Probably bigger bats, quicker pitches, and two new balls adds to how they can be accessed too. But yeah there's more discussions nowadays hence the louder voice (as I now notice you said with memes)

Apart from Eden park as I said, which is a farcical ground which suits no one but corporates and henceforth NZC/Eden Park, they're slightly smaller grounds and that's fine. You'd expect every team in the world to have some sort of advantage when it comes to their conditions. The slow, seaming days are becoming a thing of the past (I know they're not quite extinct yet) so if small grounds suit us, so be it. Maybe that explains why we are block bashers.

If they switched the pitch around at Eden Park so it went the right way, the square boundaries would be about 60 metres each and the straight hit would be 75 metres. Is that really farcical, isn't that just a pretty normal NZ-sized ground?

 

[thierry henry]

It is now, but I think I heard radio commentators yesterday saying that's a relatively recent charge. Guess you were there - was it oriented the current way for the World Cup too?

Yes it has been that way since...2009? I know it definitely was for the 2010/11 season but can't remember for sure about the 2009/10 season.

 

[RxGM]

If they switched the pitch around at Eden Park so it went the right way, the square boundaries would be about 60 metres each and the straight hit would be 75 metres. Is that really farcical, isn't that just a pretty normal NZ-sized ground?

You cant move the pitch around as than the pitch will run east west and you will be batting with the sun in your eyes.

 

[SteveNZ]

Who gives a **** how big it is? It could have been the size of a cupboard and Australiwahhh still would have lost because they've proven time and again they can't handle the Eden Park bounce and swing because most of their batsmen are hacks away from hometown motorways.

It's a small ground and a swing bowlers ground with bounce there for into the pitch bowlers.

Move on.

I think it was me that started the conversation in this instance, wasn't it? I care how big it is. Cricket shouldn't be played in Auckland until there is a suitable option with the right dimensions. Play T20 there, I don't care. The pitch is great, the amount of swing is great. I just wish they could put a decent f*cking stadium around it. Didn't help us much playing our biggest pool match and the semi-final there in the World Cup, did it?

Or if we want to play on Mickey Mouse grounds, let's have a three-match ODI series with Pukekura, Eden Park and Owen Delaney. That should help our batsmen become better.

Everything about that stadium absolutely sucks. Especially for cricket.

 

[thierry henry]

You cant move the pitch around as than the pitch will run east west and you will be batting with the sun in your eyes.

Yeah fair enough, I wasn't really talking about the practicalities of re-orienting the pitch, just saying that the actual size of the playing area doesn't strike me as that unusual. It's the fact that the straight boundaries are the short ones.

 

[RxGM]

I think it was me that started the conversation in this instance, wasn't it? I care how big it is. Cricket shouldn't be played in Auckland until there is a suitable option with the right dimensions. Play T20 there, I don't care. The pitch is great, the amount of swing is great. I just wish they could put a decent f*cking stadium around it. Didn't help us much playing our biggest pool match and the semi-final there in the World Cup, did it?

Or if we want to play on Mickey Mouse grounds, let's have a three-match ODI series with Pukekura, Eden Park and Owen Delaney. That should help our batsmen become better.

Everything about that stadium absolutely sucks. Especially for cricket.

I honestly don't think the straight boundaries impact the quality of the cricket at eden park.

And if it was a choice between having a 45,000 seat cricket stadium with short boundaries in NZ so that we could host a cwc semi final, or only having a 20,000 seat stadium at say western springs. I would rather the former.

 

[RxGM]

Yes it has been that way since...2009? I know it definitely was for the 2010/11 season but can't remember for sure about the 2009/10 season.

The ground was reorinated in 2011/12 after the rugby world cup, it use to run NW-SE, on a similar size rectangle so had short boundaries at wide 3rd man/ fine leg and cover/midwicket.

 

[SteveNZ]

I honestly don't think the straight boundaries impact the quality of the cricket at eden park.

And if it was a choice between having a 45,000 seat cricket stadium with short boundaries in NZ so that we could host a cwc semi final, or only having a 20,000 seat stadium at say western springs. I would rather the former.

That's cool. You're entitled to your opinion. Maybe it's because I was a bowler and watching lame 50ish metre toe-enders and weakly gloved hook shots going for six gives me the ****s.

Or you know, say a waterfront stadium...just off the top of my head.

 

[kiwiviktor81]

Not only is the difference between the straight boundaries at Eden Park and the MCG exaggerated, but it doesn't come into play that often anyway. Adam Milne's six probably would have stopped in the outfield at the MCG, but most of Guptill's sixes at the moment are 90+ metres and that's a six on any ground, anywhere, ever.

In any case I like the variable pitch and outfield conditions in cricket because I think it adds a lot of flavour to the sport. I don't want to stop playing at Eden Park because of the short boundaries any more than I think we should stop playing at Lords because of the slope.

 

[thierry henry]

The ground was reorinated in 2011/12 after the rugby world cup, it use to run NW-SE, on a similar size rectangle so had short boundaries at wide 3rd man/ fine leg and cover/midwicket.

That's definitely not true. I attended the Boxing Day 2010 ODI against Pakistan and the pitch was in its current alignment.

I actually attended the 2009/10 ODI against Australia as well but I don't trust my memory quite as well on that one.

I believe the realignment occurred when the stadium was redesigned for the RWC, which was well in advance of the event.

 

[RxGM]

That's cool. You're entitled to your opinion. Maybe it's because I was a bowler and watching lame 50ish metre toe-enders and weakly gloved hook shots going for six gives me the ****s.

Or you know, say a waterfront stadium...just off the top of my head.

The waterfront stadium would have been a rectangle-rugby focused stadium maybe maximum field size of the cake tin. That is best case scenario, most likely scenario if it had gone ahead was that it would become a purpose built rugby and rugby league stadium, and cricket in Auckland would have been shafted.