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

[jonbrooks]

Jon Brooks prediction for day 4.

NZ all out just after lunch.

I win again!

And now for my 2nd test prediction. NZ will win.

 

[Hurricane]

Anyone else starting to think that Mark Craig is just a better test batsman than Corey Anderson?.

Not me.

Corey is a contender to replace Baz. Whether he is chosen or not is another matter and he didn't help himself terrfically in this test.

Mark Craig is a lower order batsman.

The gulf between their techniques alone is tremendous.

So yeah a better comparison is Corey vs Nicholls.

 

[Jono]

Really bad loss that.

 

[Bahnz]

Not me.

Corey is a contender to replace Baz. Whether he is chosen or not is another matter and he didn't help himself terrfically in this test.

Mark Craig is a lower order batsman.

The gulf between their techniques alone is tremendous.

So yeah a better comparison is Corey vs Nicholls.

In the long term, probably sure. But I mean right now. Craig generally strikes me as having a lot better judgment than Corey and seems to know where his scoring areas now. Corey just seems to have no idea what he's about in tests (and his poor LO form in the leadup to this series isn't a great sign either).

Obviously Craig's average is massively inflated above where it should be. But I think Corey's average is also a little bloated given his only hundred came against Bangladesh and most of his other contributions have been about capitalising on huuuuge top order partnerships. Yet to really contribute in a meaningful way to any team batting effort, and that's deeply frustrating after more than 2 years in the team.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Yeah I must admit I've cringed with embarrassment a lot recently at how much some of my fellow Kiwis have been overrating/stating our test side in the last year or two. It's no real surprise though considering we were so bad for so long & then improved a great deal - which can often lead to such an overreaction.

The fact remains we are about where the test rankings suggest, about the 5th best test side, certainly not in the top 3 vicinity IMHO. I'd say it's quite clear we're behind Aust, SA & England & I'm not sure we're definitively ahead of India and Pakistan either.

Some of the pre-series hype & predictions by the likes of KV and a few others prior to both the away and home series have well & truly seen us with our tails between our legs.

Ftr, not all of us see Southee as one of the top 2-3 seamers in the world anymore, 2012-13 is a long time ago now. How he's managed to remain that good for that long by some NZ'ders based on form 2-3 years ago is beyond me.

Still not ruling out a comeback in Christchurch and a drawn home series would be a successful result at home against Australia.

I'm actually starting to feel bad about it, mostly due to the confused, righteous indignation said posters are displaying at the outcome of NZ losing, as if there must be something really wrong with the world for this to happen. One guy even made a thread about it re swing bowling.

I think we all know there are more sensible NZ posters than not though so I wouldn't feel bad being associated with them. I wouldn't want other Aus posters to feel bad for being associated with me.

 

[Kippax]

In the long term, probably sure. But I mean right now. Craig generally strikes me as having a lot better judgment than Corey and seems to know where his scoring areas now. Corey just seems to have no idea what he's about in tests (and his poor LO form in the leadup to this series isn't a great sign either).

Obviously Craig's average is massively inflated above where it should be. But I think Corey's average is also a little bloated given his only hundred came against Bangladesh and most of his other contributions have been about capitalising on huuuuge top order partnerships. Yet to really contribute in a meaningful way to any team batting effort, and that's deeply frustrating after more than 2 years in the team.

Yeah but why worry about being a lightweight in this day and age though, when you're paid so handsomely to be a "bushwhacker" caricature of your own nation.

 

[Athlai]

Yeah bur why worry about being a lightweight in this day and age though, when you're paid so handsomely to be a "bushwhacker" caricature of your own nation.

Oh my god, Kippax is expanding his range to wrestling references.

kWo

 

[Crazy Sam]

Two away test wins in a row, and both by an innings. Australia on a roll now

 

[Kippax]

Oh my god, Kippax is expanding his range to wrestling references.

kWo

Guptill would've probably gone into wrestling with no braggadocio or schtick at all. He'd have just tried to get very efficient and vanilla pins on people. ;p

 

[Athlai]

Guptill would've probably gone into wrestling with no braggadocio or schtick at all. He'd have just tried to get very efficient and vanilla pins on people. ;p

4/10

Potato salad references or referring to him as an Uso or something would have been better.

 

[vcs]

Well done Australia. Excellent win, dominant from start to finish.

 

[hendrix]

Yeah but why worry about being a lightweight in this day and age though, when you're paid so handsomely to be a "bushwhacker" caricature of your own nation.

Except that Anderson has been making a visible effort to develop his test game. Whether he succeeds or not is another question, but he's clearly putting in the effort not to be Danny Morrison's Red Lamb.

 

[social]

These 4 tests have been a massive letdown so far as I was really looking forward to seeing how this new look Oz team went when challenged by a NZ team on the up

Unfortunately, some of the Kiwis have barely shown up (e.g. McCullum, Watling, Southee & Boult) and there are just too many passengers for them to mount a sustained challenge atm

 

[Immenso]

These 4 tests have been a massive letdown so far as I was really looking forward to seeing how this new look Oz team went when challenged by a NZ team on the up

Unfortunately, some of the Kiwis have barely shown up (e.g. McCullum, Watling, Southee & Boult) and there are just too many passengers for them to mount a sustained challenge atm

Of the core of the team; Williamson, Taylor, McCullum, Watling, Southee, Boult - all of them except Kane have hit the wall all at the same time - rather like the England team of 2013. The key senior players just are't performing. The axis is ****ed.

There's mitigating circumstances for some of them, but when 5 key cake players are all heading south - that is just too much for the icing to cope with.

 

[Hurricane]

Guptill would've probably gone into wrestling with no braggadocio or schtick at all. He'd have just tried to get very efficient and vanilla pins on people. ;p

Haha

Greatest post of all time and he would wear superman style tight trunks.

 

[Athlai]

Haha

Greatest post of all time and he would wear superman style tight trunks.

Hmm Hurricane may be redeeming the reference by reminding me of The Prototype.

 

[Hurricane]

These 4 tests have been a massive letdown so far as I was really looking forward to seeing how this new look Oz team went when challenged by a NZ team on the up

Unfortunately, some of the Kiwis have barely shown up (e.g. McCullum, Watling, Southee & Boult) and there are just too many passengers for them to mount a sustained challenge atm

Part of it is our fault. I didn't see England play broad and Anderson in that meaningless ODI series in England yet we played boult and he got a stress fracture. He is only just gaining his full speed back now.

In England boult was very very good. That was one problem of our making and I am not sure we get "bowler rotation" to this day.

I could go with other comments but don't want some tldr responses

 

[Hurricane]

Hmm Hurricane may be redeeming the reference by reminding me of The Prototype.

Mccullum would be a bad guy and would do plenty of eye gouges. His finishing move would be a belly splash jimmy snooka style off the top rope.

 

[Athlai]

Mccullum would be a bad guy and would do plenty of eye gouges. His finishing move would be a belly splash jimmy snooka style off the top rope.

McCullum is Eddie Gurrero eh? Interesting

 

[straw man]

In case you were concerned that things might get better :/

Cricket: Taylor and Santner ruled out of second test - Cricket - NZ Herald News