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

[hendrix]

Since when was the workplace private? The workplace isn't meant to be private. Your private life is private.

 

[Jord]

In the case of the captain, sit them down from the match instantly if an incident like this occurs, they get a DNB next to their name.
In the case of the bowler, don't allow them to bowl for the rest of the session and sit them down after the match if they continue it.

That would stop it real quick.

 

[Skyliner]

At least the NZ batsmen showed plenty of fight yesterday, and decided to tear up the blueprint of Captain Slog & to start playing some test cricket.

Unfortunately it's all far too late. 5 tests against Australia for 4 abject defeats. What a slaughter. The glorious epoch of beating up on the West Indies and underpowered sub-continental teams has ended in humiliation, as one-dimensional 'agggggression' has been shown to be a fools philosophy.

Can whoever has promoted Southee to 8 in the order and told him to bat like a clown please fall on there sword TODAY. I'm looking at you Mike 'Bendon McCullum' Hesson. It's like groundhog day watching Southee, the same horror show over and over. Furthermore, the guy produces nothing with the ball. Apparently the best bowler on the Australian tour according to ultimate fan-boy Fem and his sycophantic followers, although his average of 60+ runs per wicket told the true story. A half rat power trundler, utterly neutered whenever the ball isn't swinging.
Get Southee out of the senior leadership group, and get him out of the team.

Martin Guptill; he must be licking his lips at a chance to fill his boots against Zimbabwe. Because he certainly can't cut it against any decent bowling, and never will. The brain-dead NZ cricket media, exemplified by David Leggat, still writing the same story about how he needs to transition from white ball to red ball cricket. Guptill will probably play 100 tests and they'll still still be rehashing the same story.

The likes of Southee and Guptill are company men, high up executives in the Black Caps corporate structure. They 'earn' their spots by default - due to the wimpish mantra of 'who else is there' whinge. NZ Cricket: supporting mediocrity since way back when.
"We can't drop Southee, he's fantastic" - yeah right Fem.

David White - please bugger off you utter clown. No decent prep for the Australia series in Australia, no decent prep for the test series here. A pattern is emerging. The hiring of a clueless bowling coach with no test match pedigree to coach the much hyped and vaunted 'best new ball pairing in the world'. Now they are an absolute busted flush. Hey, but Dimi coached Otago, like Hesson, so he must be good.
The hiring of proto-McCullum slogger Craig McMillan as batting coach....another daft decision.
It's almost like NZ Cricket deliberately sabotaged our test team: "See, we are no good at tests - bring on the ODI bullsh*t. All hail endless Crapple Hail Cup series', from now to eternity".

 

[Jord]

Quality rant.

 

[_Ed_]

While we've all been disappointed with the team's performance this summer (in my case, particularly the bowling), let's not get too carried away. Adelaide was by no means an abject defeat. That was a fantastic test match.

And, to be honest, this one's been pretty good too.

 

[Jord]

I still think just a bad case of timing, selection policies, and the injuries that occurred,

Southee, Watling, Boult, Santner, McCullum, Taylor and Williamson all had injuries that kept them out of a match here or there during the preparation for either the tests in Australia or the test series here. We kept selecting Bracewell and Guptill despite knowing they weren't really going to deliver anything for NZ and we ignored the form of the returning Southee and Boult in the hopes that they would find their best. We leave arguably our best bowler of the last two years out in Wagner and when we do select youth, it's a guy who hasn't played any first class cricket in ages because he's been part of the limited overs build up. It reminds me of the old days where we rushed our injured players back because we were too scared to build actual depth in our bowling attack, while relying on people who weren't really performing because we felt they would come right soon.

That aside, the lack of execution from the bowlers in even doing the basics was met by the lack of execution in the batsmen, very few whom were gotten out versus giving their wicket away. You can't afford to do that against Australia or any side in the Top 4 because they build momentum and suddenly you're two to three wickets down having coasted to that point.

The gap between the sides is not as big as the fatalists think it is. It's really just poor preparation, planning and losing the toss when the conditions favor one side drastically over the other.

 

[Bahnz]

I still think just a bad case of timing, selection policies, and the injuries that occurred,

Southee, Watling, Boult, Santner, McCullum, Taylor and Williamson all had injuries that kept them out of a match here or there during the preparation for either the tests in Australia or the test series here. We kept selecting Bracewell and Guptill despite knowing they weren't really going to deliver anything for NZ and we ignored the form of the returning Southee and Boult in the hopes that they would find their best. We leave arguably our best bowler of the last two years out in Wagner and when we do select youth, it's a guy who hasn't played any first class cricket in ages because he's been part of the limited overs build up. It reminds me of the old days where we rushed our injured players back because we were too scared to build actual depth in our bowling attack, while relying on people who weren't really performing because we felt they would come right soon.

That aside, the lack of execution from the bowlers in even doing the basics was met by the lack of execution in the batsmen, very few whom were gotten out versus giving their wicket away. You can't afford to do that against Australia or any side in the Top 4 because they build momentum and suddenly you're two to three wickets down having coasted to that point.

The gap between the sides is not as big as the fatalists think it is. It's really just poor preparation, planning and losing the toss when the conditions favor one side drastically over the other.

I don't think losing the toss has had a significant outcome on the result of either of these matches. Yes, Australia undoubtedly received an advantage - probably more so than is typical - but given the vastly superior performances of their bowlers in day 3+ conditions, it's hard to say it really mattered much.

 

[Athlai]

I don't think losing the toss has had a significant outcome on the result of either of these matches. Yes, Australia undoubtedly received an advantage - probably more so than is typical - but given the vastly superior performances of their bowlers in day 3+ conditions, it's hard to say it really mattered much.

Yeah hardly like our efforts with the new ball have ever given any indication that we'd have been able to use the conditions to any kind of significant advantage. We also batted like spuds. It was a setback sure but it's not why we've been paddled.

 

[SteveNZ]

Perhaps if you’re going to proselytise on poor behaviour you shouldn’t indulge in your own and attack a cricketer based on their looks. Isn’t one of the cardinal rules of good sportsmanship to not make sledging personal?

Fair point. Let my disdain for about the worst behaved cricketer in the game get the better of me there. I just can't see how he manages to get his head in the right hole for his shirt in the morning if he's tweeting absolute brainless garbage like that.

Steve Smith is a tough cricketer, he's shown that in the way he's developed a world-class batting career from where he was. He can be seen as that without all the crass **** he's exhibiting on the field. Someone like AB or Steve Waugh does need to get in his ear. It's a horrible look.

 

[TheJediBrah]

What? You don't get how 'who's the ****ing umpire' is exactly the same as 'that's a ****ing **** decision, umpire?' in less words? I'm actually okay about the 15% fine, as long as its his first offence (I wouldn't know). Hazelwood seems to me to be pretty good most of the time. It's not a habit like pock mark Starc. It happens, every now and then on field. I don't at all mind a very occasional offender. I'd like to reiterate that, I like Haze and think he is an exceptional cricketer, and I have no issue really with this as a one-off.

Smith needs to have a word in whose ear? His own? This is the guy continuing the great Aussie captain tradition of believing he is an umpire, and better than the ones paid to do so. Smith should set a standard, not have words in ears. He's not an occasional offender. I feel sorry for the day a decent bloke goes into that job, results don't go his way for a bit and he'll be criticised for not being tough enough. When Steve Smith may sleep with the light on for all we know, shows great heart and fight with the bat but is a sook of a leader.

Speaking of pock mark, I'd be fining him as well for his dead **** tweet (now deleted) about players not being able to be passionate and say what's on their mind, like asking who the ****ing umpire is falls under that acceptable banner. For him to say that out of the heat of battle, sitting at home, shows he's a special type of idiot.

Then you get dumb posts like the one TNT made about how the noise about this only becomes louder because Australia are winning, which I found in my time living there is a typical brainless sort of jingoism that comes along with being a fan in that country sometimes (probably generally away from the more learned ones on here).

ugh

such a terrible post. Anyone else you want to abuse and slander but just forgot? Disgusting.

Sounds like you have your own issues to work through mate

 

[TheJediBrah]

I still think just a bad case of timing, selection policies, and the injuries that occurred,

Southee, Watling, Boult, Santner, McCullum, Taylor and Williamson all had injuries that kept them out of a match here or there during the preparation for either the tests in Australia or the test series here. We kept selecting Bracewell and Guptill despite knowing they weren't really going to deliver anything for NZ and we ignored the form of the returning Southee and Boult in the hopes that they would find their best. We leave arguably our best bowler of the last two years out in Wagner and when we do select youth, it's a guy who hasn't played any first class cricket in ages because he's been part of the limited overs build up. It reminds me of the old days where we rushed our injured players back because we were too scared to build actual depth in our bowling attack, while relying on people who weren't really performing because we felt they would come right soon.

That aside, the lack of execution from the bowlers in even doing the basics was met by the lack of execution in the batsmen, very few whom were gotten out versus giving their wicket away. You can't afford to do that against Australia or any side in the Top 4 because they build momentum and suddenly you're two to three wickets down having coasted to that point.

The gap between the sides is not as big as the fatalists think it is. It's really just poor preparation, planning and losing the toss when the conditions favor one side drastically over the other.

delusional, but optimistic. I like that.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Who is this "Fem" chap that Skyliner is referring to?

But I've had enough of Southee's batting. I really have. I've not been happy with it for a long while, and I'm sure I'm sounding like a broken record, but bat him at 11 unless we really need some quick runs for some reason.

With Guptill - I'm hearing lots of complaints, but no viable alternatives. There's options other than Southee, but who is being advocated to replace Guptill exactly?

 

[Gob]

Who is this "Fem" chap that Skyliner is referring to?

But I've had enough of Southee's batting. I really have. I've not been happy with it for a long while, and I'm sure I'm sounding like a broken record, but bat him at 11 unless we really need some quick runs for some reason.

With Guptill - I'm hearing lots of complaints, but no viable alternatives. There's options other than Southee, but who is being advocated to replace Guptill exactly?

What do you think of Southee's batting?

 

[SteveNZ]

I still think just a bad case of timing, selection policies, and the injuries that occurred,

Southee, Watling, Boult, Santner, McCullum, Taylor and Williamson all had injuries that kept them out of a match here or there during the preparation for either the tests in Australia or the test series here. We kept selecting Bracewell and Guptill despite knowing they weren't really going to deliver anything for NZ and we ignored the form of the returning Southee and Boult in the hopes that they would find their best. We leave arguably our best bowler of the last two years out in Wagner and when we do select youth, it's a guy who hasn't played any first class cricket in ages because he's been part of the limited overs build up. It reminds me of the old days where we rushed our injured players back because we were too scared to build actual depth in our bowling attack, while relying on people who weren't really performing because we felt they would come right soon.

That aside, the lack of execution from the bowlers in even doing the basics was met by the lack of execution in the batsmen, very few whom were gotten out versus giving their wicket away. You can't afford to do that against Australia or any side in the Top 4 because they build momentum and suddenly you're two to three wickets down having coasted to that point.

The gap between the sides is not as big as the fatalists think it is. It's really just poor preparation, planning and losing the toss when the conditions favor one side drastically over the other.

The gap is big, it's wide. It's massive. And yeah, poor preparation, planning and coaching are part of it. I'm no fan of the (ex) bowling coach either, and I see little in the batting stakes at Test level to suggest anything is being remedied there either (at Test level). I don't like the softness in Latham after an hour or so, I don't like how piss weak Southee is, I want Anderson to be better as a Test player or find an alternative - maybe that will be different under a new captain who plays a different way. Unsure.

Losing the tosses wasn't ideal and maybe - only really maybe - we could've competed if we'd won them. But as someone said, Australia made the ball talk in conducive conditions and on flat wickets, we didn't do either. And they scored runs when it was flat, we didn't. 2-0 seems pretty fair to me based on that. The only one we probably deserved was Adelaide. So it's 4-1 at best on merit.

There's some pretty big assignments to come with SA and India away, so I hope there's a plan from up high to get it right.

 

[SteveNZ]

ugh

such a terrible post. Anyone else you want to abuse and slander but just forgot? Disgusting.

Sounds like you have your own issues to work through mate

They'll resolve themselves when the touring side leaves the country.

 

[SteveNZ]

Hopefully given all this reaction to the recent series' between us and Australia, we'll be seen as a very enticing prospect to play Boxing Day at the G and get a lot more fixtures across the board in the future. If David White was any good at what he does, he'd be fronting up with the $ numbers of exposure through the media to James Sutherland and say let's get together more often.

 

[_Ed_]

Doull was saying on the radio that Australian TV ratings for this tour have been huge, so hopefully that will count for something.

 

[Spark]

ugh

such a terrible post. Anyone else you want to abuse and slander but just forgot? Disgusting.

Sounds like you have your own issues to work through mate

Could we not make this thread a dumpster fire for at least one last day kthx.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Could we not make this thread a dumpster fire for at least one last day kthx.

day's play hasn't technically started yet so we're all good imo

 

[_Ed_]

Fanciful and far-fetched, I know, but just out of curiosity - at what point would NZ fans start to believe in the possibility of a stunning victory? Something like 130-5?