***Official*** New Zealand tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa 2016

[Zinzan]

Would like to see us hit South Africa with...

Guptill
Latham
Williamson
Taylor
Raval
Santa
Watling
Henry
Southee
Wagner
Boult

I don't think Raval would succeed there but Nicholls should be rotated out at this point and we don't really have any serious middle order options in the squad.

Not sure about throwing the young specialist opener at 5 against SA away, but I would love to know what someone saw in Nicholls' game to convince them he's a Test batsman. Have I missed something with him?

 

[Athlai]

Not sure about throwing the young specialist opener at 5 against SA away, but I would love to know what someone saw in Nicholls' game to convince them he's a Test batsman. Have I missed something with him?

Yeah it's brutal on Raval and thats said as someone who constantly derides him.

 

[Moss]

Not sure about throwing the young specialist opener at 5 against SA away, but I would love to know what someone saw in Nicholls' game to convince them he's a Test batsman. Have I missed something with him?

Nicholls is a case of right place right time. Good form during the season (including some scores against Sri Lanka 'A' I think), and a combination of useful ODI performances plus 50 on test debut means he gets first dibs on the spot BMac vacated.

 

[Gnske]

Not sure about throwing the young specialist opener at 5 against SA away, but I would love to know what someone saw in Nicholls' game to convince them he's a Test batsman. Have I missed something with him?

Should have taken all the Cachopii on the tour

Actually seriously should have taken Popli or Young for developmental reasons to be around the squad, or just for a beta run in Mugabtopia at the very least. Even Munro with the odd chance of a meme hit-out would be better.

Hard to pick and choose from the next crop, they all look that iffy in some respect.

 

[Kippax]

"He's a good back-foot player, he's good against spin, prepared to use his feet and sweep. He pretty much covers all the bases."

McMillan doubted he would have to spend too much time on the technical aspects of Nicholls' skill-set.

More crude tonnage than Will Young's very style-conscious, timorous fifties can deliver at NZA level right now.

 

[straw man]

Should have taken all the Cachopii on the tour

Actually seriously should have taken Popli or Young for developmental reasons to be around the squad, or just for a beta run in Mugabtopia at the very least. Even Munro with the odd chance of a meme hit-out would be better.

Hard to pick and choose from the next crop, they all look that iffy in some respect.

Look at this Ozzie providing helpful suggestions and trying to weasel his way into our CricketWeb TOP SECRET Talent Identification Program.

YOU WILL NEVER TAKE OUR SECRETS!!1!

 

[straw man]

Also yeah would be nice to see Young in the side sooner or later. A poor conversion rate is the least of our problems.

For now though it's Nicholls and he seems to be in need of a fan, so it's going to be me. Temperament gyuz, that's what he has, temperament.

 

[Howsie]

Yeah, the frustrating thing about Sodhi is he showed some glimpses of bowling with control & and accuracy early on day 3, only to start losing it again and bowling those horrendous long-hops.

I'm really hoping he shows he can land it fairly consistently tonight because I'm really not a fan of Craig. That said, if Sodhi is terrible, Craig probably deserves the recall.

**** no. It shouldn't matter how bad Ish Sodhi is (I think he deserves a proper run but...) Mark Craig should NEVER put that Black cap on again.

 

[Hurricane]

**** no. It shouldn't matter how bad Ish Sodhi is (I think he deserves a proper run but...) Mark Craig should NEVER put that Black cap on again.

This.

Would be fine going to bracewell next as a bowling all rounder.

Bracewell bowls to a plan. Henry just bowls.

I don't expect fireworks out of either seamer and would use them 2nd change.

Santner's bowling impresses me more and more each time I see him. He is fine to be our spinner.

 

[SteveNZ]

**** no. It shouldn't matter how bad Ish Sodhi is (I think he deserves a proper run but...) Mark Craig should NEVER put that Black cap on again.

Never? He's not allowed to go away and become better at 29 years of age?

Interested in why Ish deserves a proper run yet Mark Craig, who won Test matches for his country, is banished to the never ever again bin.

Cricketers are entitled to mature and improve. I made the mistake with Popli, having seen how gash he was 4-5 years ago. As I've said before, Mark has all the tools to be a good Test spinner, except consistency. So does Ish. Difference being, Mark bowled his Test rubbish with Australians flying down the wicket at him, and Ish is bowling a lot of his against Zimbabwe.

 

[Howsie]

Never? He's not allowed to go away and become better at 29 years of age?

Interested in why Ish deserves a proper run yet Mark Craig, who won Test matches for his country, is banished to the never ever again bin.

Cricketers are entitled to mature and improve. I made the mistake with Popli, having seen how gash he was 4-5 years ago. As I've said before, Mark has all the tools to be a good Test spinner, except consistency. So does Ish. Difference being, Mark bowled his Test rubbish with Australians flying down the wicket at him, and Ish is bowling a lot of his against Zimbabwe.

You can't bring Sodhi back into the test team only to drop him again a few tests later, especially if the likely replacement is Mark 'the worst off spinner to tour Australia in 30 years' Craig. He was given a decent run, couldn't cut the mustard and save for a couple of tests was ****ing horrible. Sure if he can go away and improve as a bowler come back in a few years, but I don't want to hear about him as an option until that happens.

 

[Shady Slim]

You can't bring Sodhi back into the test team only to drop him again a few tests later, especially if the likely replacement is Mark 'the worst off spinner to tour Australia in 30 years' Craig. He was given a decent run, couldn't cut the mustard and save for a couple of tests was ****ing horrible. Sure if he can go away and improve as a bowler come back in a few years, but I don't want to hear about him as an option until that happens.

foreign offies in australia die it's a well known fact

 

[NZTailender]

Should have taken all the Cachopii on the tour

Actually seriously should have taken Popli or Young for developmental reasons to be around the squad, or just for a beta run in Mugabtopia at the very least. Even Munro with the odd chance of a meme hit-out would be better.

Hard to pick and choose from the next crop, they all look that iffy in some respect.

Should've wheeled Brownlie out for a middle order South Africa tour spot. Was the only one apart from Watling IIRC who left the last series with relative success.

 

[SteveNZ]

You can't bring Sodhi back into the test team only to drop him again a few tests later, especially if the likely replacement is Mark 'the worst off spinner to tour Australia in 30 years' Craig. He was given a decent run, couldn't cut the mustard and save for a couple of tests was ****ing horrible. Sure if he can go away and improve as a bowler come back in a few years, but I don't want to hear about him as an option until that happens.

No, true you can't drop Ish again...but would he have gone any better on flat ones in Australia? Not on recent evidence.

I'm not sure Mark was ****ing horrible save for a couple of Tests. Australia took him to the sword there's no doubting that, but every series prior to that he made a significant contribution. Swallows most things at slip and averages 41 with the bat. It's not a bad package that could be even better if he goes away and works hard, gets an A tour or two, spends time under top coaches in the right conditions etc.

 

[Shady Slim]

hoping for a draw here, zim showing a lot of fight this test, good thing too considering one criticism of the windies in the last of effort

 

[Hurricane]

No, true you can't drop Ish again...but would he have gone any better on flat ones in Australia? Not on recent evidence.

I'm not sure Mark was ****ing horrible save for a couple of Tests. Australia took him to the sword there's no doubting that, but every series prior to that he made a significant contribution. Swallows most things at slip and averages 41 with the bat. It's not a bad package that could be even better if he goes away and works hard, gets an A tour or two, spends time under top coaches in the right conditions etc.

Nice post but he also was a bit unpredictable and even cavalier with the bat. E.g. not supporting Ross to get a 300.

 

[Flem274*]

Squad balance is a bit awkward for SA section of the tour. Santa at #6 means Doug or *wince* Southee at #8 which is a long tail of #9s and #10s. Shuffling Santa deeper into the engine room at #8 means doing something awkward like Raval in the middle order or specialist batsman Ronchi.

Are both Anderson and Neesham injured?

 

[Kippax]

Squad balance is a bit awkward for SA section of the tour. Santa at #6 means Doug or *wince* Southee at #8 which is a long tail of #9s and #10s. Shuffling Santa deeper into the engine room at #8 means doing something awkward like Raval in the middle order or specialist batsman Ronchi.

Are both Anderson and Neesham injured?

No, but Hesson talked of Anderson not being fit to bowl, iirc. Ronchi edges him on crude FC tonnage.

 

[Shady Slim]

Jordan: "I think everyone is getting carried away with what a performance this is by Zimbabwe. The reality is New Zealand got 748/6 and Zimbabwe are 450/13. The pitch as I'm sure Zimbabwe asked for, offers basically nothing, they have not been competitive in many senses, the only thing keeping them in the game are NZ's sporting declarations. If NZ hadn't declared, twice, we could have been looking at world record scores here."

correct me if i'm wrong but new zealand would need to bat for a solid three days to build up a world record score and then their bowlers would have to take 20 wickets bowling for two days straight to bowl zimbabwe out

the declarations have kept nz in the game because if it weren't for them zim would have to bat less to draw

 

[CM Punk]

Our bowlers are probably the worst in the world on flat wickets.

Southee and Boult can't buy a wicket when they have nothing to work with.

Grossly overrated.

Drawing to Zim will give fans a long overdue reality check on just how good our bowlers really are.