***Official*** New Zealand in India 2016

[Prince EWS]

Did you read the article today about him being prevented from playing an ODI for Scotland too?

Yeah that was a bit of a joke ruling really. Scotland get the rough end of the pineapple on ringers sometimes due to Scottish passports not existing.

 

[Athlai]

Yeah that was a bit of a joke ruling really. Scotland get the rough end of the pineapple on ringers sometimes due to Scottish passports not existing.

You saved me the trouble of asking about your thoughts on this ruling applied to cricsim.

 

[Howsie]

Did you read the article today about him being prevented from playing an ODI for Scotland too?

Nope, although just read it now. Not surprised Bradburn tried picking him up, exactly the type of player he loves.

 

[hendrix]

there's no one better.

guptill and raval play for the same domestic team and basically had a head to head a couple of years ago. guptill scored mountains more than him.

Man you keep saying this but some batsmen are simply better bullies than others. The real question is how good/not terrible they are against test bowling attacks, and given Guptill is proven terrible, we need to see Raval.

 

[Zinzan]

there's no one better.

guptill and raval play for the same domestic team and basically had a head to head a couple of years ago. guptill scored mountains more than him.

You know better than that Flem, Guptill's domestic record has nothing to do with anything. It wouldn't make a difference if he averaged 60 in NZ FC cricket, he ain't got a Test game, that much we know.

I don't think that means we automatically assume other contenders won't have the game to step up because they average less than Guptill at a lower level.

 

[Zinzan]

Man you keep saying this but some batsmen are simply better bullies than others. The real question is how good/not terrible they are against test bowling attacks, and given Guptill is proven terrible, we need to see Raval.

I should have read this before posting.

 

[Flem274*]

-good for one ton and a string of starts against the mighty wellington direbirds, blair tickner, james baker etc
-means he will carry this over to dale steyn, yasir shah, james anderson etc

i understand some players are more likely to carry their fc runs over to test cricket than others, and raval looks to have a reasonably solid technique, but apart from feeling uneasy he can't outperform guptill or munro on the auckland motorway there's a reason i went from a supporter of him to a skeptic and it's because he has been the same player since he was 20 - very good at doing just enough to hover around the fringes without ever hammering the door down (Neil Broom Syndrome).

he deserves a go but i don't think he's the answer.

 

[Zinzan]

I know he didn't have the greatest domestic season but

• Punches above his weight (meme seal of approval)
• Good against the new ball
• Not bad against spin iirc
• RH to complement the LH Latham
• Gritty/nuggety fighter, good for a 40 at least

Agree, and nobody was more disappointed he had an ordinary season than I, because he's a guy I'd love to see given a decent run, if not Raval.

The other thing to add to your points above is he's scored tough runs at Test level, both away in Australia in 2011 and South Africa in 2013 with a century in the 45 all out test in Cape Town no less.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

What about Ben Smith? Surely the best rugby player in the world could open for the Black Caps.

 

[Shri]

Has any NZ tour thread ever not become a doom and gloom thread? Its like you guys are so depressing that you drive away the other team's fans.

 

[SteveNZ]

Agree, and nobody was more disappointed he had an ordinary season than I, because he's a guy I'd love to see given a decent run, if not Raval.

The other thing to add to your points above is he's scored tough runs at Test level, both away in Australia in 2011 and South Africa in 2013 with a century in the 45 all out test in Cape Town no less.

He's a really interesting/frustrating case, Dean Brownlie. Scored tough runs as you say, on that Hobart green top and in SA etc. Just looked to be one of those guys that had a bit of technical nous but had even more in the top 2 inches. Obviously his struggles against spin didn't help, but how many of the top nations have decent spin attacks? And of those who do, when are those attacks of any real potency in NZ? Then he's gone back to domestic cricket, where you'd expect him to dominate...and the double hundred apart he's done bugger all. Maybe he climbed the mountain playing for NZ and doing well the first time around and hasn't got the mental energy to do it again. Now sports an outrageous, hobo-style beard which is probably indicative of his headspace with cricket.

As for Gup/Jeet, there's a difference between being a better FC bully and a better Test batsman - a marked difference. Jeet may not succeed but he deserves the chance through weight of runs, not only for Auckland but NZ A. If the best openers in NZ were tried and fails I'd say well maybe you can justify keeping Gup on as a busted arse to play knocks like he did against SL at home, but Jeet deserves a go.

 

[Dan]

-good for one ton and a string of starts against the mighty wellington direbirds, blair tickner, james baker etc
-means he will carry this over to dale steyn, yasir shah, james anderson etc

i understand some players are more likely to carry their fc runs over to test cricket than others, and raval looks to have a reasonably solid technique, but apart from feeling uneasy he can't outperform guptill or munro on the auckland motorway there's a reason i went from a supporter of him to a skeptic and it's because he has been the same player since he was 20 - very good at doing just enough to hover around the fringes without ever hammering the door down (Neil Broom Syndrome).

he deserves a go but i don't think he's the answer.

YOU TAKE THAT BACK

#Baker4BCs

 

[Shri]

Bhuvi is injured.

Gambhir and Yadav in?

 

[Athlai]

Has any NZ tour thread ever not become a doom and gloom thread? Its like you guys are so depressing that you drive away the other team's fans.

It's our best state tbf. When we get slightly optimistic we begin warring with everyone but mostly each other.

 

[Burgey]

Also goes on to show how BCCI is playing a pointless game of brinkmanship.

Hard to believe Indian cricket authorities would over react to something and threaten to cancel a series, isn't it?

 

[straw man]

I know he didn't have the greatest domestic season but

In two years time he'll be up with Flynn and Broom for the 'you're 35, but we're desperate, how bout one last roll in the hay?' recall.

 

[straw man]

I've see Will Young mentioned quite a lot as a potential replacement for Nicholls but what about his CD teammate Tom Bruce?

I haven't seen a lot of him myself but from the little I have seen he looks a talent. Could he leapfrog Young and take the test number five spot during the summer?

I haven't seen much either but certainly has ball-striking ability. Another big FC season and who knows.

 

[SteveNZ]

I haven't seen much either but certainly has ball-striking ability. Another big FC season and who knows.

More likely to be a T20/ODI option. Great eye, pretty significant leg side shoveller. Think Kippax labelled him the new Rob Nicol, which if you think about Rob's efforts at the last T20 World event he went to, is pretty bang on.

 

[straw man]

-good for one ton and a string of starts against the mighty wellington direbirds, blair tickner, james baker etc
-means he will carry this over to dale steyn, yasir shah, james anderson etc

i understand some players are more likely to carry their fc runs over to test cricket than others, and raval looks to have a reasonably solid technique, but apart from feeling uneasy he can't outperform guptill or munro on the auckland motorway there's a reason i went from a supporter of him to a skeptic and it's because he has been the same player since he was 20 - very good at doing just enough to hover around the fringes without ever hammering the door down (Neil Broom Syndrome).

he deserves a go but i don't think he's the answer.

This seems like a valid criticism. However I don't think anyone has even gone so far as to argue that Raval is likely to be a passable international opener. More that it is a case of applying a fair selection policy to give him the opportunity to test for the slim chance that he can cut it.

 

[SteveNZ]

It's our best state tbf. When we get slightly optimistic we begin warring with everyone but mostly each other.

And given we've been spanked in every Test this year bar Zimbabwe, why wouldn't we be doomers and gloomers?