***Official*** South Africa in New Zealand 2017

[Flem274*]

*sigh* wonder what latham averages once you remove zim and bangers

since the UAE where he played yasir and co. like a king he's been steadily downhill and that was late 2014

 

[SeamUp]

So boys, test quality openers are worth their weight in gold. Who do you guys summon from plunket for Hamilton ?

 

[Meridio]

That ball just wasn't there to drive, and he's gone way too hard at it. Not controlling the bat at all, it's just a reflexive swing at the ball.

 

[Immenso]

Oh wow. Tom Latham that is appalling.

Who is his batting coach? Chris Martin? Or Craig McMilllan?

 

[Meridio]

So boys, test quality openers are worth their weight in gold. Who do you guys summon from plunket for Hamilton ?

Michael Papps. We all know he's great against SA

 

[hendrix]

So boys, test quality openers are worth their weight in gold. Who do you guys summon from plunket for Hamilton ?

Latham is hand-to-heart the best opener we've had in over a decade. Dropping him might be good in the medium term but we definitely don't have anyone better. Do we have someone more likely to score runs in the next test? I don't even think we have that to be honest.

 

[Immenso]

listening on radio is so much more nervy than watching because you get the commentator excitement voice without being able to see what's happening "philander bowls to raval and HE DEFENDS IT INTO THE OFFSIDE" etc

Is that the youngish kiwi commentator?

 

[Zinzan]

Without Taylor & Boult, KW & Waggers are the only NZ'ders who'd make a combined NZ/SA side from these two XIs.....so from that point of view we've probably done well to even concede just a 100 run lead.

Good chance this test could finish today.

 

[SeamUp]

Michael Papps. We all know he's great against SA

It's hard to believe that series was like 12/13 years ago now.

 

[straw man]

Latham is hand-to-heart the best opener we've had in over a decade. Dropping him might be good in the medium term but we definitely don't have anyone better. Do we have someone more likely to score runs in the next test? I don't even think we have that to be honest.

Ian Smith suggesting George Worker for test opener -> there are not enough rolleyes emoticons in the world for this. Clearly doesn't follow Plunket Shield at all.

If they wanted a temporary SA-special opener there's only one name to consider and that's Brownlie. Is he going to be recovered from his injury soon?

Think I'd probably just retain Latham tbh. You want him back for the next test series, whenever that might be, anyway.

 

[Immenso]

Without Taylor & Boult, KW & Waggers are the only NZ'ders who'd make a combined NZ/SA side from these two XIs.....so from that point of view we've probably done well to even concede just a 100 run lead.

Good chance this test could finish today.

Stephen Cook looks pretty ****.
Probably looks worse than he actually is, though.

But is very damning if Cook could make a combined side.

 

[Zinzan]

Latham is hand-to-heart the best opener we've had in over a decade. Dropping him might be good in the medium term but we definitely don't have anyone better. Do we have someone more likely to score runs in the next test? I don't even think we have that to be honest.

He's clearly the best opener we've had since Richardson, but sometime a bloke can be so out of sorts that giving him a spell could actually do him a bit of a favour. And yes, although any replacement will be an inferior batsman overall, they might be more likely to score runs than Tommy is in this mental space.

Incidentally, picking KW to nick out or play-on here playing at one he doesn't need to.

 

[hendrix]

Ian Smith suggesting George Worker for test opener -> there are not enough rolleyes emoticons in the world for this. Clearly doesn't follow Plunket Shield at all.

If they wanted a temporary SA-special opener there's only one name to consider and that's Brownlie. Is he going to be recovered from his injury soon?

Think I'd probably just retain Latham tbh. You want him back for the next test series, whenever that might be, anyway.

Yeah Brownlie is a consideration I guess.

 

[Meridio]

Raval looking much more assured - that drive was an excellent bit of batting - but he's missing out on a few free runs from balls that have strayed onto his pads.

 

[Bahnz]

Latham is hand-to-heart the best opener we've had in over a decade. Dropping him might be good in the medium term but we definitely don't have anyone better. Do we have someone more likely to score runs in the next test? I don't even think we have that to be honest.

Looking at the way Latham is batting I actually disagree with this. The replacements might only be good for 15-25 runs but that's more than what Latham's offering right now.

 

[SeamUp]

Latham is hand-to-heart the best opener we've had in over a decade. Dropping him might be good in the medium term but we definitely don't have anyone better. Do we have someone more likely to score runs in the next test? I don't even think we have that to be honest.

I have always thought he has looked neat and has got to 31 tests deservedly especially if you look at some of the other openers you've tried over the years.

Right now his confidence looks shot. A winter with the A side could be good for him and then come back and dominate Plunket again. He has time on his side and has something to work with.

 

[hendrix]

Styris making some interesting points...

 

[Zinzan]

Raval looking much more assured - that drive was an excellent bit of batting - but he's missing out on a few free runs from balls that have strayed onto his pads.

Raval has looked like he did in his first couple of tests in this series to date - Like a proper Test opener...

It's just a shame he seems to have these lapses in concentration when he seems set.

 

[Bahnz]

He's clearly the best opener we've had since Richardson, but sometime a bloke can be so out of sorts that giving him a spell could actually do him a bit of a favour. And yes, although any replacement will be an inferior batsman overall, they might be more likely to score runs than Tommy is in this mental space.

Incidentally, picking KW to nick out or play-on here playing at one he doesn't need to.

You prick.

 

[Meridio]

I didn't hear anything there...