***Official*** England in New Zealand 2018

[Starfighter]

Hard when all 4 are bowling at 82mph too.

To steal someone else's phrase, England look decidedly fast-medium. Certainly having both Woakes and Overton seems a bit redundant.

 

[TT Boy]

To steal someone else's phrase, England look decidedly fast-medium. Certainly having both Woakes and Overton seems a bit redundant.

Woakes is obsolete if Stokes can bowl. Woakes has played 12 test matches overseas and has taken 18 wickets.
Also, presumably it’s the other Overton who can bowl quick, or did this one get injured?

 

[The Hutt Rec]

Well done to the Kiwi's though !!

Still can compete at test level with the top 4 quite easily. Feel you've got to work to beat them still and are capable of getting on top of you with their quality if you slightly off.

Umm ... we are the top four.

 

[The Hutt Rec]

Think that was the ball after he got Woakes

Say what you will about Eden Park's boundaries, it's pretty great for the spectator.

I have been thinking during this test that Eden Park is better suited to tests than white ball cricket. With the more conservative batting, the short boundaries are much less of an issue. I'd be perfectly happy with it hosting a lot more tests.

 

[Flem274*]

depends. only oz and SA frighten me at home but those two plus india, england and pakistan away are tours i view as big challenges even given the arm wrestles last time we toured england and the UAE.

oz are the only side to belt us on our shores but we always capitulate to them and they were getting some early reverse swing so that's to be expected.

 

[Senile Sentry]

Can fans worldwide please emulate NZ ones? So much of genuine celebrations with such innocence bereft of any schadenfreude. Kumbaya kiwis.

 

[Bahnz]

I have been thinking during this test that Eden Park is better suited to tests than white ball cricket. With the more conservative batting, the short boundaries are much less of an issue. I'd be perfectly happy with it hosting a lot more tests.

The big problem with Eden Park from a test cricket venue is that ironically it's too big - at least in terms of attendance. Even a pretty good crowd like the 11,000 that turned up on day 1 looks ****ing empty.

 

[Flem274*]

Yeah, lack of scoreboard pressure doesn't help but it does feel like England are relying only on scoreboard pressure (and Anderson worldies) to take wickets consistently right now. There's just a real lack of weapons in their arsenal if it doesn't hoop around corners.

if they pitched it up a bit further they would have found some movement. it was there all game, right to the end. even NZs 5th bowler found it.

you need to be fuller than usual to get it moving in nz. england never seem to learn. it's very annoying that SA and Oz figure it out.

 

[SeamUp]

Umm ... we are the top four.

Yup, deservedly so !!!

 

[91Jmay]

Shameful defeat, NZ deserve massive credit with some superb performances and it would have been awful to get away with a draw there.

However a side can never bowl well enough to knock you over for 58, plain and simple. Worst England team for a long, long time.

 

[vcs]

What will the ranking tables look like if NZ win the 2nd Test as well? And if SA complete a 3-1 win over the Aussies?

 

[Spark]

if they pitched it up a bit further they would have found some movement. it was there all game, right to the end. even NZs 5th bowler found it.

you need to be fuller than usual to get it moving in nz. england never seem to learn. it's very annoying that SA and Oz figure it out.

England have bowled consistently too short in all but the most jaw-droppingly swing-friendly conditions for years. Like, unless the pitch is basically the same colour as the outfield, you'll still have Anderson and Broad banging it short of a length half the time.

 

[The Hutt Rec]

What will the ranking tables look like if NZ win the 2nd Test as well? And if SA complete a 3-1 win over the Aussies?

I was wondering the same thing ... Aus currently four points ahead of NZ, can we leapfrog them into third spot?

England will stay fifth no matter what after this result, I'd imagine.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Woakes is obsolete if Stokes can bowl. Woakes has played 12 test matches overseas and has taken 18 wickets.
Also, presumably it’s the other Overton who can bowl quick, or did this one get injured?

The other Overton is the quick one but he is always injured.

 

[SeamUp]

If New Zealand win the series 1-0 or 2-0 they go 3rd if SA beat Australia 3-1

If SA beat Aus 2-1 then New Zealand would have to win 2-0 to go 3rd

 

[SeamUp]

The other Overton is the quick one but he is always injured.

In an interview with Silverwood recently when getting asked about pace through the air he still name drops Jamie Overton and George Garton

 

[sunilz]

what will the ranking tables look like if nz win the 2nd test as well? And if sa complete a 3-1 win over the aussies?

nz =104
aus=102

 

[ImpatientLime]

England have bowled consistently too short in all but the most jaw-droppingly swing-friendly conditions for years. Like, unless the pitch is basically the same colour as the outfield, you'll still have Anderson and Broad banging it short of a length half the time.

scared of giving runs away?

just wish we could drop everyone bar jimmy tbh.

 

[Starfighter]

England have bowled consistently too short in all but the most jaw-droppingly swing-friendly conditions for years. Like, unless the pitch is basically the same colour as the outfield, you'll still have Anderson and Broad banging it short of a length half the time.

As for Anderson, I knew when I first joined that he was an unbelievably skilful operator. Now he's added the ability to keep things tight when the ball isn't swinging, which he's done by dragging his length back a fraction.

 

[LegionOfBrad]

scared of giving runs away?

just wish we could drop everyone bar jimmy tbh.

It is exactly that. They try to target going at less than 3 an over which they think brings wickets. Jimmy is also an offender at this. He's just better at it so the tactic actually works. He isn't often running through sides though but often returning neat figures of 3/50 etc. Which is absolutely fine when the others are chipping in. Which they aren't.

Sure getting bowled out for 58 is bad. But the deep seated issues are in the bowling. We have been struggling with getting 20 wickets in a match for a long time now unless the pitch is very helpful. The batsman are coming in with huge scores on the board half the time atm. The bowling needs fixing. And the cracks will likely get papered over when we serve up a load of slow seamers in the summer and TRJ/Jimmy etc make hay.

Broad is also a severely busted flush atm. It's been going on a long time now.

The signs were there during the last home ashes when we were pulverised on the two pitches that didn't offer anything. And the ECB's answer is now to only play first class cricket in spring and autumn so the whole thing is just going to get worse.

It would also help if we had a coach who seems even the slightest bit interested in the first class game.