*Official* Bangladesh Tour of New Zealand 2019

[TheBrand]

I've even evolved/devolved enough in my old age to accept that crap cricketers are now legit options in certain roles/formats, but our icing guy's record is pretty bad compared to the other icing guys going around. He just hasn't been very good at his job.

His stats at home are pretty good and doesn't have enough sample size for away games imo yet.

 

[Zinzan]

I don't think it's weird. CDG stinks....

...but seriously, putting aside the fact that I never have rated him and never will- it's actually kinda weird that he seems like a lock for the WC squad, because he's really done very little with the opportunities he has been (rather inexplicably) given over the last 2 years?

Both his ODI and T20I records are poor. He's basically being picked on Colin Munro-level "slogging that usually fails" but batting at number 7.

GCD has excellent numbers with the bat in the last 2 years, just he's had a diabolical last 12 months averaging about 15. Nothing at all wrong with your no. 7 averaging 30 and striking over 100 as a general rule.

The elephant in the room (aside from Munro's average), is KW's SR which has been even worse in the last 12 months at 73. Anything under 85 for a top 6 batsmen these days is unacceptable imo.



The potential 5th bowling option of CDG & Neesham, which allows us batting down to 8, have a combined average of 37 at an ER of about 5.2. That's absolutely fine for a 5th bowling option, along with the KW option if required.

Also confirms Southee should be nowhere near the WC squad, and Astle would probably be a better 2nd spinning option to Sodhi since he offers slightly more with bat and in the field. Sodhi needs to stick with T20's where he can get away with his mandatory 1 long hop an over.



My starting XI would be,

Nicholl's/Munro (the only one I'm undecided on, although I'm probably being irrational hoping Munro will come right)
Guptill
KW
Taylor
Latham
Neesham
CGD
Santner
Milne (if available) & (Astle on a spinners track)
Ferguson
Boult

 

[Zinzan]

 

[thierry henry]

So his good home stats are so influenced by his away stats that his overall stats are bad, yet at the same time he doesn't have enough of a sample of away games for them to matter.

 

[thierry henry]

GCD has excellent numbers with the bat in the last 2 years, just he's had a diabolical last 12 months averaging about 15. Nothing at all wrong with your no. 7 averaging 30 and striking over 100 as a general rule.

He's had a great 2 years, apart from 1 of the years?

Some weeeeeird justifications for CDG going on here.

 

[Zinzan]

 

[Bahnz]

He's had a great 2 years, apart from 1 of the years?

Some weeeeeird justifications for CDG going on here.

Tbf, no weirder than your justifications for Munro.

 

[TheBrand]

He's had a great 2 years, apart from 1 of the years?

Some weeeeeird justifications for CDG going on here.

Yeah, you got it! Long live Lord Colin.

 

[Zinzan]

He's had a great 2 years, apart from 1 of the years?

Some weeeeeird justifications for CDG going on here.

Not justifying anything, you mentioned two years so I used those stats and thought it only right to qualify that his last 12 months performances were poor.

 

[TheBrand]

Oooooh looking forward to Doull's/Smithy's/whoever else World Cup Squad. Doull implied that his squad is different from what the selectors will be as they have backed themselves into a corner. Plus you just know that Smith is going to have Bracewell in his. Hahahaha.

 

[thierry henry]

Tbf, no weirder than your justifications for Munro.

Vast experience scoring runs in professional cricket?

I'd never try to justify Munro's performances in ODI cricket so far tbh. He hasn't earned his place.

CDG hasn't really earned anything either, but then he also never really earned his way into the team in the first place and there's nothing in his history to suggest he'll ever be a dependable run scorer, so it's a pretty apples and oranges comparison.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Looks like it will be an early finish

 

[The Hutt Rec]

Oooooh looking forward to Doull's/Smithy's/whoever else World Cup Squad. Doull implied that his squad is different from what the selectors will be as they have backed themselves into a corner. Plus you just know that Smith is going to have Bracewell in his. Hahahaha.

Ian Smith:
Doug Bracewell (c)

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

2/3

wtf Bangladesh?!

 

[Athlai]

 

[straw man]

Well, that's reverse-****ed Southee's average

 

[Bahnz]

It really is hard to escape the conclusion sometimes that Southee is a fundamentally lazy cricketer, who only performs to the limits of his considerable abilities whenever he's given a good dropping to scare him straight.

 

[Zinzan]

Tbf, no weirder than your justifications for Munro.

I admit I'm being slightly irrational in trying to hang on to thin a thread with Munro, but honestly what are the alternatives at this stage?

I'm not at all convinced Nicholls is a white-ball opener, despite the man's determination & ability to concentration, & I'd be prepared to kill anyone who tried to move Latham from that 5 spot, since he's so good at milking quality spinners in the middle overs. The only other options I see is a bolter like Phillips (who I actually really rate) or Seifer, or moving KW up to open, but then you need a reliable no.3, and I don't think Nicholls is that either. Munro isn't filling me with a great deal of confidence currently, but neither are the alternatives.

 

[TheBrand]

I admit I'm being slightly irrational in trying to hang on to thin a thread with Munro, but honestly what are the alternatives at this stage?

I'm not at all convinced Nicholls is a white-ball opener, despite the man's determination & ability to concentration, & I'd be prepared to kill anyone who tried to move Latham from that 5 spot, since he's so good at milking quality spinners in the middle overs. The only other options I see is a bolter like Phillips (who I actually really rate) or Seifer, or moving KW up to open, but then you need a reliable no.3, and I don't think Nicholls is that either. Munro isn't filling me with a great deal of confidence currently, but neither are the alternatives.

CdG! Then play Nicholls at 6 and Neesham at 7. Santner at 8.

 

[straw man]

I admit I'm being slightly irrational in trying to hang on to thin a thread with Munro, but honestly what are the alternatives at this stage?

I'm not at all convinced Nicholls is a white-ball opener, despite the man's determination & ability to concentration, & I'd be prepared to kill anyone who tried to move Latham from that 5 spot, since he's so good at milking quality spinners in the middle overs. The only other options I see is a bolter like Phillips (who I actually really rate) or Seifer, or moving KW up to open, but then you need a reliable no.3, and I don't think Nicholls is that either. Munro isn't filling me with a great deal of confidence currently, but neither are the alternatives.

Time to accept that we have cake 1-5 and no icing because there is no worthwhile top-order icing.

Except perhaps Guptill who can be a cake-icing hybrid sometimes.