*Official* England in New Zealand 2019

[Athlai]

Also lol Root.

Fab 4

Smith
Kohli
Williamson
Pujara

 

[Pothas]

Was about to say Root was looking decent and that this could be a really big innings for him.

 

[SteveNZ]

Raval said something last season about consciously trying to play a few more shots rather than pure grind, which is how he played when he was first selected for NZ. That was ok against SL and Bang in NZ, and sure enough he scored his first hundred and didn't need 300 balls to do it. But against teams with competent fast bowlers he needs to go back to pure discipline and stubbornness. It still may not be enough this summer, but it's better for the team to make sure he doesn't gift his wicket.

Other concern with him is he seems to put so much pressure on himself that any failure compounds and makes him worse again (both batting and fielding). Really hope he scores next match and breaks out of the funk. We're not replacing him for the Aus series and need him to somehow survive and bat time.

That's totally fine, no one's going to succeed over time playing no shots. But he's got to figure out which ones suit him. The worst thing about his first innings dig was he was pretty much out lbw (saved by a hair's breadth on review), then skied on very luckily twice, from memory before holing out to a field that was clearly set up to get him out that way. It was just incredibly stupid, actually that's being very gracious.

 

[Athlai]

Root now averages under 40 as captain. Yikes.

 

[Flem274*]

Also lol Root.

Fab 4

Smith
Kohli
Williamson
Pujara

that's not how you spell henry nicholls

 

[Burgey]

FMD Root has become so ordinary these days. NZ all but home and hosed here.

 

[SteveNZ]

Raval said something last season about consciously trying to play a few more shots rather than pure grind, which is how he played when he was first selected for NZ. That was ok against SL and Bang in NZ, and sure enough he scored his first hundred and didn't need 300 balls to do it. But against teams with competent fast bowlers he needs to go back to pure discipline and stubbornness. It still may not be enough this summer, but it's better for the team to make sure he doesn't gift his wicket.

Other concern with him is he seems to put so much pressure on himself that any failure compounds and makes him worse again (both batting and fielding). Really hope he scores next match and breaks out of the funk. We're not replacing him for the Aus series and need him to somehow survive and bat time.

That's totally fine, no one's going to succeed over time playing no shots. But he's got to figure out which ones suit him. The worst thing about his first innings dig was he was pretty much out lbw (saved by a hair's breadth on review), then skied on very luckily twice, from memory before holing out to a field that was clearly set up to get him out that way. It was just incredibly stupid, actually that's being very gracious.

 

[Athlai]

Ooo that was a genuine chance too

 

[Flem274*]

i love how much indecision lord colins bowling creates. even when he's not swinging it he's just so annoying and batsmen can't deal. it's like we took a bit of wagner, a bit of southee and a bit of a spinner and blended it into the greatest medium pacer.

 

[SteveNZ]

He's a genuinely deceptive bowler. I know the old cliche about the heavy ball seems tedious sometimes but he does bowl it. And swings it just enough, and seams it when conditions suit as well. He's no mug at all, the km/ph just creates a deception. Was Auckland's top FC wicket taker one year too.

 

[Grasshopper]

What a nothing shot by Root.

Carn fellas, let's have 'em another 2 or 3 down at Lunch.

 

[hazsa19]

Root has almost become irrelevant in test cricket.

Question for fans of other country’s, do you get worried about Root/ celebrate his wicket especially like one would with Smith or Kohli?

 

[Flem274*]

cdg's bowling average back under 30 where it belongs. did his batting average pop back over 40 again with his 65?

can't believe stokes only averages 36 given what he pulls out of his arse on a regular basis.

 

[straw man]

That's totally fine, no one's going to succeed over time playing no shots. But he's got to figure out which ones suit him. The worst thing about his first innings dig was he was pretty much out lbw (saved by a hair's breadth on review), then skied on very luckily twice, from memory before holing out to a field that was clearly set up to get him out that way. It was just incredibly stupid, actually that's being very gracious.

Absolutely - he played sensibly for a while, but after about the 40 ball mark clearly decided he needed to hit runs and took terrible options.

 

[Flem274*]

Root has almost become irrelevant in test cricket.

Question for fans of other country’s, do you get worried about Root/ celebrate his wicket especially like one would with Smith or Kohli?

yes, because i haven't forgotten what he's capable of. stokes is currently the most feared english bat tho.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Root has almost become irrelevant in test cricket.

Question for fans of other country’s, do you get worried about Root/ celebrate his wicket especially like one would with Smith or Kohli?

Root provides comedy with his captaincy. Now batting worse than Mike Brearley.

 

[Flem274*]

i actually rate joe denly. not in a 'world class player' way, but he's solid. he's clearly got talent but he's instinctively loose, and his best knocks have always been a victory for him over himself.

he wants to put cdg and santner to the sword but he knows that's bad and he's fighting hard.

 

[straw man]

So if Santner takes a 5-fer and bowls NZ to victory here I'm definitely tasting it.

That would also mean his Dan Vettori lite act equals full-strength Vettori, who took a 3rd or 4th innings 5-fer in a home victory a mere once in his entire career - 5/84 against SL in 1997.

 

[trundler]

Jo(k)e Root

 

[mr_mister]

cdg's bowling average back under 30 where it belongs. did his batting average pop back over 40 again with his 65?

can't believe stokes only averages 36 given what he pulls out of his arse on a regular basis.

That honestly must be a math error on cricinfo

I've seen Stokes score reliably for what seems like his whole career

He definitely has the feel of a 43-45 avg batsman when he walks out