*Official* New Zealand in Australia 2019/20

[nzfan]

By no means I believe we'll it's going to be easy for us. Aussies are a very tough side to beat particularly in Australia.

I'm fairly confident about our batting to do the job but no matter whatever bowling combination we'll front it's not easy knocking over the Aussies in their current form.

We have a chance in the pink ball test if bowling late in the evening and if Aussies dish up a green seamer.

I expect good fight but it's looking a daunting task beating Aussies in they backyard.

 

[Howsie]

Yep, we have to go horses for courses just like we do when we go to the SC. Ferguson is a must (I would go Boult, Ferguson and Wagner) and Raval cannot play at all. He’ll get eaten alive by that bowling attack. Don’t take him over, drop him tomorrow morning.

 

[SteveNZ]

Yep, we have to go horses for courses just like we do when we go to the SC. Ferguson is a must (I would go Boult, Ferguson and Wagner) and Raval cannot play at all. He’ll get eaten alive by that bowling attack. Don’t take him over, drop him tomorrow morning.

Before I go on, I completely agree that Raval is a shot duck. But you know he's going and I know he's going...and who would you pick instead, if given the choice? Don't say Henry Cooper or Bharat Popli

 

[The Hutt Rec]

The squad named for England was also for Australia, so I think it’s impossible to drop him anyway.

 

[lockton2skipper]

Raval is shot , Ferguson has to play and a front line spinner like somerville.

 

[Moss]

Before I go on, I completely agree that Raval is a shot duck. But you know he's going and I know he's going...and who would you pick instead, if given the choice? Don't say Henry Cooper or Bharat Popli

There's no Plunket Shield cricket till Feb 22 (which is around the time of the first test of the India tour). So if you drop Raval, you drop him for the rest of the season - there's no scope for him to "go back and find some form" as some of us may have opined earlier, unless you count List A.

Thinking back to the kind of rope Fulton, Rutherford and Guptill enjoyed before him for worse returns, Raval probably has enough credit in the bank and I don't think the other options are that appealing. What terrible timing though, for a loss of form/confidence to happen.

 

[TheBrand]

Think Perth we are more likely to see Southee/Wagner/Boult just because of the pink ball. Hoping MCG/SCG is Ferguson/Wagner/Boult.

 

[SteveNZ]

There's no Plunket Shield cricket till Feb 22 (which is around the time of the first test of the India tour). So if you drop Raval, you drop him for the rest of the season - there's no scope for him to "go back and find some form" as some of us may have opined earlier, unless you count List A.

Thinking back to the kind of rope Fulton, Rutherford and Guptill enjoyed before him for worse returns, Raval probably has enough credit in the bank and I don't think the other options are that appealing. What terrible timing though, for a loss of form/confidence to happen.

Nah, I know it's not going to happen. I was just wondering who Howsie mooted to replace him.

What he probably needs to do (Raval, not Howsie) is just try to bat time. I think we'd all take 25 off 100 from him if he's able to blunt the Aussie attack, because once the ball stops moving those pitches over there are going to be flat. I'd certainly advocate him being judged on his average of balls per innings, not necessarily runs. He needs to leave well (because he's got no real discernible off side game) and accumulate if and when they get straight to him.

 

[Howsie]

Before I go on, I completely agree that Raval is a shot duck. But you know he's going and I know he's going...and who would you pick instead, if given the choice? Don't say Henry Cooper or Bharat Popli

You’re right, there isn’t anyone obvious, I would take Glenn Phillips over. He would have nothing to lose, doesn’t really strike me as the type to get overwhelmed either. Give Raval the first test and if he doesn’t do anything of note bring Phillips in for Boxing Day and fight fire with fire.

 

[SteveNZ]

Look, it's a solid strategy going for a Howick Pakuranga player. I like your thinking there. But I remember his T20 debut against Pakistan where he looked very overwhelmed. Did score a ton against England recently (admittedly a very relaxed bowling effort) but I'd reckon his technique isn't anywhere near up to either blunting Australia's attack or scoring runs from them.

 

[TheBrand]

Look, it's a solid strategy going for a Howick Pakuranga player. I like your thinking there. But I remember his T20 debut against Pakistan where he looked very overwhelmed. Did score a ton against England recently (admittedly a very relaxed bowling effort) but I'd reckon his technique isn't anywhere near up to either blunting Australia's attack or scoring runs from them.

His T20 debut was against South Africa and he did look all at sea there.

However, he's an extremely strong back foot player so don't see any reason why he couldn't adapt to Australia wickets pretty quickly.

 

[SteveNZ]

His T20 debut was against South Africa and he did look all at sea there.

However, he's an extremely strong back foot player so don't see any reason why he couldn't adapt to Australia wickets pretty quickly.

That's poor from me, six matches before the one that I remember as his debut (the Auckland game, which wasn't even the first in that series).

 

[Flem274*]

phillips looked all at sea against a hint of movement from amir, but while i wouldn't throw him to the wolves, he won't have to worry about movement in current aussie conditions. he can meme a quick 20, get everyone excited because we'll need a straw to cling to and then he can sink or swim at home where it will swing.

his ton against the poms looks a lot less impressive given how much their bowlers let them down in the tests.

 

[Immenso]

Has Phillips ever opened in a FC game? My hunch says no.

 

[Flem274*]

dare i ask who the umpires will be? this will be brutal enough without kumar dharmasena taking 5fer and awarding joe burns some extra runs for laughs.

 

[Chrish]

Not sure why Ferguson didn’t play against England. Debuting him in Australia would be akin to those Pakistani kids.

 

[nzfan]

Phillips is a good player no doubt but an opener I don't think so. I think he's best suited somewhere in the middle order. The lad has changed technique every year. This year he's been miming Steve Smith... Nothing wrong with that but imagine the amount of sledge he will get down under? Make shift opener for an all important series is no good. We need solid openers with proper technique and Phillips isn't that. He will definitely have a very good career but red ball cricket I doubt if he's ever going to be a force to reckon with his ever fiddling technique and not having settled on one yet. Would loved to be proved wrong of course.

 

[TheBrand]

Not sure why Ferguson didn’t play against England. Debuting him in Australia would be akin to those Pakistani kids.

Idk if it's comparable tbh, Ferguson has heaps of experience in international cricket including making his ODI debut in Australia (and getting Warner out first over) so I think he would adjust a lot quicker than the Pakistanis.

 

[Flem274*]

he's 10 years older than those kids and is a world class odi bowler who had a good world cup final. different formats obv, but mentally he's shown he can cope with challenges. if he gets pasted on debut i'd be disappointed if it got to him.

 

[Immenso]

Has Phillips ever opened in a FC game? My hunch says no.

To answer my own question, no.

Number 3: 698 runs at 53.69
Number 4: 500 runs at 55.56
Number 5: 236 run at 33.71
Number 6: 55 runs at 9.17