*Official* New Zealand in Australia 2019/20

[Days of Grace]

I would select Boult for the pink ball test regardless. If his injury flares up again, bring in Ferguson for the MCG. Boult is too important not to play under lights.

 

[Moss]

Been coming across a few pieces suggesting Australia should bring in a second spinner for Sydney, and interestingly they have done so at the SCG a couple of times in the last few years (Lyon and O'Keefe vs West Indies and Pakistan in 2016 and 17 respectively) . I know visiting frontline spinners haven't had much joy in Australia of late, but wonder if not having someone like Somerville to call on might be a bit of a miss for NZ there.

 

[Prince EWS]

Been coming across a few pieces suggesting Australia should bring in a second spinner for Sydney

These people are stuck in 1992.

Sometimes the selectors are as well -- that and a mix of deciding to have a look at the spin depth before overseas tours in what are often dead rubbers in Sydney. I don't think there's any real chance of Australia playing two spinners in Sydney against New Zealand if the series is still live at that point, and if they somehow do it'll be based on vastly outdated thinking and probably backfire.

If your second spinner is a better bowler than your third quick then you should maaaybe play two spinners in Sydney, but still probably not unless he's vastly better (ie. Bangladesh and Afghanistan should do it, and that's probably about it). I don't think anyone seriously believes Somerville is better than Boult, Southee, Wagner or even Ferguson. It's still Australia -- it's sometimes not quite as much as an absolute portal to hell for spinners as other grounds are, but still you'd rather be bowling seam up there.

 

[Gnske]

Yeah it's not like we have Stuart Macgill just waiting every year for an appearance (unless SOK counts). Besides, I'd take a Neil Wagner sort on a SCG deck any day over most of the rest that we have.

All that aside, how depressing is it that we never got to see Doherty and Hauritz bowl some cobras in that 5th Ashes test of 10/11? History missed out.

 

[Moss]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...tory-says-new-zealand-will-choke-in-australia

Lemon getting a bit of grief for this piece in the comments section, but this definitely applies to the visits to Australia during this decade when the sides were a bit more evenly matched than previously. The 2015 missteps (WC final and piss poor bowling aside on day 1 at Brisbane) aside, still remember cringing at some of the shots during the first test in 2011 series. Was a very green Australian attack then, Pattinson and Starc were on debut but McCullum, Taylor and Ryder gave it away with some atrocious strokes. Hope KW's more of a calming influence this time than McCullum during the last tour.

 

[Prince EWS]

Lyon might be a useful comparison given he plays mostly the same oppositions in the same seasons at each ground.

Lyon Test Average by Ground

Adelaide - 9 Tests, 50 wickets @ 26.12
Brisbane - 9 Tests, 35 wickets @ 29.37
Melbourne - 8 Tests, 27 wickets @ 35.14
Sydney - 8 Tests, 26 wickets @ 47.57
Perth (1) - 5 Tests, 15 wickets @ 47.93
Perth (2) - 1 Test, 8 wickets @ 13.25
Hobart - 4 Tests, 8 wickets @ 36.00
Canberra - 1 Test, 2 wickets @ 60.50


If the groundmen in each state all had a crack at preparing a turner I do think the SCG would turn the most, but they don't tend to have cracks at preparing turners.

 

[honestbharani]

Man... not having CDG and Boult in Perth is so much worse than not having them in the other two tests. Day night conditions, pink ball and what will most probably be a grassy wicket... If they can't make it, NZ are screwed.

 

[Athlai]

Lyon might be a useful comparison given he plays mostly the same oppositions in the same seasons at each ground.

Lyon Test Average by Ground

Adelaide - 9 Tests, 50 wickets @ 26.12
Brisbane - 9 Tests, 35 wickets @ 29.37
Melbourne - 8 Tests, 27 wickets @ 35.14
Sydney - 8 Tests, 26 wickets @ 47.57
Perth (1) - 5 Tests, 15 wickets @ 47.93
Perth (2) - 1 Test, 8 wickets @ 13.25
Hobart - 4 Tests, 8 wickets @ 36.00
Canberra - 1 Test, 2 wickets @ 60.50


If the groundmen in each state all had a crack at preparing a turner I do think the SCG would turn the most, but they don't tend to have cracks at preparing turners.

At least CW kiwi posters have finally seemed to shed the idea that Sydney spins

 

[Starfighter]

Considering there's been **** all rain since... forever and an incessant drying wind for the same period, if Sydney doesn't turn this season, it ain't gonna turn. I'm expecting another excessively rolled concrete slab.

 

[Grasshopper]

Dean Jones doesn't rate de Grandhomme's bowling:

"His 120km/h wobblers won’t worry anyone here in Australia."

Sweet.

 

[Prince EWS]

Dean Jones doesn't rate de Grandhomme's bowling:

"His 120km/h wobblers won’t worry anyone here in Australia."

Sweet.

Haha Dean Jones is the exactly the sort of batsman who'd go and get out to him four for single figures in a series too.

I'm not sure he's that wrong on that - as long as the batsmen respect him more than Jones would - but I think he'll keep it very tight and also bat well in the conditions here.

 

[Days of Grace]

I can see CDG’s wobblers being useful under lights but taken apart elsewhere. Hope he proves me wrong.

 

[Julian87]

These people are stuck in 1992.

Sometimes the selectors are as well -- that and a mix of deciding to have a look at the spin depth before overseas tours in what are often dead rubbers in Sydney. I don't think there's any real chance of Australia playing two spinners in Sydney against New Zealand if the series is still live at that point, and if they somehow do it'll be based on vastly outdated thinking and probably backfire.

If your second spinner is a better bowler than your third quick then you should maaaybe play two spinners in Sydney, but still probably not unless he's vastly better (ie. Bangladesh and Afghanistan should do it, and that's probably about it). I don't think anyone seriously believes Somerville is better than Boult, Southee, Wagner or even Ferguson. It's still Australia -- it's sometimes not quite as much as an absolute portal to hell for spinners as other grounds are, but still you'd rather be bowling seam up there.

And that’s not even touching on Marnus, Smith and Head being able to bowl overs if it does turn. Mainly Marnus.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

I can see CDG’s wobblers being useful under lights but taken apart elsewhere. Hope he proves me wrong.

that's one thing he's particularly good at

 

[Adders]

Considering there's been **** all rain since... forever and an incessant drying wind for the same period, if Sydney doesn't turn this season, it ain't gonna turn.

I see and hear this line a lot and genuinely don't get it. If there's been no rain, and it's bone dry and that's not what the curator wants.........surely they just turn on a hose ffs?

A lot harder for them to control the wicket when the reverse is the case.

 

[Daemon]

With the fires around it could be the first time we have overcast yet dry conditions at the same time

 

[thundaboult]

So Boult and CDG have been cleared. Hope they're ready enough for the pink ball.

 

[Starfighter]

I see and hear this line a lot and genuinely don't get it. If there's been no rain, and it's bone dry and that's not what the curator wants.........surely they just turn on a hose ffs?

A lot harder for them to control the wicket when the reverse is the case.

If you have to keep watering the pitch to ensure it doesn't turn, it means that you are deliberately altering the conditions from what they would have been though. People keep thinking that Sydney will turn, and in these conditions it should turn, but the curator (probably) won't let it. That sort of thing is the reason no-one can play spin any more.

 

[Adders]

Only I'll informed people think the SCG will take turn.........but my point was it hasn't spun there for years, one would assume because that's what the curator wants?

So your comment that because of the extreme draught that if the SCG was gonna spin it would be this year doesn't make sense to me. At the SCG the draught can be fixed with a garden hose (if only that could work elsewhere)

 

[Spark]

I suspect it isn't that simple tbh.