*Official* New Zealand in Australia 2019/20

[sunilz]

I hope NZ manages to win atleast 1 test this series. Otherwise it would be 80-90% sure that IND and AUS are playing test championship final at Lords

 

[the big bambino]

Start hoping for some India losses then.

 

[Shady Slim]

really thirsty for CdG to boss the tests with ball and bat - ideal series is australia winning, warner falling to CdG six times for sub 20 scores and some runs for the painedogg

 

[Spikey]

literally none of that is ideal

 

[honestbharani]

Quitely thinking Southee will go much better than expectations this series.

 

[jcas0167]

A Guardian poster suggested that Santner opens as 'he's got the technique for it'. Don't know where to start with that one...

Ian Chappell suggested Kyle Mills might be NZ's answer to its number 3 problem during the 2004 series after some gritty, technically correct displays.

Mark Reason calling for Ferguson over Southee to unsettle Warner (which Ferguson has done in ODI's). I suspect Ferguson's best chance of playing will be if Boult is unfit.

Tim Southee is a fine bowler in many conditions but in Australia he averages over 50 with the ball. Indeed Southee has a very poor record against Australia in all test cricket, a record that spans over 10 years.

So New Zealand can't keep picking him. They will hope that Neil Wagner - that perpetual irritant whose rise up the world rankings is a testimony to his persistence and the feeble indiscipline of so many modern batsmen - gets amongst the Aussies. Wagner took seven wickets out of the 13 to fall in his only test against Australia, including those of Smith and Warner.

But the man who must come in is Lockie Ferguson. He has already got Warner a couple of times in one day cricket. Warner has chopped Ferguson onto the stumps and he has gloved him trying to evade a bouncer. Ferguson's pace and variable bounce have caused Warner bother.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/opini...son-let-loose-the-dogs-of-war-on-david-warner

 

[Hicheal Michael]

Why are there no warm up games? Smh.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Why are there no warm up games? Smh.

We had two against England.

 

[GoodAreasShane]

You lot just had two warm up games, BJ Watling made a double century, Williamson, Taylor, Latham and even Mitchell Santner tonned up as well. On the bowling side Wagner took plenty of poles





Oh wait...

 

[Daemon]

Australia's warm ups went pretty badly. Some selfish pricks didn't allow the others any time out in the middle.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

I see it is going to be 40 degrees in Perth. It is really important that Kane wins the toss and we bat for about 150 overs.

 

[Spark]

I see it is going to be 40 degrees in Perth. It is really important that Kane wins the toss and we bat for about 150 overs.

D/N will presumably make that a bit more manageable

 

[Flem274*]

given that i hate running in the humidity between 11-530pm in nz in december i don't envy cricketers having to play in perth

 

[morgieb]

given that i hate running in the humidity between 11-530pm in nz in december i don't envy cricketers having to play in perth

Perth is at least very dry though. O/c that won't make 40+ conditions any more comfortable....

 

[straw man]

I see it is going to be 40 degrees in Perth. It is really important that Kane wins the toss and we bat for about 150 overs.

Ridiculous - how does this always seem to happen.

We already really wanted to win the toss and bat, but this makes it doubly important.

 

[Flem274*]

im just praying for nothing suicidally stupid like 'blundell in, watling to open, wagner and raval out, nz field 3 swing bowlers under lights'

i suppose that could still be even dumber. blundell in his 3rd test at #6, santa elevated to #7 then four quicks who are all memes with the bat.

 

[Immenso]

Ridiculous - how does this always seem to happen.

We already really wanted to win the toss and bat, but this makes it doubly important.

It may be confirmation bias, but Kane seems to be an unlucky tosser.

However, at least for this there may be some hope if losing the toss.
Bat: get to bat, everyone likes to bat, 9 players sit inside while it's 40 degrees outside.
Bowl: may be grass on the wicket for a pink ball test, plus get an under-lights session at the end with the second new ball to try to prevent Davey's double hundred.

 

[Starfighter]

Forecast for the whole thing is lovely: 39, 40, 41, 38

Interestingly BoM is now describing this as 'very hot'. I distinctly remember this only used to apply if it was 43 and over.

 

[straw man]

im just praying for nothing suicidally stupid like 'blundell in, watling to open, wagner and raval out, nz field 3 swing bowlers under lights'

i suppose that could still be even dumber. blundell in his 3rd test at #6, santa elevated to #7 then four quicks who are all memes with the bat.

They won't do that - funky they are not - but if Boult is fit they may well omit Ferguson which would still be a mistake imo.

It may be confirmation bias, but Kane seems to be an unlucky tosser.

However, at least for this there may be some hope if losing the toss.
Bat: get to bat, everyone likes to bat, 9 players sit inside while it's 40 degrees outside.
Bowl: may be grass on the wicket for a pink ball test, plus get an under-lights session at the end with the second new ball to try to prevent Davey's double hundred.

If the new pink ball does anything at 2:30 in the afternoon on a 40 degree day I don't think it will be for long. And you don't get the second one until you've sweated out 10% of your body weight at the end of the day, and then only for ten overs .

If we assume the pattern now for pink ball tests is that it might still swing when brand new in the evenings but otherwise won't do much, then there's a very clear formula for winning. Bat first, see off new ball for 10-15 overs, then bat as close to five sessions as you can so that you bowl with a new ball under lights after tea on day 2. Game, set and match to you*.The pitch might even break up on day 5 to help take wickets in the fourth innings.

*ok it's not guaranteed, you still need to take the wickets on what is probably a road, but you're massively ahead.

 

[NZTailender]

im just praying for nothing suicidally stupid like 'blundell in, watling to open, wagner and raval out, nz field 3 swing bowlers under lights'

i suppose that could still be even dumber. blundell in his 3rd test at #6, santa elevated to #7 then four quicks who are all memes with the bat.

They won't do that - funky they are not - but if Boult is fit they may well omit Ferguson which would still be a mistake imo.

I'd like to think that line of thinking died out with McCullum, and even then it wasn't really widespread - that kind of selection would be Bracewell-Moles era.

Steads just too...steady. Which is a good thing. If anything, they've been massively conservative not choosing Ajaz and Somers