***Official New Zealand in India Nov-Dec 2021 Thread***

[Fuller Pilch]

I've had another thought - left field and tough on Will Young (not going to happen)..
I prefer Jamieson bowling 1st change instead of taking the new ball. We can have 3 overs up front from Daryl Mitchell. He can wobble it around:

Latham
Ravindra
Williamson
Taylor
Nicholls
Mitchell
Blundell
Jamieson
Southee
Somerville
Patel

2 seam
2 spin
1 p/t medium pacer (batting in regular position)
1 p/t spinner (batting in regular position)

 

[thierry henry]

I know it’s pyjama cricket and I think he would’ve been 4th choice and not played either test anyway…but Boult has imo looked in his best form in ages in the recent T20s. Slightly up in pace,accurate…and weirdly angry for some reason.

 

[Flem274*]

That's too cute as a tactic imo. Mitchell's medium pace isn't winning test series in India.

I'm fine with most structures as long as we have the best batsmen, four real bowlers and the 5th bowler is Ravindra. I can understand all of Southee, Jamieson, Wagner, Ajaz and Somerville playing. I won't be happy if we go in with ten men and Santner or rely on Mitchell as a third seamer, much less an opening bowler.

 

[Shri]

They have averaged 40 because they bowl less. If they start bowling same number of overs as spinners, they too will average around 50.

Had me in the first half ngl

 

[thierry henry]

Also they shouldn’t pick Santner in a million years…but it’s a shame that he’s the one guy capable of bowling Jadeja style “jam it into the pitch at 95kph and spin it” stuff. Theoretically has good attributes for dustbowls but something is missing psychologically (which is also weird given his reputation as a canny bowler).

 

[Fuller Pilch]

That's too cute as a tactic imo. Mitchell's medium pace isn't winning test series in India.

I'm fine with most structures as long as we have the best batsmen, four real bowlers and the 5th bowler is Ravindra. I can understand all of Southee, Jamieson, Wagner, Ajaz and Somerville playing. I won't be happy if we go in with ten men and Santner or rely on Mitchell as a third seamer, much less an opening bowler.

Well I said it would never happen. I'm still in the Will Young opening, Rachin at 6 camp.

 

[Shri]

@Burgey if santner plays tests should zampa play tests too

 

[Flem274*]

Also they shouldn’t pick Santner in a million years…but it’s a shame that he’s the one guy capable of bowling Jadeja style “jam it into the pitch at 95kph and spin it” stuff. Theoretically has good attributes for dustbowls but something is missing psychologically (which is also weird given his reputation as a canny bowler).

He's always been a valuable cricketer through the grades as neither quite one thing nor the other. I remember when CW first noticed him for ND. He looked like a future white ball Black Cap - raw talent with the bat and tall limited overs style fingerspin.

But he was always picked before ever really stamping his authority with bat or ball.

 

[thierry henry]

He's always been a valuable cricketer through the grades as neither quite one thing nor the other. I remember when CW first noticed him for ND. He looked like a future white ball Black Cap - raw talent with the bat and tall limited overs style fingerspin.

But he was always picked before ever really stamping his authority with bat or ball.

I would consider his authority reasonably well stamped as a white ball bowler. He’s learned those skills pretty impressively on the job, for a bit of a hunch selection who could easily have played a few games and then been consigned to history. At the same time, frantically learning on the job how to be an ODI and T20I spinner probably destroyed any chance of him developing the proper smarts of a red ball bowler.

 

[Moss]

I've had another thought - left field and tough on Will Young (not going to happen)..
I prefer Jamieson bowling 1st change instead of taking the new ball. We can have 3 overs up front from Daryl Mitchell. He can wobble it around:

If it was Lord Colin and not Mitchell, this could well have happened. Though he probably wouldn’t have been much of a factor with the bat on this tour, Kane will miss having CdG as a bowling option.

 

[SteveNZ]

Also they shouldn’t pick Santner in a million years…but it’s a shame that he’s the one guy capable of bowling Jadeja style “jam it into the pitch at 95kph and spin it” stuff. Theoretically has good attributes for dustbowls but something is missing psychologically (which is also weird given his reputation as a canny bowler).

Yeah, maybe something is missing psychologically. Definitely feel like he's less of a bowler in all formats in 2021 than he was 3-4 years ago. He was pretty poor at the T20 World Cup. Completely lost the ability to create a consistent pitch map, and to bowl attackingly with any consistency as well. Which makes him a non-starter as a Test bowler, anywhere

 

[NZTailender]

It'd be madness to leave out Jamieson, who averages 14, and deserves a SC tour
It'd be madness to leave out Southee, our top ranked bowler (and ranked #3 in the world)
It'd be madness to leave out Wagner, world #5 and the workhorse of the team who is the seamer most likely to grind himself into the dust and still make things happen with the ball
It'd be madness to leave out Ajaz, our best spinner who has won us matches
It'd be madness to play Santner, who doesn't offer enough with either bat or ball in test match conditions
It'd be madness to play Somerville alongside Ajaz and 3 seamers, leaving us worryingly light on batting
It'd be madness to go in with only one spin option

Logical solution is Ravindra. The safe and Grant Steady option, unfortunately, is Santner.

An alternative is Ajaz, Somerville, Southee, Wagner/Jamieson and Mitchell. I'd say they'd go for the former though.

 

[Howsie]

What? Boult excretes all over Southee as a test bowler and Jamieson is made of glass.

Hahaha and worst post if 2021 goes to this guy

 

[Bahnz]

Still remember his bowling at the 2019 WC v Pakistan on the one pitch all tournament that offered substantive turn. Bowled some pretty looking deliveries, but failed to build any pressure and finished with something like 1/45. Was a very test match Santa performance.

 

[SteveNZ]

If I'm Glenn Phillips, I'm seriously working on my bowling. I'm demanding Auckland let me bowl as much as they can in all formats next year. There's going to come a time where, on balance, if he's a good enough bat at the time - he'll play for the bowling option, if the other side has a lot of LHers in their top order etc.

 

[SteveNZ]

Still remember his bowling at the 2019 WC v Pakistan on the one pitch all tournament that offered substantive turn. Bowled some pretty looking deliveries, but failed to build any pressure and finished with something like 1/45. Was a very test match Santa performance.

Yep, this is the performance that sticks in my head too. Babar absolutely took him to the cleaners because he couldn't land 2 in a row. Seen this a lot at Test level too.

It's not even really a 'safe' option to pick him anymore. I think we need to cherish the memories of his C&B to beat Pakistan late on day 5 last summer and realise that's as good as it's going to get. He can proudly say he helped us to the WTC final on that one spell, but there's no future for him in whites unless he's prepared to take focus off his limited overs skills, which won't happen

 

[Burgey]

Hahaha and worst post if 2021 goes to this guy

How would you know? You don't venture out of provincial threads ffs.

 

[Flem274*]

If I'm Glenn Phillips, I'm seriously working on my bowling. I'm demanding Auckland let me bowl as much as they can in all formats next year. There's going to come a time where, on balance, if he's a good enough bat at the time - he'll play for the bowling option, if the other side has a lot of LHers in their top order etc.

Hmm would prefer he became the best batsman he can be tbh. There's a 40+ averaging test batsman in there, and he isn't there yet.

 

[Howsie]

Three seamers, Ajaz and or Phillps/Ravindra. Santner is unplayable as a test match bowler and he isn’t near those two with the bat.

 

[SteveNZ]

Hmm would prefer he became the best batsman he can be tbh. There's a 40+ averaging test batsman in there, and he isn't there yet.

True. But I know Glenn is too antsy in pantsy - he was a keeper, he used to have more than one string, and even in him now I can see he wants to contribute in any way possible in the field.