*Unofficial* New Zealand Black Caps Thread

[nzfan]

I wonder if Dane Cleaver is in the selectors’ thoughts? I am watching him demolish Canterbury in T20 right now, and he is having a great season. He is not young (he turns 30 tomorrow in fact), but his record is solid and he is playing some brilliant innings. If we do end up with two squads at some point this season (eg one for SA and the other for Aus) I would hope he would be in one of them.

My money is on him to play vs the Aussies in one day cricket. The test players won't be going to Aussie for the 3 one dayers bar Rosco. Fair number of players from the NZ A side will make that side and Dane will be one of them.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Or will Cam Fletcher leapfrog Cleaver? He's having a great season too. Good problem to have.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Would be good for the T20 players to get experience in Oz ahead of the T20 World Cup.

 

[Binkley]

Ian Anderson on Stuff reckons the next cabs off the rank are Joe Carter, Leo Carter and Robbie O’Donnell. Which seems an odd assortment of players. O’Donnell did at least have that terrific run of scores at the end of last season (after an unbelievably dire run), but he has barely picked up a bat since.

 

[Wright]

Won't the Black Caps be seriously underdone for this test match this morning,
as most of them haven't played in weeks?

 

[Binkley]

Won't the Black Caps be seriously underdone for this test match this morning,
as most of them haven't played in weeks?

Yep. That worries me too.

 

[vandem]

My money is on him to play vs the Aussies in one day cricket. The test players won't be going to Aussie for the 3 one dayers bar Rosco. Fair number of players from the NZ A side will make that side and Dane will be one of them.

Any thoughts on squad for Aussie ODIs and T20I tour? Apart from Taylor I assume all test starting XI + Patel won't tour. Mitchell and Henry perhaps will go, then fly back early if necessary to join 1st test squad? Cleaver is in such good white ball form he should go. Not sure about next level players like Nathan Smith and Sears, perhaps they are best to debut against weaker opponents.

So perhaps:

ODI + T20I tour to Aust, 30th Jan - 8th Feb, squad of 14, Mitchell + Henry to return early if necessary for MIQ:
Guptill Allen
Phillips Taylor* Mitchell Neesham (Chapman)
Cleaver
Santner (Sodhi)
Henry Bracewell Ferguson (Milne)

Tests vs Sth Africa, 17th Feb - 1st Mar, squad of 14, no surprises:
Latham Young
Williamson* Conway Nicholls Ravindra (Mitchell)
Blundell
(Patel)
Boult Southee Jamieson Wagner (Henry)

 

[NZTailender]

The L/O squad for Aus would probably involve:

Taylor
Guptill
Phillips
Chapman
Seifert
Allen
Ravindra (and bring back Patel for SA tests)
Mitchell
Ferguson
Milne
Henry
Duffy
Sodhi
Santner
Astle

 

[Prince EWS]

The L/O squad for Aus would probably involve:

Taylor
Guptill
Phillips
Chapman
Seifert
Allen
Ravindra (and bring back Patel for SA tests)
Mitchell
Ferguson
Milne
Henry
Duffy
Sodhi
Santner
Astle

Not sure you can have both Ravindra and Mitchell not playing the Tests. Nosebleeds at 7 for Jamieson at this stage, surely.

 

[NZTailender]

Not sure you can have both Ravindra and Mitchell not playing the Tests. Nosebleeds at 7 for Jamieson at this stage, surely.

Play an extra batsman imho, we don't need an all-rounder

Patel would come in for Boult potentially, itbt

I may also have forgotten about the maths and needing an all-rounder

 

[Prince EWS]

Play an extra batsman imho

That'd presumably be Phillips who you've also got in Australia instead.

I may also have forgotten about the maths and needing an all-rounder

Ah.

 

[NZTailender]

That'd presumably be Phillips who you've also got in Australia instead.

Nah I fear Phillips will end up a L/O Smith-technique meme wannabe

I'd actually like to see Fletcher or Cleaver get a run, but being wicket keepers they're probably more seen as reserve glovemen than pure batsmen, which is a shame. Cleaver averages 42 in a fairly bowler dominant type of competition and has been putting in solid contributions and at times match saving or winning knocks. But I fear they'd only bring them in for an injury to Blundell or a massive drop in form. I was serious though in the other thread when I said Blundell probably was better off as an opener for us.

Just for lols:

Latham
Blundell
Conway
Williamson
Young
Nicholls
Cleaver+
Jamieson
Southee
Wagner
Boult/Patel

 

[Prince EWS]

Nah I fear Phillips will end up a L/O Smith-technique meme wannabe

I'd actually like to see Fletcher or Cleaver get a run, but being wicket keepers they're probably more seen as reserve glovemen than pure batsmen, which is a shame. Cleaver averages 42 in a fairly bowler dominant type of competition and has been putting in solid contributions and at times match saving or winning knocks. But I fear they'd only bring them in for an injury to Blundell or a massive drop in form. I was serious though in the other thread when I said Blundell probably was better off as an opener for us.

Just for lols:

Latham
Blundell
Conway
Williamson
Young
Nicholls
Cleaver+
Jamieson
Southee
Wagner
Boult/Patel

I see you agree with Ian Chappell that your best batsman should bat at #3.

 

[NZTailender]

I see you agree with Ian Chappell that your best batsman should bat at #3.

I had thought about Williamson 3 and Conway 4 because, I mean, Williamson averages over 50 in the position but I feel like Conway just makes a better number 3 for some reason.

I had actually thought, and this is being entirely harsh on Kane, he could bat 5. I mean we're not as in a bad position as we used to be when Kane was essentially an opener, coming in at 1 for <10 quite often, but it also does feel like quite a while since we've seen a #BigDaddyKane innings which Conway seems more likely to play at 3. I think 5 is too low for Young, and Nicholls is a good scrappy 5 or 6. Blundell probably is having a hard time to live up to the fact Watling was a master at rescuing innings from the most dire positions when he's actually a bit more of an attacking batsman than defensive.

 

[NZTailender]

I had thought about Williamson 3 and Conway 4 because, I mean, Williamson averages over 50 in the position but I feel like Conway just makes a better number 3 for some reason.

I had actually thought, and this is being entirely harsh on Kane, he could bat 5. I mean we're not as in a bad position as we used to be when Kane was essentially an opener, coming in at 1 for <10 quite often, but it also does feel like quite a while since we've seen a #BigDaddyKane innings which Conway seems more likely to play at 3. I think 5 is too low for Young, and Nicholls is a good scrappy 5 or 6. Blundell probably is having a hard time to live up to the fact Watling was a master at rescuing innings from the most dire positions when he's actually a bit more of an attacking batsman than defensive.

Says we haven't seen. big daddy kane innings in a while, when he scored two doubles a year ago

Mind you, start of 2021 was actually 50 years ago now.

 

[Gnske]

Only great batsmen bat at 4 now. Expendable duds bat at 3, including Marnus.

It's time Kane became truly great.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

I hope we lose.

Timely reminder not to make me mad

 

[Flem274*]

when we lose i demand the doom and gloom thread back.

 

[Bahnz]

Nah, this is too funny to be doom and gloom worthy.

 

[Moss]

Not sure you can have both Ravindra and Mitchell not playing the Tests. Nosebleeds at 7 for Jamieson at this stage, surely.

Is CdG out of the reckoning completely? Might as well utilise him for the Aus ODIs if Mitchell is seen as test squad incumbent.

I find Jaimeson’s batting nearly as infuriating as Southee’s. Unlike Tim he actually has a decent defensive game. His dismissal in the first innings was pretty symptomatic of NZ’s test so far.