***Official New Zealand Domestic Season 2021/22***

[RossTaylorsBox]

Maybe it was hockey now that you mentioned it...

 

[Meridio]

Maybe it was hockey now that you mentioned it...

Definitely wasn't hockey, I guarantee you that since I was in that first XI. Maybe it was soccer, I have no memory of that happening but I've forgotten most things from those days so maybe it did and I just didn't hear about it.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

I definitely remember discussing it in the 7th form common room. Unless I'm mistaken and never actually went to school at all??

 

[Flem274*]

Blundell had a mare, dropping two very catchable chances.

He can't really afford to be doing that right now.

 

[Immenso]

Ughhh. Just seen the scorecard of the Wellington vs. ND game. Bracewell bowling before Younghusband. What's the bloody point in picking Younghusband like this? For ND, the spinners really did the damage, but for Wellington, plan A&B seemed to be recurring seam. Ollie Newton only getting one over, Nathan Smith getting 2 low-cost overs and Neesham seemingly the pick... Hard to be sure given the game, but looks like the Wellington bowlers were again poorly managed.

Ravindra bowled first over of spin after power play. Got successfully targeted by Santner. Macewell the better matchup for the next over rather than Younghusband.

 

[Bahnz]

Oh yes, don't get me wrong. Clearly, the batsmen threw away that wonderful start, but even then there was a reasonable score on the board. Using the resources at their disposal better might have made it closer. Looks like ND were cruising at the end, even if they did only win by 2 wickets.

It was a weird sort of ending. There was obviously only a handful of runs to get, but after Santner was dismissed, none of the remaining bats could hit it off the square. ND had a distinctly panicky look about them during the last few balls. Verma was very lucky not to be run out going for the winning run. With as little as 5 more runs Wellington would've had a real chance, and given they were 100/1 after 9, they should've had a lot more than that to play with.

Having said that, Sears bowled really poorly. Dropped way too short on a slightly slower deck and just got pummelled. Bracewell probably should've benched him after his first over given the depth of Wellington's bowling resources.

 

[SteveNZ]

He can't really afford to be doing that right now.

No, he can't. He's really dropped off the face of the earth, form wise. Been found out that if you don't feed his back foot fetish, he's really not that effective at all.

Interesting that Glenn Phillips is back keeping, too. Not sure whether that's Ben Horne dropped, or injured, or GP smells a gap in the NZ set up, or what it is.

 

[ataraxia]

Llew Johnson with 186 (133) in a 50 over game for Otago A against NZ Development. He really is rocks or diamonds. From #5 BTW, higher than any ODI score from #5.

 

[jcas0167]

Former prolific Gillette Cup & age-group batsman Thorn Parkes getting 40 odd opening for Otago A too. It would be good if he could kick on. Johnson is obviously hugely powerful - I think he set some club record last year for number of sixes. He also replaced Neesham in the Super Smash side briefly as a 17 year old. Hopefully be gets a run in the Ford Trophy.

 

[Neil Young]

Bowlers and captain don’t really deserve the blame. It was the batsmen who had a 180+ score practically gift-wrapped for them by Allen, only for the middle order to bottle it against the spinners’ long hops. Then Blundell had a mare, dropping two very catchable chances.

And surely selection as well. Where's Troy Johnson? 8 genuine bowling options is ridiculous. Pick a genuine bat and drop one of the bowlers.

 

[Immenso]

And surely selection as well. Where's Troy Johnson? 8 genuine bowling options is ridiculous. Pick a genuine bat and drop one of the bowlers.

Maybe. But I'd give this an 'unlike'. Easy to trot off a criticism of 8 genuine bowling options as meaning the team must be unbalanced. But where are you slotting in Johnston? Seems more like and ListA balance criticism than a T20 criticism.

What would be the point of a SR of 105 sort of guy when the returning blakckaps etc mean that there are now a wicketkeeper and now 3 'genuine bowling options' who appear to be better T20 batsmen than him?

At best, with Wellington full strength. Maybe he is a floater at expense of a bowler, but then this page would be full of criticisms each time he is floated down the order (like when Ravindra is). TBH, Ravindra is doing that role, Blundell has taken his number 3 / 4 anchor role. That's some tough competition.

Wellington at full strength is stacked. It seams to mean N Smith only bowls with new ball in power play (if that), the legspinner may be held back for matchups, a gun technical bat like Ravindra is floated. Good players like Johnston don't always make the 11. Good bowlers don't bowl 'their full 4'. All of these things result in carping on these threads.

 

[Neil Young]

Maybe. But I'd give this an 'unlike'. Easy to trot off a criticism of 8 genuine bowling options as meaning the team must be unbalanced. But where are you slotting in Johnston? Seems more like and ListA balance criticism than a T20 criticism.

What would be the point of a SR of 105 sort of guy when the returning blakckaps etc mean that there are now a wicketkeeper and now 3 'genuine bowling options' who appear to be better T20 batsmen than him?

At best, with Wellington full strength. Maybe he is a floater at expense of a bowler, but then this page would be full of criticisms each time he is floated down the order (like when Ravindra is). TBH, Ravindra is doing that role, Blundell has taken his number 3 / 4 anchor role. That's some tough competition.

Wellington at full strength is stacked. It seams to mean N Smith only bowls with new ball in power play (if that), the legspinner may be held back for matchups, a gun technical bat like Ravindra is floated. Good players like Johnston don't always make the 11. Good bowlers don't bowl 'their full 4'. All of these things result in carping on these threads.

Surely, carping is the whole point of this - or any - forum.

Anyway, Johnson for Newton or Younghusband imo, depending on the track. That would appear a better balanced side. Obviously don't drop a better bat for him, irrespective of what they do with the ball. And, yeah, Johnson is probably is somewhat of a floater, but I'd bat him above Ravindra in most cases.

And saying all that, his SR of 106 after 18 innings surprises me. I thought it would be comfortably higher.

To summarise; I'm not sure. But 8 bowlers still seems excessive to me.

 

[Immenso]

I think I'm just starting to get a bit sensitive to M Bracewell pile-ons. Which, TBF, you're post wasn't strictly one.

Starting to sniff the scent of some groupthink online bullying.

 

[Immenso]

Johnson was fantastic in last year's final, which was the first time I'd really seen him bat. Not just what his returns were on the day, but I really liked where and how he decided to take his risks. Watcihng at the ground so seeing the angles etc.

I'd assume his SR is related to his role, anchoring at about number 4. But would still want the SR closer to 120.

I've said before I like the cut of his jib.

 

[Immenso]

Re: Monday's 11. You could argue that it was Newton who was the supurflous one. But then I'm assuming he is a replacement in that particular 11 for Bennett. Looking at the numbers Bennet has had a good season bowling at the power-play and death.

N Smith is also under-used. But Pocknall when on the mic explained how Smith (and Neesham) are their power hitters at 5/6/7. Meaning M Bracewell has moved back up the order this season with Smith''s arrival. So even if he (Smith) is under-bowled he is playing a very different role to Johnston in a batting order.

So I don't see any permanent opening for Johnston in a Wellington T20 11 in a circumstance like this when all Blackcaps are available.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

I just don't get what the plan is with Younghusband and Newton in that XI. As it turned out, the pitch took spin (which ND used well with their bowling attack). Despite this, Wellington only used 6 overs of spin, shared equally between Ravindra, Bracewell and Younghusband. When the pitch was conducive to spin, they only used 6 overs of it, but selected someone who is primarily a bowler (Younghusband). In this circumstance, the overs for Newton were reduced. I presume, if the pitch was more geared towards the seamers, Newton would have taken more overs and the spinners even fewer - leaving Younghusband even more superfluous to requirements.

Now, I know Younghusband can bat okay and Newton is more than capable of hitting a long ball, but I would have think in either of these scenarios (and given how he was used), Younghusband could have been replaced by (i) Johnson (SR: 106) (ii) Robinson (SR: 117) (iii) Greenwood (SR: 117) or (iv) Georgeson (SR: 124) and the team is markedly improved as a result.

I reiterate though this this is based on how Younghusband was used. I can also see the argument that if the pitch had been read as one where the spinners would be useful that it's Newton that should have been on the bench.

 

[Immenso]

It was actually a pitch with real green tinged patches. Never seen a T20 pitch look like that before.

But it was the spinners who put the breaks on.

Whether that was pitch conditions, or just because that is the rythym of almost every T20 match , not sure.

Walker got it to turn, but he bowls slower. Bracewell also got some turn. Other didn't really.
F Allen hitting the ball down someone's throat attempting to clear the long boundary straight after the power play, I guess you credit the bowler for bowling to his field.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

I guess regardless it's hard to see a scenario where both Newton and Younghusband get used well, given the resources otherwise available. Hence, replacing one with a batsman appears the better value selection.

The only reasonable justification is that you've selected them because you don't trust the other bowlers. Granted, Neesham can be quite hit and miss at times, but I think you have to back your senior players in such matches.

 

[Immenso]

But ironically, the opposition on the day was ridiculously worstly unbalanced. With Verma batting at 7. CdG not bowling at all.

 

[ataraxia]

IMO slot a slogger in in expense of a bowler. I understand not playing Johnson with the number of good anchors in the side, but Newton seemed pretty superfluous.