*Official* 2022 New Zealand Tour of England, Ireland, Scotland & Netherlands

[ataraxia]

can we have Conway back at peak plz? I yearn for the day that he only ever gets out by being strangled down leg, out to part-time finger-spin, or run out to return.

 

[Chubb]

Surely the actual WTC side was stronger....the two obvious duds (Raval and Santner out) replaced by Conway and Jamieson, pretty much the two hottest things going in world cricket at the time.

That's a fair point re Raval and Santner yep. I do still think that side was stronger than this one, even though Mitchell and Blundell came good here. Conway is clearly a good bat but he's still only got a small sample size compared to Taylor.

 

[nzfan]

Unfortunately. While I think the team is rotten. I don't think there is a quick (player replacement) fix. I suspect that pretty much all of the experienced core are down about 10%, nothing really noticable except Kane. But 10% x about 7 players adds up to a lot. Kane down by 50% adds up to 1 normal player.

Top order runs and old ball bowling (even without a spinner). Have been a real strength of the team the last 6 or so years. Traditionally, these have been real weak areas for NZ, but have really bucked the trend. I see the looming old-ball bowling gap as the toughest gaps to fill.

One of Lockie, Milne or Sears will fill that role. I don't think Tickener can as the management thinks.

 

[thierry henry]

Yeah Conway having a full-blown dud series in such an important series, so early in his career, is a sharper return to Earth than I think anyone predicted

 

[Immenso]

I don't usually buy into the cricket coach pheomena too much. Although I am certainly no Warnie or Chappelli on the subject.

I am as happy with a low profile David Trist or Dennis Aberhart over a high profile disruptive Glenn Turner 2nd version type.

But Stead lost me in the home summer when he told fans they would need to lower their expectations. Not sure if this was after Bangladesh loss or South Africa loss. Tried to find article to quote but couldn't find anything. That was just terrible.

His selections here have remined us of the wheels falling off during the Australian tour. Henry as a 4th seamer, Bracewell as 4th bowler. Wagner lack of overs. Turning FC games into nets.

There's a trend.

 

[Burgey]

Hmmm, some genuine inconsistent bounce now. Will be interesting to see how Bazball holds up in these conditions.

Seems to have gone ok, from a quick glance at the scorecard.

 

[Immenso]

M Bracewell getting elevated above his station can also be partly blamed on the lack of batting of the seamers. Jamieson looking as easy as Southee to set up.

I know it's hard when it's not your primary skill. But someone needs to do it (not be afraid of 135-140 arm-pit targeted bowling).

N Smith is our only hope on that front. Don't see him getting in until Southee retires (rightly).

 

[straw man]

Bracewell is visibly not bowling anywhere close to as bad as his figures suggest (just as i say this he’s bowled a full toss) but Root in particular has been very aggressive against him. When Root these days gets in a mood you just can’t do much to stop him.

I sincerely doubt Ajaz would’ve done much better here but I agree he deserved a chance.

England would absolutely have attacked him and they surely would've had some success as in the two overs Ajaz bowled in the first test. But as that cricinfo article pointed out, even in the second of those overs Ajaz beat and almost clean bowled Stokes. He's a mile more accurate than Bracewell and is not without T20 success either, having had a very good series in Bangladesh a couple of seasons ago. He has guile and he has 273 FC wickets to fall back on.

We have to imagine Ajaz under the captaincy of Stokes instead of this confidence-crushing miserable you-may-not-concede-a-run style of leadership and selection under Williamson/Stead. At times this series Leach has been none or one for seventy and hit for a few sixes, and Stokes has backed him, not blindly but instead with a 'hey let's try this plan' or 'we'll try get this batsman out like this'. It's so great that Leach took a ten-fer the same match we left our spinner out for a part-timer (also because Leach seems like a great guy and someone that's had to toil hard) because it throws into sharp relief just how monumentally abysmal NZ's management of Ajaz has been. You can't even ignore it or escape it any more, it's just so damn obvious. Similar left arm orthodox bowlers, accurate, experienced - with enormous captain & coach backing vs totally without captain & coach backing.

 

[nzfan]

England would absolutely have attacked him and they surely would've had some success as in the two overs Ajaz bowled in the first test. But as that cricinfo article pointed out, even in the second of those overs Ajaz beat and almost clean bowled Stokes. He's a mile more accurate than Bracewell and is not without T20 success either, having had a very good series in Bangladesh a couple of seasons ago. He has guile and he has 273 FC wickets to fall back on. I'm pretty sure at times this series Leach has been none or one for seventy and Stokes has backed him, not blindly but instead with a 'hey let's try this plan' or 'we'll try get this batsman out like this'.

We have to imagine Ajaz under the captaincy of Stokes instead of this confidence-crushing miserable you-may-not-concede-a-run style of leadership and selection under Williamson/Stead. It's so great that Leach took a ten-fer the same match we left our spinner out for a part-timer (also because Leach seems like a great guy and someone that's had to toil hard)... but it's great for NZ because it throws into sharp relief just how monumentally abysmal NZ's management of Ajaz has been. You can't even ignore it or escape it any more, it's just so damn obvious. Similar left arm orthodox bowlers, accurate, experienced - with enormous captain & coach backing vs totally without captain & coach backing.

That's in an ideal world, in NZC world this will be the last straw for spin bowling. There won't be a spin bowler selected for ages to come which is a huge step backward. Doesn't do any good for youth to take up spin bowling. Funnily enough Maharaj had a very good role to play in NZ yet another left arm spinner. Left arm spinners, leg spinners even half good are better than right hand off spin is the saying for a very long time in cricket.

 

[thundaboult]

Only watched the highlights of Wagner's bowling, but yeah. Give the guy a farewell test in the SL series (the first test will probably be in Tauranga), he deserves it. But then NZ needs to move on.



Fair, just thinking that if NZ were to opt for a genuine 2nd spinner a la Walker or Sommerville, that leaves a pretty long tail coming in behind NZ's shiny new engine room.

Latham breathing intensifies

 

[Flem274*]

Ajaz, Somerville and even Santner are streets ahead of Macewell as bowlers. Light years.

A pretty action does not equal talent. England make this mistake with their opening batsmen.

 

[Flem274*]

Despite all of these I'm still excited and think there's still a chance tomorrow. Maybe the pitch will break even more, hopefully some rain to spice up the deck, a bit of benefit of doubt to Kane for picking Bracewell and hope he reposes the faith by talking couple of poles. Maybe Bracewell will bowl like a beast. Wags to bounce the team out.... You never know ?????

It's very hard to forget you're a former FC keeper when you make posts like this.

I bet this was you:

*opposition are 110/3 chasing 130 to win*

"Cheeky bang bang boys 120/7 lads great areas mate!"

 

[nzfan]

Ajaz, Somerville and even Santner are streets ahead of Macewell as bowlers. Light years.

A pretty action does not equal talent. England make this mistake with their opening batsmen.

It's not pretty by any means whatsoever. It's exactly like someone bowling that has taken it up for two years for pass time in the nets. Where is the body behind the ball, the energy that goes into the load up, the high to low arm, the wrist angles, the side on planting of feet, pivot and follow through. If all of that existed he'd have been bowling fine. Shows clearly we have no spin coach to fall back on that knows something about spin bowling. Gary will not be able to help there and neither can Jurgensen.

In fact I'd start with the grip with Bracewell, the ball is tucked way too deep in the palm. Most likely his index finger is doing far less work than they should.

 

[thierry henry]

It's very hard to forget you're a former FC keeper

wait what

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Dunno about the rest of the Kiwi fans, but I'm riled up about the Bracewell thing because it reminds me of what was happening all the time in club cricket - spinner who's clearly much better (me) barely gets a bowl, but a chump (some 40 year old friend of the skip who turned to spin this season because his back was ****ed) gets his full ten and jags a wicket, instantly locking him in as first choice for the rest of the season.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

wait what

He's Erv McSweeney.

 

[nzfan]

It's very hard to forget you're a former FC keeper when you make posts like this.

I bet this was you:

*opposition are 110/3 chasing 130 to win*

"Cheeky bang bang boys 120/7 lads great areas mate!"

You live in the hope, every hour, every day and when that does die no point in trying.

 

[thierry henry]

He's Erv McSweeney.

hang on, if this was true then surely Flem would’ve said ‘former international keeper’

 

[nzfan]

hang on, if this was true then surely Flem would’ve said ‘former international keeper’

I never mentioned but that's what they assumed.

 

[Bahnz]

Despite all of these I'm still excited and think there's still a chance tomorrow. Maybe the pitch will break even more, hopefully some rain to spice up the deck, a bit of benefit of doubt to Kane for picking Bracewell and hope he reposes the faith by talking couple of poles. Maybe Bracewell will bowl like a beast. Wags to bounce the team out.... You never know ?????

Yeah, it's highly unlikely with the way the bowling attacks has been going, but looking at the BBC forecast there's a chance that play might not start until 3 or 4 in the afternoon which obviously is a huge boost for NZ. Wind is meant to die down which should hopefully assist swing, so...nah we're ****ed.