*Unofficial* New Zealand Black Caps Thread

[Immenso]

Re: Macewell.

There were already Wellington based pile-ons on here, well before any sniff at the blackcaps. Based on him bowling himself, and stealing Ravindra overs.

I do think this site is the worst place to get a read on him as a blackcap. I didn't watch the winter ODIs, so didn't see him play, but one thing I knew is not to use posts on here about Macewell as any sort of accurate unbiased account to fill my knowledge gap.

Dodgy he got a central contract though, a 'project player' based decision, rather than performance based.

 

[straw man]

Can't believe Kippax supporting the uncouth and vulgar agribusinessman Michael Bracewell over the South African born respecterer of tradition and dynamism Glenn Phillips. For shame.

 

[Kippax]

Oh I don't mind Glenn Phillips. I just wish Glenn had been as forthright as brother Dale in his interviews, saying he really likes the idea of long days in the whites, rather than settling for being a zany entertainer who gets bored very easily.

If NZC really wanted to restore the 'zany wildcard' feeling to their Test team, the 'great fielding, pulling and hooking with no fear, even 12yo boys can't really mock him as being a completely boring and irrelevant cricket douche' feeling, I'd actually be open to letting Phillips not only play, but have a little trial run as the captain.

 

[TheBrand]

Pretty standard, however in line with the chat in here lately, Bracewell better not get a game (I'll allow it against a minnow).

 

[straw man]

Oh I don't mind Glenn Phillips. I just wish Glenn had been as forthright as brother Dale in his interviews, saying he really likes the idea of long days in the whites, rather than settling for being a zany entertainer who gets bored very easily.

If NZC really wanted to restore the 'zany wildcard' feeling to their Test team, the 'great fielding, pulling and hooking with no fear, even 12yo boys can't really mock him as being a completely boring and irrelevant cricket douche' feeling, I'd actually be open to letting Phillips not only play, but have a little trial run as the captain.

Glenn Phillips test captain - now there's a thought.

 

[straw man]

View attachment 33011

Pretty standard, however in line with the chat in here lately, Bracewell better not get a game (I'll allow it against a minnow).

Honestly it's a pretty good squad, on paper. Pretty much the same side that got spanked by Australia in the last T20 WC final, though we don't have anyone demonstrably better (though again, we haven't tried very hard to find an alternative to Sodhi and Southee by giving players like Rippon a run). But it's a side that should be competitive even in the current malaise.

Ferguson of course one improvement on that previous side. Milne can be a backup, though I'm pleased he managed to get fit in time for this squad too.

 

[straw man]

If Bracewell got the odd game here or there, the same sort of treatment ya know Phillps, Chapman, Young, Mitchell (earlier in his international career) it wouldn’t be that big of an issue for me. Even if I don’t rate him. But he’s literally been given every chance to succeed when far better prospects haven’t been given that same opportunity.

I mean this is a 31 year old that was handed a test debut as a spin bowling all rounder with 20 odd first class wickets from 95 games. The FC season before that he averaged under 20 with the bat and 57 with the ball. He was lucky to be playing for Wellington how he made the test squad I have no idea.

The above so straightforward a retelling that it barely even needs to be said (perhaps aside from the last sentence). Think everyone here aside from RTB (apparently scarred from years of club cricket relegated to long on while coach-son-face bowled has 12th over of mediums) is fine to see an experiment with someone like M Bracewell in one format. Just not all of them continuously when several others aren't given a fraction of that rope. It makes you wonder why and as the only selectorial thought process seems to be '???' then that's where the unfortunate theories come in.

 

[TheBrand]

Ferguson of course one improvement on that previous side. Milne can be a backup, though I'm pleased he managed to get fit in time for this squad too.

Personally would like to see Milne and Ferguson bowling together in a game or two.

 

[thierry henry]

Milne is the ultimate JAM-free big match specialist. 71 total international games across all formats, selected for his 5th World Cup.

 

[Flem274*]

Personally would like to see Milne and Ferguson bowling together in a game or two.

lol you'll never get this from kw, larsen and stead.

the locked in bowlers should be boult, ferguson and santner with southee/sodhi/milne going for one spot and of course the 5th bowler role will be split between allrounders and macewell now that it's too late to try santner at #7.

i'll be honest, none of the trio inspire confidence but the guys we handed out true jam caps to (bennett, the alleged, tickner, duffy) didn't seize their chances.

i'm interested to see what we end up doing with our awkward batting order.

 

[straw man]

Personally would like to see Milne and Ferguson bowling together in a game or two.

Yeah didn't mean to imply they shouldn't play together. Bowling attack should be
Boult
Ferguson
Santner
2 of Milne/Southee/Sodhi

Could try instead make up the fifth bowler from part-timers Neesham/Mitchell/Bracewell but T20 less forgiving than ODIs there - can be very expensive.

 

[Mike5181]

Unironically I'd rather have Michael Bracewell in the team as a finisher along with Neesham than have both Guptill and Williamson in the XI.

Finn Allen
Martin Guptill/Kane Williamson
Devon Conway
Glenn Phillips
Daryl Mitchell
James Neesham
Michael Bracewell
Mitchell Santner
Adam Milne
Lockie Ferguson
Trent Boult

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

(apparently scarred from years of club cricket relegated to long on while coach-son-face bowled has 12th over of mediums)

Hey don't put words in my mouth.

It was fine leg.

 

[TheBrand]

Guptill
Allen
Williamson
Conway
Phillips
Mitchell
Neesham
Santner
Milne
Ferguson
Boult

 

[straw man]

Everyone else seems keen on four bowlers plus allrounders for the fifth bowler. I flip-flop, it's a risk either way.

Unironically I'd rather have Michael Bracewell in the team as a finisher along with Neesham than have both Guptill and Williamson in the XI.

Finn Allen
Martin Guptill/Kane Williamson
Devon Conway
Glenn Phillips
Daryl Mitchell
James Neesham
Michael Bracewell
Mitchell Santner
Adam Milne
Lockie Ferguson
Trent Boult

I don't hate Bracwell at seven if we do play only four bowlers. Like Neesham he will try to find the boundary from ball one, even if he gets out. Predict any bowling from Macewell will get slaughtered though.
They won't leave Guptill out though. And tbh he might be useful in the group stage, except against Australia.

Also tell the mercenary he's going to bat 8 or 9 as pinch hitter.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Who keeps if Conway injures himself like last year? Finn Allen? Macewell our offspinner? Last year Seifert played the final.

 

[ataraxia]

Who keeps if Conway injures himself like last year? Finn Allen? Macewell our offspinner? Last year Seifert played the final.

Phillips? Hopefully Cam Fletcher could be flown over.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Phillips? Hopefully Cam Fletcher could be flown over.

Is Phillips up to keeping?
Timeframe with games/flights would be key, but I guess Cleaver and/or Fletcher will be on standby.

I can't get over how many keeping options we have across the formats these days: Conway (a bit makeshift), Cleaver, Fletcher, Latham, Blundell, Seifert etc

Am most excited about Chu though. He probably won't get picked until he's 35 however.

 

[Kippax]

He is a very composed and international-ready handler of a 135 short ball, Max Chu.

Wagner and Eww-geleijn just couldn't believe how much that particular youngster was relishing his short ball hazing ritual.

 

[Flem274*]

Cleaver should probably volunteer as a specialist batsman this FC season.

Blundell has cemented his spot for a solid run and the selectors chose Fletcher for England and Latham/Conway in white ball. What I've seen of Cleaver is a bit modern for a test opener but he passes the eye test for a red ball middle order and white ball opener and has numbers to back it up with 4000 FC runs at 40.

With Nicholls in poor form and CdG retiring, there is a spot to push for.

Most importantly he is also 30, which both means he needs to get on with his career and do something and puts him in the Larsen and Stead tinder age range.