*Official* New Zealand domestic season 2022/23

[The Hutt Rec]

He's batted about as well as you'd expect at Test level from that, but visibly improved his bowling to the point where he's averaging ~40 with the ball instead of the 50+ you'd expect from that.

I just saw the criteria was the last two years before being selected, on that basis his bowling drops off a cliff, because weirdly he took 10 wickets at 22.1 in his first season of bowling.

So his bowling got a lot worse and now seems to have improved since he made the test side!

 

[Nintendo]

Smith and shipley both amongst the runs and wickets so far, good to see.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Smith and shipley both amongst the runs and wickets so far, good to see.

Runs for Sodhi and Phillips too, and wickets for Ravindra

 

[Flem274*]

I'm not against Wagner fighting his way back in if he wants but our opening bowlers for SL need to be some combo of Southee/Henry/KJ?/Shipley/Duffy/Smith.

Then there's replacing Neil Wagner in truth, who combined our nasty fasty and spin bowling duties into one player despite being neither of those things.

First change, to put it bluntly, needs to be capable of hitting a **** in the head or breaking his stumps. Ferguson/Sears/Tickner at full pelt.

We need to invest properly in non-prank spin because the problem is not going away. See if Sodhi can continue the good roll.

Blundell overachieving relative to most of our reads on him gives us the luxury of a balanced allrounder at 7 if we choose. Smith?

4 right arm 135 outswing bowlers is a mistake England made for years and we can't repeat it.

 

[nzfan]

Got a chance to look at Ravindra's stats in PS and I think my gut feel was right. He doesn't get out to black caps quality players, he scores against them. He gets out to the least of the bowlers from the opponents. Somebody probably needs to teach him to be a bit more attentive against lesser bowlers.
The black caps bowlers he has faced so far in PS since his debut way back in 2018 are

TAstle
Hamish Bennett
Doug Bracewell
Michael Bracewell
Tom Bruce
CDG
Duffy
Ferguson
Matt Henry
Kyle Jamieson
Anaru Kitchen
Kuggs
McConchie
D Mitchell
James Neesham
Ajaz Patel
Glenn Phillips
Seth Rance
Santner
Somerville
Tickner
Wagner
Ish Sodhi (Updated list with Ish included)

Here is the stats against these bowlers 417 runs @ average of 88.8 runs per hit. Gets out once every 192 balls if these guys were bowling at him all the time Overall he has faced 3159 balls in his whole PS career. That means he lasts no more than 59 balls against non black caps bowlers. That's a shocker of a stat. I'd have thought mostly it'll be other way around. Staggering stats this.

Even staggering is no bowled at all in 961 balls. One LBW against Ish Sodhi. Proper wall this...

 

[ataraxia]

Haha that's amazing. Some not-great bowlers in there but still a strong selection – only out to them 4 (edit: 5) times! C'mon, get him in the test side.

 

[nzfan]

Haha that's amazing. Some not-great bowlers in there but still a strong selection – only out to them 4 times! C'mon, get him in the test side.

I have a feeling he didn't get out to Ashwin, Axar and Jadeja in India but got out to Yadav who came in for a series and didn't play again for India.... That is very unreal. How can a player not get out to these guys and get out to the lesser bowler even at international cricket? Crazy stuff. I should send the stats to NZC or Firebirds.

Scratch that.. he did get out once to Jadeja but still out of 4 times he batted vs India he batted out to Ashwin the left handed batsman killer and Axar without getting out.

 

[SteveNZ]

Some serious shots from Mohammed Abbas, the best being the dance down and hit Phillips over wide mid on for six. Looks like a serious player with some flair and confidence about how he goes about it.

And yeah, the likes of Shipley, Duffy, Smith, Ravindra, Sodhi, Phillips putting up numbers. But I think we all expect we'll get the same squad for the Sri Lankan Test series.

 

[nzfan]

Some serious shots from Mohammed Abbas, the best being the dance down and hit Phillips over wide mid on for six. Looks like a serious player with some flair and confidence about how he goes about it.

And yeah, the likes of Shipley, Duffy, Smith, Ravindra, Sodhi, Phillips putting up numbers. But I think we all expect we'll get the same squad for the Sri Lankan Test series.

Yeah that was a stand out shot. I suppose playing mostly in Auckland makes you a better player of spin perhaps. There are lot more sub continent players coming out of Auckland meaning you get to face lot more spinners in Auckland growing up. Ish, Netula, Ronnie Hira and Ajaz are also from Auckland.

The squad for SL or even for any of the one day series coming up will not change. We've got to be resigned to the fact till Stead and Larsen leave we will continue to see the same trend. Heck it's hard to get Will Young a go in any format let alone the rest.

 

[nzfan]

This is Ben Sears stats in Plunkett shield. He's taking poles at 22. His strike rate is 57 which is quite good.







He's consistent against Black Caps batters, picking up wickets at an average of 23, strike rate of 57. I know the sample rate is quite less but it is still impressive bowling to these batters


Finn Allen
Doug Bracewell
Michael Bracell
Neil Broom
Dean Brownlie
Tom Bruce
Chapman
Cleaver
CDG
Guptill
Latham
McConchie
D Mitchell
Nicholls
Phillips
Raval
Rutherford
Santner
Seifert
Ross Taylor
Watling
Worker
Young

 

[Bahnz]

I think if Sears was able to stay fit he would’ve got a call-up for the first test ahead of Tickner, selectors were clearly interested in him when they included him in the squad for those tours to Bangladesh and Australia.

Real shame, but I’m starting to get young Milne vibes from the guy. Hopefully he can get an extended period without injuries and really push for a place.

 

[Bahnz]

Got a chance to look at Ravindra's stats in PS and I think my gut feel was right. He doesn't get out to black caps quality players, he scores against them. He gets out to the least of the bowlers from the opponents. Somebody probably needs to teach him to be a bit more attentive against lesser bowlers.
The black caps bowlers he has faced so far in PS since his debut way back in 2018 are

TAstle
Hamish Bennett
Doug Bracewell
Michael Bracewell
Tom Bruce
CDG
Duffy
Ferguson
Matt Henry
Kyle Jamieson
Anaru Kitchen
Kuggs
McConchie
D Mitchell
James Neesham
Ajaz Patel
Glenn Phillips
Seth Rance
Santner
Somerville
Tickner
Wagner
Ish Sodhi (Updated list with Ish included)

Here is the stats against these bowlers 417 runs @ average of 88.8 runs per hit. Gets out once every 192 balls if these guys were bowling at him all the time Overall he has faced 3159 balls in his whole PS career. That means he lasts no more than 59 balls against non black caps bowlers. That's a shocker of a stat. I'd have thought mostly it'll be other way around. Staggering stats this.

Even staggering is no bowled at all in 961 balls. One LBW against Ish Sodhi. Proper wall this...

View attachment 34881

With Rachin, I do worry that he’s trying to do too much by being an all rounder. It’s a huge ask for someone to bowl 10-15 overs a day (potentially more in favourable conditions) and then turn around and open the batting. Have their ever been any successful opening allrounders in test cricket?

 

[Nintendo]

With Rachin, I do worry that he’s trying to do too much by being an all rounder. It’s a huge ask for someone to bowl 10-15 overs a day (potentially more in favourable conditions) and then turn around and open the batting. Have their ever been any successful opening allrounders in test cricket?

Hafeez maybe? He didn't bowl 15 overs a day but he was definitely an all-rounder and opened a fair bit from memory.

 

[nzfan]

With Rachin, I do worry that he’s trying to do too much by being an all rounder. It’s a huge ask for someone to bowl 10-15 overs a day (potentially more in favourable conditions) and then turn around and open the batting. Have their ever been any successful opening allrounders in test cricket?

I think so too but Firebirds are scrambling for openers since Woodcock and Papps moved on. I can count like a dozen openers have been tried and Rachin is the only successful one still around. That could be the case for all sides but for Otago where Rutherford opens. Even Rutherford gave up opening and batted in the middle order a bit. Given the way Ravindra plays spin and is a naturally aggressive player that plays all around the wicket I'd be so tempted to have him bat at no.4 or no.5 and bowl loads if I was the firebirds coach. I don't it's an easy job to bowl plenty and bat at the top. Jayasuriya comes to mind. Can't think of anybody else.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

With Rachin, I do worry that he’s trying to do too much by being an all rounder. It’s a huge ask for someone to bowl 10-15 overs a day (potentially more in favourable conditions) and then turn around and open the batting. Have their ever been any successful opening allrounders in test cricket?

Shane Watson?

 

[Bahnz]

Shane Watson?

Good call actually, though in Watson’s case at least he only took on that role in the later stages of his career after he’d had plenty of time learning his game inside and out. Bigger ask for a guy in his early 20’s to do it.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Good call actually.

Though clearly his fatigue addled his ability to use DRS.

 

[ataraxia]

Going back a bit there were Mankad and Goddard, who would both bowl loads and bat time. It's certainly not impossible imo.

 

[Prince EWS]

With Rachin, I do worry that he’s trying to do too much by being an all rounder. It’s a huge ask for someone to bowl 10-15 overs a day (potentially more in favourable conditions) and then turn around and open the batting. Have their ever been any successful opening allrounders in test cricket?

Trevor Goddard was pretty good at this.

I also think it's pretty different bowling 10-15 overs a day of spin than it is bowling 10-15 overs a seam of medium-fast stuff as Watto and Goddard did.

Sanath Jayasuirya bowled 12 overs per Test as well. I know that's not exactly 10-15 overs per day but I'm not sure it would have phased him from a batting front if he had to bowl an extra spell per day, which is basically the difference there. He was used as a proper frontline bowler at times when the conditions suited and I don't think anyone was ever worried he'd bat worse.

 

[ataraxia]

Ravindra's a net positive IMO if he averages 35 with bat and 45–50 with ball. While it might be a bit much workload on him, filling both the opener and spinner weaknesses is immensely valuable.