straw man
Hall of Fame Member
Yes and even moreso whenever I find myself thinking negatively about Wagner at the moment, after so long as a massive contributor for NZ. It's cowardly selection policy and is ultimately more sad than anything else.I feel pretty bad about it tbh. Nicholls has made some great contributions to NZ cricket during his career. Was absolutely critical to our first series win in Asia in 30 odd years and has made quality hundreds against strong SA and England bowling lineups. I'm sad his battings gone into a bit of a tailspin. The reaction is more an indictment on the selection team than on him.
Edit: Though Nicholls is more the responsible for his own demise than Wagner. The latter just got old, whereas Nicholls seems to have lost the will or ability to grit out long periods and put away shots like the hook and reverse sweep that continually get him in trouble. And hasn't managed to address some technical deficiences where opposition target him, such as being unable to keep the ball down when quick at the body (possibly why he started compulsively hooking) and vulnerability to right arm round the wicket.
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