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*Unofficial* New Zealand Black Caps Thread

Immenso

Immenso

International Vice-Captain
This is the NZ A team I come up with:

1678922789594.png

Filler material in Cooper, Bruce, Solia.
Probably filler in McConchie and Fletcher, with how things have aligned, but potentially better than that.

So, that is 5 of the 11 for whom the world is not their oyster.

Leaving 6: Of which 5 seem to me god bets for an 'A' team'; Ravindra, Abbas, Ashok, Clarke, O'Rourke.
Leaving 1 other: Randell. Who I rate as worth a look, based on that flicky wrist, but not many, if any, others seem overly excited about.

I haven't considered:
- Nathan Smith, as injured.
- Foulkes injured (and batting needs way more time anyway ....)
- Sears or Fisher

Of the fringe blackcaps; D Bracewell, Kuggeleijn, Rippon, Cleaver aren't in any of my squads. For variety of form, age or other reasons.

Only one single unlucky available player in the entire country, just one, consider that again .... just one. Out of 110 contracted players in this country, only 1 player has played well enough but has enough competition to be excluded from an my NZ A team. That is Max Chu.
(or Foxcroft as well, if you consider his situation unlucky). Or Schmulian on career and seasons performance, and is peak age for Steady, but I assume will never recover from having a too late-aged FC start.

And on Max Chu being unlucky, he is pipped in the team by a guy who has only payed 2 games this season so far, so hasn't done enough to ruin his previous years' good work ....)
 
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ataraxia

ataraxia

International Coach
I imagine the CD v A Plunket game and the CD v C Ford Trophy final, as well as the SL games, may also conflict with this two games. We might see fairly different sides in each game.
 
Kippax

Kippax

Cricketer Of The Year
Ugh, the hopelessly low ceilings of Cooper, McConchie and Bruce. I'd personally just tweak the team name slightly and pick Foxcroft.
 
Immenso

Immenso

International Vice-Captain
Should also mention, I forgot and didn't mention Joe Carter in the above A team considerations. Who I would have also had in the filler class as well, apart from his extraordinary output on that last A tour to India in Spring would mean he'd have been worth a look again ahead of Bruce.
 
ataraxia

ataraxia

International Coach
Immenso said:
Should also mention, I forgot and didn't mention Joe Carter in the above A team considerations. Who I would have also had in the filler class as well, apart from his extraordinary output on that last A tour to India in Spring would mean he'd have been worth a look again ahead of Bruce.
Click to expand...
Seems to be injured ftr; hasn't been playing FC for ND.
 
F

Fuller Pilch

Hall of Fame Member
Immenso said:
This is the NZ A team I come up with:

View attachment 35114

Filler material in Cooper, Bruce, Solia.
Probably filler in McConchie and Fletcher, with how things have aligned, but potentially better than that.

So, that is 5 of the 11 for whom the world is not their oyster.

Leaving 6: Of which 5 seem to me god bets for an 'A' team'; Ravindra, Abbas, Ashok, Clarke, O'Rourke.
Leaving 1 other: Randell. Who I rate as worth a look, based on that flicky wrist, but not many, if any, others seem overly excited about.

I haven't considered:
- Nathan Smith, as injured.
- Foulkes injured (and batting needs way more time anyway ....)
- Sears or Fisher

Of the fringe blackcaps; D Bracewell, Kuggeleijn, Rippon, Cleaver aren't in any of my squads. For variety of form, age or other reasons.

Only one single unlucky available player in the entire country, just one, consider that again .... just one. Out of 110 contracted players in this country, only 1 player has played well enough but has enough competition to be excluded from an my NZ A team. That is Max Chu.
(or Foxcroft as well, if you consider his situation unlucky). Or Schmulian on career and seasons performance, and is peak age for Steady, but I assume will never recover from having a too late-aged FC start.

And on Max Chu being unlucky, he is pipped in the team by a guy who has only payed 2 games this season so far, so hasn't done enough to ruin his previous years' good work ....)
Click to expand...
Daryl Mitchell is playing IPL and it sounds like M Bracewell has been called in as an injury replacement for Will Jacks @RCB, so neither will tour Pakistan. Also Duffy and Tickner will both either tour Pakistan or play for NZ A.
 
Kippax

Kippax

Cricketer Of The Year
A pity Mitch Hay's limited overs record suggests he could be slightly limited for the pure hand-eye he'll need when the bowling hits 140+.

22, he's going to pass through 500 Shield runs at a 45 average today.
 
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Kippax

Kippax

Cricketer Of The Year
Immenso said:
Australia might be flabbergasted at how weak NZ A is at the moment.

It would be good if we could make them think that playing us in an A series every 4 years (before an away ashes) is worth their while.

Might have to pick more 'old guys' than desired to meet that end? Is it worth it, no particular liklihood of it being regular.

They are a fairly terrible cricketing neighbour (although hard to pinpoint blame in this era when we have our own terrible administration and no media asking any questions of who is trying what if anything ... ),the lack of contact between these two neighbours at 'A' level and U19 level is just extraordinarily non-existant. My hunch, based on money and resources, is I know where to assume the lack of interest is ..... e.g. not us.
Click to expand...
Well yeah, one of the reasons for that distinct cooling of relations would be the NZ system's reliance on Indian cash (and a bit of subsequent deference to South Asian tastes) since about 2008 onwards.

For a brief period there, New Zealand was sporting a cricket scene that could produce the Cairns or McCullum, the guy who swaggers around and projects himself as some kind of Andrew Tate or Nick Kyrgios 'top G'. Or even just the Bond and Blundell players, steely law enforcement national pride, guys who often handle the abrasiveness of Australia well.

Now though you're pushing into a much more dorky Bill Gates cricket scene. You went to a doleful and indie kind of place. You went Beyond Meat.
 
CricAddict

CricAddict

Cricketer Of The Year
Immenso said:
Australia might be flabbergasted at how weak NZ A is at the moment.

It would be good if we could make them think that playing us in an A series every 4 years (before an away ashes) is worth their while.

Might have to pick more 'old guys' than desired to meet that end? Is it worth it, no particular liklihood of it being regular.

They are a fairly terrible cricketing neighbour (although hard to pinpoint blame in this era when we have our own terrible administration and no media asking any questions of who is trying what if anything ... ),the lack of contact between these two neighbours at 'A' level and U19 level is just extraordinarily non-existant. My hunch, based on money and resources, is I know where to assume the lack of interest is ..... e.g. not us.
Click to expand...
The A team is actually B team isn't it? Main team will be playing in the IPL while A team is playing in the SL/Pak series and B team will be playing for NZ A.
 
Immenso

Immenso

International Vice-Captain
Fuller Pilch said:
Daryl Mitchell is playing IPL and it sounds like M Bracewell has been called in as an injury replacement for Will Jacks @RCB, so neither will tour Pakistan.
Click to expand...
Tom Bruce was looking injured last innings as well.

Severin, Schmulian, Dale Phillips scoring runs at the right time.

Rippon, Cleaver, and Troy Johnson losing form at the wrong time.
 
F

Fuller Pilch

Hall of Fame Member
Immenso said:
I hope this won't clash with any other blackcaps commitments. We really, really, really need to get some A cricket into our proper prospects.
Click to expand...
No idea of dates. It was just in an article I read a week or 2 ago on The Roar (Australian sports website) about the Aussie A squad going to Lincoln.
 
Immenso

Immenso

International Vice-Captain
HeathDavisSpeed said:
Will Somerville retiring at the end of the season: https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/crick...ill-somerville-farewells-professional-cricket
Click to expand...
Inspired chjoice by him to come back to NZ to give a chance at test cricket a go. Contributed to a few overseas wins. Shame his last outing was under-prepped out of an Auckland covid lockdown.

Him and Ajaz being (presumably) secure enough and mature enough to be able to miss home tests but then be ace 'out of the blue' when we toured Asia was a huge part of us getting the points and making the WTC final.
 
Bahnz

Bahnz

Hall of Fame Member
Tbh, I think Sommerville was a tad unlucky not to get more opportunities. He's been consistently outbowling Ajaz in the shield for several years now. His miserable showing in India in 2021 seemed to be the moment the selectors drew a red-line through his name, but as noted the build-up for that tour was ruined by covid. Overall seems a lovely bloke who had a helping hand in a couple of great moments for NZ cricket.
 
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