I hear this, but the wording I'm getting out of Stead suggests he's 100% going to ask, and Boult is very likely going to say yes in what he will see as his swansong for this country.Yeah but right now he's undeniably one of our best and unlike Boult currently plays for NZ
Southees in the squad. Given Ferguson's form and injury it's a shoot out between him and southee for third seamer behind Boult and Henry.We're not selecting for the 2019 WC ffs
Golf is a very technical and challenging sport that is...fun...to play but I'd rather watch paint dry than watch golf on TV.I’d just like to dispute Flem claiming that golf is the antithesis of T20. Surely golf is UberT20? They’ve literally gotten rid of the bowlers and refined it down to just batters and dingers.
To be fair, if we’re picking Ferguson, we’re not picking him based on recent form. But I’ll acknowledge that Ferguson at his best is several times the bowler that Southee is in ODIs.I didn't realise we picked people from history. If so then let's get Bond and Hadlee in there too.
This is very true, but I also appreciate Flem's viewpoint that golf is incredibly boring on TV for anyone who isn't a connoisseur of the sport. They are 350-yard dingers now and the 280yd guys are becoming extinct, but that's not really discernably different for the casual viewer - like hitting homers versus forward defensives would be.I’d just like to dispute Flem claiming that golf is the antithesis of T20. Surely golf is UberT20? They’ve literally gotten rid of the bowlers and refined it down to just batters and dingers.
I agree with what you've said about Leach, but Moeen was better IMO. Not sure it's fair to say that it didn't work.Warning - selection meta ramblings ahead
There's always a balance of "Ask not what your team can do for you, but what you can do for your team" in elite sports, but it's obvious that current Blackcaps setup is leaning too far in the direction of the latter philosophy. It's like we've decided what our team structure is going to be before looking at the players we actually have available. I'm no management expert a good place to start would be getting some guys in with experience in making different team builds work - we have talent but our broader team strategy is going to have to change to accommodate the players we have rather than the players we wish we had. It's been great watching what England have done with Leach, for example. They tried for years to turn Moeen into the Unicorn but never quite worked. With all due respect to Leach, he's not exactly brimming with talent, but he's the best they have, and they've pulled some matchwinning performances out of him.
This truly is a beautiful glass house we live in.This is very true, but I also appreciate Flem's viewpoint that golf is incredibly boring on TV for anyone who isn't a connoisseur of the sport. They are 350-yard dingers now and the 280yd guys are becoming extinct, but that's not really discernably different for the casual viewer - like hitting homers versus forward defensives would be.
Hey, Test cricket is boring AF too for non-purists. But **** them all, I'm lucky I was born with class, taste and an attention span.This truly is a beautiful glass house we live in.
Great concept but then you took the fun out of it by posting three lineups that are very hard to argue with.What would your XIs be if you could only use a player in one format? Not necessarily the "best XI" but one you'd like to see play given the resources at your disposal to win a series in each format. (presumably not picking de Grandhomme)
Test XI
1. R Ravindra
2. D Conway
3. K Williamson
4. T Bruce
5. D Mitchell
6. T Blundell+
7. N Smith
8. K Jamieson
9. A Patel
10. T Boult
11. T Southee
ODI XI
1. G Worker
2. M Guptill
3. W Young
4. M Chapman
5. T Latham+
6. S Solia
7. J Clarkson
8. M Bracewell
9. H Shipley
10. M Henry
11. B Sears
T20I XI
1. C Bowes
2. F Allen
3. D Foxcroft
4. G Phillips
5. D Cleaver+
6. C McConchie
7. M Santner
8. I Sodhi
9. A Milne
10. J Duffy
11. L Ferguson
Tickner also a hard leave while he is now playing all 3 formats for NZ.Great concept but then you took the fun out of it by posting three lineups that are very hard to argue with.
Nicholls somehow playing Tests and ODIs regularly despite quite justifiably being left out of that is glorious. Perhaps stiff to leave him out for Bruce, but it's too funny not to.
I'd probably still pick Neesham ahead of either Solia or McConchie though.
EDIT: Oh and also - Dougeh.