• Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

*Official* Australia tour of New Zealand Feb-Mar 2024

Gob

International Coach
Someone in the commentary ,Katey martin I think, said Mitchell starc has had troubles with kermit the frog from the crowd all day. I laughed
 

SteveNZ

Cricketer Of The Year
Also, our fielding has gone from being the most reliable in the world to a shambles in the past couple of years. Do we even have a fielding coach? If not, who's responsible, because this is appalling. I think this is the worst NZ team in the field that I've seen since Rixon professionalised our approach to fielding drills back in the 90's.
Yeah I'd like to know this, as to whether we have a fielding coach. At the end of the day, catching is generally repetitions + attitudes so even if we didn't, it's not bloody hard. A team like Australia got great value out of Mike Young (baseball coach) in the 00s but that was about ground fielding and hitting the stumps in ODIs. There's not really a lot of technique or coaching in catching (slips, maybe) it's just catching a lot of the bloody things and making it become a second nature feeling.

What was it, 8 drops in the T20s and a few here? It's just absolutely criminal. Dropped a shitload of high balls that I'd expect my U15 side to take more of than they spill. I presume nerves are part of it, those probably get caught v Bangladesh.

I'm like a man with a hammer who thinks everything in the world is a nail here, but I take a lot of this stuff back to Gary Stead.
 

SteveNZ

Cricketer Of The Year
Yeah that’s the conundrum, and I definitely agree Young has been done no favours by being asked to open. He’s no opening bat and should not ideally be considered one in the future, but has at least filled the brief of battling the new ball (which is more than I expected from him against this attack).

But Going into the final test of the summer I think Latham needs a reality check. Later assignments this year are in Asia so he’ll be pencilled in obviously, but as a one-off I don’t think dropping him is the worst thing. Of course, it’ll probably end up the same way dropping Southee for the SCG did I suppose.
I'm all on board for what you're saying here; unfortunately as I say, you couldn't drop Latham when I wager, without looking, that Young averages less as an opener.

Flem made a good point about the young openers at domestic level and it's almost a case of the older guys saying nah you do it, I've earned a spot a bit lower down. I hope someone in the NZ setup is identifying who the next guy(s) are and tap them on the shoulder, say we're going to back you in as the next NZ opener. Forget about T20s, we're going to invest time, resources, tours etc to making you the guy once Latham/Conway go because that's such a vital position for us. Maybe that's Mariu, Heaphy, I dunno. But start backing these guys in now, get someone technically strong around them and put the time in so they're ready. Don't wait for them to develop on their own and hope they go through a golden summer so you can justify picking them.
 

SteveNZ

Cricketer Of The Year
@SteveNZ - need some of your Phillips takes and insights here.
I've banged on about GP, he's probably the most intelligent cricketer in the country - and I include Kane in that. He knows exactly how he's trying to play, how he's trying to score, how he's trying to get you out etc. The only thing that counterbalances his personality - at times he can become impetuous and go away from the vast amount of knowledge in his mind. Happened in that 1st T20, where he was out of the game, went looking for it too hard and to be a hero, and ****ed up that catch + the final piece of ground fielding. So at this stage, he can't captain...but I think if he can find a way to calm himself and everyone is entitled to mature, he can and will be a leader. He's such a smart cricketer, he sees things others don't, he lives and breathes the game, always trying to figure out how to win games. You can see it in his bowling, the variation in using the crease, pace, flight, he's not doing that at random.

Honestly, he's a freak. He'll have Test centuries one day, he would've been an international quality keeper if he'd wanted to put his mind to it, but he wanted to bowl - and now he has a Test five-for in NZ conditions (should've been 6) and bowled one of the most insane ODI spells in memory, when he went for 30 odd against a rampant Australia in the World Cup. He's a ripping bloke, loves the fans, can get carried away and I wish management would keep the mike (and Sumo) away from him, but he's the full package and we should be basing our side + our marketing of this team around him and Rachin for the next 10 years. And try somehow to keep him away from the IPL.
 

Gob

International Coach
I've banged on about GP, he's probably the most intelligent cricketer in the country - and I include Kane in that. He knows exactly how he's trying to play, how he's trying to score, how he's trying to get you out etc. The only thing that counterbalances his personality - at times he can become impetuous and go away from the vast amount of knowledge in his mind. Happened in that 1st T20, where he was out of the game, went looking for it too hard and to be a hero, and ****ed up that catch + the final piece of ground fielding. So at this stage, he can't captain...but I think if he can find a way to calm himself and everyone is entitled to mature, he can and will be a leader. He's such a smart cricketer, he sees things others don't, he lives and breathes the game, always trying to figure out how to win games. You can see it in his bowling, the variation in using the crease, pace, flight, he's not doing that at random.

Honestly, he's a freak. He'll have Test centuries one day, he would've been an international quality keeper if he'd wanted to put his mind to it, but he wanted to bowl - and now he has a Test five-for in NZ conditions (should've been 6) and bowled one of the most insane ODI spells in memory, when he went for 30 odd against a rampant Australia in the World Cup. He's a ripping bloke, loves the fans, can get carried away and I wish management would keep the mike (and Sumo) away from him, but he's the full package and we should be basing our side + our marketing of this team around him and Rachin for the next 10 years. And try somehow to keep him away from the IPL.
He'll win the game tomorrow in the unlikely event of Mitchell and Ravindra failing to do so.
 

Flem274*

123/5
I'm not going full handy mode on him until after he bats today. All this hype and love is going to see him sky one up second ball of a Lyon long hop that just goes #straightup to Carey.
 

Immenso

International Vice-Captain
Flem made a good point about the young openers at domestic level and it's almost a case of the older guys saying nah you do it, I've earned a spot a bit lower down. I hope someone in the NZ setup is identifying who the next guy(s) are and tap them on the shoulder, say we're going to back you in as the next NZ opener.
flem's point about the young domestic openers is not a good one at all, IMO.

Apart from the Wellington openers (who are a bit shoe horned), his theory holds zero credence. Otherwise, all the young openers are proper young openers or top order.

It's just a coincidence in timing, IMO, that we've got a few young ones at the moment at the start of their careers.

Wanting 39 year old Hay or 35 year old Worker to step up and throttle W O'Donnell or Heaphy's prospects and development makes zero sense to me. Or having a beef with 23 year old Parkes going from 3 to opener because 35 year old Ruds retired mid season and 18 averaging , former failed opener, 24 year old Georgeson slips in at 6.

Sorry, the theory is nonsense.

I feel it is my duty to knock it on the head ....
 

Flem274*

123/5
flem's point about the young domestic openers is not a good one at all, IMO.

Apart from the Wellington openers (who are a bit shoe horned), his theory holds zero credence. Otherwise, all the young openers are proper young openers or top order.

It's just a coincidence in timing, IMO, that we've got a few young ones at the moment at the start of their careers.

Wanting 39 year old Hay or 35 year old Worker to step up and throttle W O'Donnell or Heaphy's prospects and development makes zero sense to me. Or having a beef with 23 year old Parkes going from 3 to opener because 35 year old Ruds retired mid season and 18 averaging , former failed opener, 24 year old Georgeson slips in at 6.

Sorry, the theory is nonsense.

I feel it is my duty to knock it on the head ....
Parkes debuted lower than #3 iirc, if he's a genuine #3 than fine, but this situation is a far cry from the days of Broom and Brownlie being the senior bat and doing it. Yes, it was partly to go for nz spots, but the top orders around the country are trash and the first team to add some spine to it will do a lot to win the comp.

But yeah, on checking my own openers stat post last night, it isn't as bad as I initially suspected.
 

straw man

Hall of Fame Member
Big thing this morning is whether NZ can avoid losing a clump of wickets (to all-but end the match) when the first one falls. One has brought 3 or more all match.
 

morgieb

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Mitchell now looking freer. Lyon still persisting with the around the wicket crap.

Not looking promising for Australia even with the large deficit.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Gob

Top