*Unofficial* New Zealand Black Caps Thread

[Bahnz]

County performance doesn't move the dial for me but his performances for 2 NZ summers certainly puts him high in my depth chart. He's exactly the sort of cricketer who excels in English domestic, but also bowls respectable Shield pace.

It's nice his base stats are beginning to reflect his value in the Shield.

It's interesting that Jason Holder has been playing for the same county side and averaged low 40's. In fact there've been a lot of high scoring county games this season. Makes me think England are intent on turning turgid county cricket into a bazballer factory.

 

[RMBolton]

Seriously if Smith doesn't get a test cap this summer it'd be criminal. The guy would do so much to balance the side if he's a success. Can you imagine a world were NZ are 6 down and we don't know for a fact that the innings will be wrapped up inside 15 overs?

I wouldn't take him to Asia, but I'm definitely benching Southee for at least the Basin Test to give Smith a debut alongside Henry.

 

[jcas0167]

Foxcroft vacates Otago captaincy

Sensible given his batting struggles last season. Will potentially have more international commitments too.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Is Kane Williamson's high home average due to easier batting conditions in New Zealand?

A look at batting averages in each country over the years, and batters who have done much better, or worse, at home than others in that period

www.espncricinfo.com

Folks, the master has spoken.

At this point in time, Williamson is the best among the four modern great batters.

 

[Moss]

Ha ha. I’ve met the author once before. Stats-obsessed to a degree I haven’t seen elsewhere, even developed his own cricket strategy game (during the late DOS/early Windows era) where the outcomes were almost entirely driven by probability based on batsman/bowler’s averages, strike rates etc, pitch conditions etc.

 

[Zinzan]

Good to see NZ T20 bats finding some form following their WC debacle.

In the LPL, Seifer 104* & 82* in his last 2 innings. Chapman scores of 91*, 33*, 30 & 23*.
& Phillips 0, 26, 70, 52

In the MLC, Conway 53 & Allen 63 in their 1st games & Boult 3 wickets in two games at a stupid econ of 4.66.

 

[SteveNZ]

Use me as a 'I don't give a **** how our players go in franchise cricket' button

Sorry Z, that's not a personal broad side or I hope it isn't seen as one. Finn Allen is the one that annoys me mostly, to be fair. He'd be the first of his generation that I just can't relate to how he goes about it

 

[thierry henry]

yeah even I get sick of myself flogging the same dead horses all the time, but seeing Seifert's name up in lights (for example) is just depressing more than anything. I already know full well he does not have the ability to play high quality bowling, certainly not high quality fast bowling, and whenever he comes back to international cricket after scoring all these 100(62)s in the Bhutan Bosh League it always turns out he's still the same player.

 

[Zinzan]

Use me as a 'I don't give a **** how our players go in franchise cricket' button

Sorry Z, that's not a personal broad side or I hope it isn't seen as one. Finn Allen is the one that annoys me mostly, to be fair. He'd be the first of his generation that I just can't relate to how he goes about it

Nah, not at all. Was just an FYI & nothing I was getting overly excited about.

yeah even I get sick of myself flogging the same dead horses all the time, but seeing Seifert's name up in lights (for example) is just depressing more than anything. I already know full well he does not have the ability to play high quality bowling, certainly not high quality fast bowling, and whenever he comes back to international cricket after scoring all these 100(62)s in the Bhutan Bosh League it always turns out he's still the same player.

Yeah, Australian bowlers in particular made Seifert look like a goose a few years back & his T20I record against them is abysmal. There have been glimpses in recent times that suggest he may be improving vs. quality pace.

Not that I'd put my house on it any time soon though.

 

[NZTailender]

O'Rourke, Duffman and Sears are the fast bowling future!

Actually kind of surprised Young has kept a contract. Guess he's still first reserve batsman in all formats.

Nicholls tho...would be nice after blooding some new bowlers to blood some newer batsmen

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Duffy. Guess he's about to be in the right demographic given he turns 30 in a month.

 

[Chubb]

If Nathan Smith doesn't play a test this summer I'll consider renouncing my NZ citizenship.

Frankly he should too, the US will pay good money and he'll get to play international cricket.

 

[jcas0167]

View attachment 40826

O'Rourke, Duffman and Sears are the fast bowling future!

Actually kind of surprised Young has kept a contract. Guess he's still first reserve batsman in all formats.

Nicholls tho...would be nice after blooding some new bowlers to blood some newer batsmen

Yeah, would have been interesting to see who would have missed out if Kane had accepted his offer.

 

[straw man]

To me Duffy is the immediate Southee-like replacement* while Smith is much more in the style of Matt Henry. I think Henry is probably the main roadblock to Smith's advancement atm, though with Smith's batting ability (and the absence of Jamieson to bat 8) you could pick both too.

* you don't have to replace players like-for-like of course, but selectors seem to often think that way.

Love to see O'Rourke and Sears with contracts. Long may they stay fit.

 

[_Ed_]

Not ideal to see that Conway retired hurt in his MLC game today. Hopefully nothing major.

 

[Skyliner]

What has Nathan Smith done wrong to not even get a shot by now? What a farce. Southee is a cart horse these days, the only way he looked capable of taking a test scalp over the summer was if someone trod on their stumps, yet he’s the test skipper & has bagged another contract. The much needed rebuilding of the side is slow to non-existent and we are on course for a monumental slump like the one in the mid 80’s where it was Rutherford and some ‘young guns’ getting smashed by everybody.

 

[Neil Young]

What has Nathan Smith done wrong to not even get a shot by now? What a farce. Southee is a cart horse these days, the only way he looked capable of taking a test scalp over the summer was if someone trod on their stumps, yet he’s the test skipper & has bagged another contract. The much needed rebuilding of the side is slow to non-existent and we are on course for a monumental slump like the one in the mid 80’s where it was Rutherford and some ‘young guns’ getting smashed by everybody.

Mid 90s. Mid 80s were halcyon days.

Though entirely predictable, it makes the contracts handed out to Southee and Nicholls no less frustrating.

 

[Chubb]

Stead has favourites, he is loyal to “his guys” and he thinks players aren’t ready for internationals until they’ve “served their time” in domestic.

A young bowler coming into the scene needs to be tall or quick otherwise Stead doesn’t seem to give a **** until they are 30. Nathan suffers because he is a shortarse and about Southee/Henry pace.

Didn’t even notice Nicholls got a contract, that’s disgusting.

 

[Flem274*]

It's fair to be skeptical of Smith physically tbh, but he has been a dominant bowler and could be a Kemar Roach for all we know.

If he had big runs too he'd be in.

 

[SteveNZ]

Stead has favourites, he is loyal to “his guys” and he thinks players aren’t ready for internationals until they’ve “served their time” in domestic.

A young bowler coming into the scene needs to be tall or quick otherwise Stead doesn’t seem to give a **** until they are 30. Nathan suffers because he is a shortarse and about Southee/Henry pace.

Didn’t even notice Nicholls got a contract, that’s disgusting.

I don't think it's quite this. I'll admit I have no more idea than you, but I think it's more that Stead knows he doesn't have the social or reputational power to 'fire' Southee. Stead knows this is the biggest gig he'll get, he's trying to extend his run as long as he can. He's not interested in a mutiny. His comments about 'we can't expect to win everything' suggest he's not aspirational. He just wants to carry on being the coach, and to be fair he has enough to his name/CV to get cushy gigs in the future. He doesn't need a scandal, and he's not going to get one because our media doesn't go hard. He keeps picking Southee, Nicholls gets in, all is good in the environment and the media isn't going to push on a situation like Nathan Smith. Look how absent any decent analysis of that contract list has been. There's no dedicated cricket media anymore, and if there is one during summer, it's a very complicit group of 'reporters' not journos.

I don't think there's any doubt Nathan Smith has 'served his time'. He's played 53 FC games. He's not getting picked, even though he is undoubtedly a better cricketer than Tim Southee is right now, because a) Stead got himself in a bind with Southee being the Test captain and it's hard to drop him but moreso b) Southee has social cache that Stead doesn't in the environment. Nathan Smith is suffering from a 35-year-old who can't step away, who averaged 52 with the ball in Tests last summer, was dropped for the opener in the T20 World event, and went for 100 in a World Cup semi.