*Unofficial* New Zealand Black Caps Thread

[Moss]

We’ve played Pakistan enough and more in T20s in the last couple of years. Surely they could have fitted in a couple of tests in March?

Though must admit I am pleasantly surprised to see a full three test series against England on the calendar. I thought NZC had given up on those.

 

[RMBolton]

No games from Jan 11 to Feb 8 in Pakistan, and Dubai for the ILT20 being just on its doorstep.

Super Smash runs during that time, are we to expect to see our contracted guys decide to grace our own competition, or are they going to be lily-livered and let those guys make a quick earn?

Anyone who does so will have to hand in their contract. From what they did last summer, even the MAs won't let players go during SS like they did afterwards in having players skip FT & PS (Seifert, D Bracewell, Kuggeleijn, Bruce).

 

[RMBolton]

We’ve played Pakistan enough and more in T20s in the last couple of years. Surely they could have fitted in a couple of tests in March?

Though must admit I am pleasantly surprised to see a full three test series against England on the calendar. I thought NZC had given up on those.

Apparently, we're hosting all of England, Australia & India for 3 Tests in the next FTP, & even touring South Africa.

 

[thierry henry]

Why are we just relentlessly playing England and Pakistan lately?

That aside, yeah the schedule is lopsided (nothing much after Christmas) but if you just look at it in terms of games being played anywhere in the world in approximately our summer, 6 tests against India and England is actually pretty elite. tbh it's more than we deserve and we'll get flogged.

 

[thierry henry]

Also because I'm a giant nerd I just counted the number of home tests we've had since the turn of the millennium and it's 102/25 = 4.08 tests per year.

The previous 7 summers we have played exactly 4 tests, this year 3, so there's no trend of us playing fewer tests.....the trend is we're playing an extremely consistent and historically average number of home tests and this year we're playing 1 less, so not sure where the grounds for outrage come from.

 

[ataraxia]

Also because I'm a giant nerd I just counted the number of home tests we've had since the turn of the millennium and it's 102/25 = 4.08 tests per year.

The previous 7 summers we have played exactly 4 tests, this year 3, so there's no trend of us playing fewer tests.....the trend is we're playing an extremely consistent and historically average number of home tests and this year we're playing 1 less, so not sure where the grounds for outrage come from.

In fairness we were promised 9 tests a year, and naturally that would mean the constant of 4 home tests would be replaced by 5 when a Big 3 nation decided to insist on an extra test.

 

[Moss]

Also because I'm a giant nerd I just counted the number of home tests we've had since the turn of the millennium and it's 102/25 = 4.08 tests per year.

The previous 7 summers we have played exactly 4 tests, this year 3, so there's no trend of us playing fewer tests.....the trend is we're playing an extremely consistent and historically average number of home tests and this year we're playing 1 less, so not sure where the grounds for outrage come from.

Yeah TBF Snedden and Vaughan didn’t exactly go out of their way to promote tests (can recall an entire India tour in early 2007 being cancelled on mutual agreement that WC prep was more important), but you’d ‘generally’ get two tours in a summer, with one team playing 2 tests and the other playing 3. With T20 leagues today, all scheduling bets are off I suppose. But if NZC wants to index so much on T20Is, I wish they’d mix it up a bit, like have tri series instead of bilaterals. (That did happen in 2018 incidentally with Aus and England, if anyone remembers!)

 

[_Ed_]

But if NZC wants to index so much on T20Is, I wish they’d mix it up a bit, like have tri series instead of bilaterals. (That did happen in 2018 incidentally with Aus and England, if anyone remembers!)

That series was actually a lot of fun.

 

[Zinzan]

Pathetic, they couldn't even negotiate one peasley Test against Pakistan amongst all those white-ball games.

 

[Shady Slim]

i am a big fan of the champion’s trophy but think the wc has to be a real wc and not a ten team format for the champions trophy to have a purpose.

i am also firmly of the view the wc should be a real wc and not a ten team format for other reasons namely it’s the ****ing wc

 

[morgieb]

i am a big fan of the champion’s trophy but think the wc has to be a real wc and not a ten team format for the champions trophy to have a purpose.

i am also firmly of the view the wc should be a real wc and not a ten team format for other reasons namely it’s the ****ing wc

tbf the next World Cup is a real (enough) one, has 14 teams.

 

[ataraxia]

Looks like we're still playing an ODI tri-series in Pakistan with RSA before the CT – that softens the blow significantly IMO. But SL couldn't of course play a couple more ODIs against us so it doesn't end up in a 1–1 draw, nor could NZC lure in some side that isn't Pakistan to play in the end-of-summer Who Cares fixtures...

Oh, and we're playing SL for 6 LOIs both before and after the England tests? Hateful. Mind we haven't had a bilateral ODI or T20I series with RSA since 2016–17 and we're not scheduled one in the to-2027 FTP either.

 

[RMBolton]

Pathetic, they couldn't even negotiate one peasley Test against Pakistan amongst all those white-ball games.

Too close to the IPL. NZ isn't going to put up a B team for a Test, even if they'll happily do it for ODIs or T20s.
CSA proposed moving the last Test series to April thinking that both teams fielding B teams was fair. NZC turned it down.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Too close to the IPL. NZ isn't going to put up a B team for a Test, even if they'll happily do it for ODIs or T20s.
CSA proposed moving the last Test series to April thinking that both teams fielding B teams was fair. NZC turned it down.

Having it in April when Super Rugby is getting interesting would be madness. Also the weather is cold, and daylight savings ends in early April so they'd probably only get in 70 overs per day

 

[Zinzan]

Early to mid March when the Pakistan white-ball series kicks off would have been fine for a 1 match Test series. The SL white ball series starting a couple of weeks earlier, even better.

 

[Neil Young]

Pathetic, they couldn't even negotiate one peasley Test against Pakistan amongst all those white-ball games.

Yeah, but I imagine it was Pakistan who couldn't negotiate the one measley test.

 

[SteveNZ]

Having it in April when Super Rugby is getting interesting would be madness. Also the weather is cold, and daylight savings ends in early April so they'd probably only get in 70 overs per day

I'm not trying to be a dick, but Super Rugby is never interesting. And I'm not a rugby hater - it was my sport for 20-odd years. I love the ABs, used to get right into NPC before NZRU stopped giving a **** about it...but Super Rugby is an absolute joke. It starts too early, the Australian teams are not competitive, SA isn't involved, high-quality ABs opt out or take sabbaticals, the playoff system rewards mediocrity, I could go on.

 

[SteveNZ]

Early to mid March when the Pakistan white-ball series kicks off would have been fine for a 1 match Test series. The SL white ball series starting a couple of weeks earlier, even better.

A one-match Test series? I know we have one of those against Afghanistan, but when was the last time we had a one-off Test against a major nation?

Pakistan will be pouring all their resources, presumably, into doing well at their hosting of the CT. So they'll be keen on as much ODI practice as possible.

I hope NZC reads their social media feeds. I've been banging the drum for years that you can't measure the popularity of Test cricket just by looking at how many 'eyeballs' (groan) are on TV on a given day. The very strong sentiment is that people are pissed there's no Tests after Dec 18 - no one is talking about the oppositions, or getting fired up about lots of T20, or anything else.

 

[Flem274*]

The NPC was great last year because two good guy teams contested the final after dispatching all the evil teams (Auckland, Canterbury, Wellington, Tasman Accountancy Group) fair and square.

 

[thundaboult]

Loving this recent trend of 1 or more ICC major world tournaments every year since 2021-present and beyond. Gives our absolute bottlejob of a team SOME chance of finally winning a high profile white ball trophy. WTC looks out of our reach for the time being though.