*Unofficial* New Zealand Black Caps Thread

[thundaboult]

That's brilliant for both clarky and smith. Two very exciting young prospects who have proven themselves plus the obvious high potential ceiling.

Really hoping for Matt fisher to dominate this season and get called up. Both lockie and Milne are pretty much done. Jamieson has been non existant for 2 years. Henry is also now in his prime thankfully so thats awesome. Ideal time for the domestic bowlers to get right into the nzc setup.

Another one i'm hoping for to have a bolter for nzc sake is ewald schreuder. Left arm quickie with real pace. Very young and raw but gosh look how much we enjoyed watching our teams play when we had a quality left arm seamer in the 11, whether it was trent or wagner. Addy Ashok also for the spin option really needs to come into it. Sodhi days are numbered.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

I can't remember many instances of a completely uncapped player getting a central contract (maybe Conway or Wagner when they first became eligible?).

Obviously Smith should already have multiple games under his belt by now, but still.

Don't forget that Williamson, Conway, Allen, Ferguson, Milne, Seifert etc made themselves unavailable so it is more like making the "top 25" instead of the top 20.

I actually thought another uncapped player in Mitch Hay might have been an option as Blundell and Latham are the only keepers named and Seifert has gone to the BBL. Robinson must've also been really close with Allen and Conway gone.

Still I'm really pleased Smith made the cut. Having a proper bat, rather than a slogger, coming in at 8 would be good for the test team too.

 

[jcas0167]

Yeah, I guess this also confirms they have moved on from Kuggleleijn.

 

[NZTailender]

Also good to see they haven't discarded Clarkson who has had a middling start to his international career. I feel like now that Wells is on board they've taken a more Australian approach (younger guys with the tools, and invest) as opposed to the Stead approach of guys who are over 30 and "done their time."

 

[Prince EWS]

Also good to see they haven't discarded Clarkson who has had a middling start to his international career. I feel like now that Wells is on board they've taken a more Australian approach (younger guys with the tools, and invest) as opposed to the Stead approach of guys who are over 30 and "done their time."

I think I'm a little bit closer to Stead on that sort of thing than most of you guys, but I think with central contracts it does make more sense to go the other way anyway.

If you need someone in their 30s who has done their time to come in for a Test series or a ICC tournament you can call them up without having them on retainer, but if you want to develop younger players in a way that suits how you see them and not what they can get elsewhere or domestically then it helps to be paying them full time so you can dictate what they focus on.

 

[thierry henry]

yeah I'm a massive believer in "runs on the board" (as in statzzz) over "tools", I just wouldn't have said Stead was particularly a "runs on the board" man. He's more "mediocre runs on the board + experience" as opposed to "exciting early career runs on the board + tools".

 

[Flem274*]

yeah I'm a massive believer in "runs on the board" over "tools", I just wouldn't have said Stead was particularly a "runs on the board" man. He's more "mediocre runs on the board + experience" as opposed to "exciting early career runs on the board + tools".

Yeah it's this.

Stead is annoying because he doesn't pick the best team, not because he doesn't pick young players.

 

[Moss]

Yeah it's this.

Stead is annoying because he doesn't pick the best team, not because he doesn't pick young players.

It's a bit of both. One of my main complaints over the years has been the reluctance to use all those bilateral white ball games as an opportunity to provide a pathway for new players instead of picking from the same 11-12 folks, though that has been rectified a bit in recent times. Clarkson for example should have played a bit more by now, and someone like Young should have debuted in white ball earlier than he did (so they could also make up their minds about him a lot earlier).

 

[Chubb]

The prophecy will be fulfilled. Soon I’ll finally get to post the socials I’ve planned for Nathan’s debut since 2016

 

[SteveNZ]

Yeah it's this.

Stead is annoying because he doesn't pick the best team, not because he doesn't pick young players.

I also feel like it's both. Yeah, for sure it's frustrating he doesn't pick the best team, and guys over 30 on the wane (Southee, Nicholls) + not particularly up to it (Bracewell in Tests, Chad Bowes!!! in ODIs), but it's also the inability to be intelligent with getting the balance right between focus on performance and bringing younger guys through.

So many of the younger brigade who have played have been mismanaged. Rachin was a fluke, whose success fell into Stead's lap despite himself. Sears has a huge upside but has been in and out. Smith should have played a lot more.

We're never going to get any better from a guy who just isn't a leader, and isn't dynamic, isn't smart. England back their environment so can justify bringing in Josh Hull, who is 6 foot 7 and 140+, but has no stats to back it up yet. They back in the likes of Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir who they see as having the skills, they trust their coaches to make them better in the environment, and they're brave enough to play those guys regularly around their core of stars, not rebuilding but looking to win today + in 4-5 years time. Stead wants to win today at all costs, but he wants to do it with guys who he doesn't have to do a lot of work on, or build as a long-term project.

 

[Big_Gun]

Nathan Smith and Josh Clarkson snare central contracts. Hopefully that means some game time for Smith.

Stuff

www.stuff.co.nz

I havent heard much about them, can you explain their playing style?

 

[Howsie]

I also feel like it's both. Yeah, for sure it's frustrating he doesn't pick the best team, and guys over 30 on the wane (Southee, Nicholls) + not particularly up to it (Bracewell in Tests, Chad Bowes!!! in ODIs), but it's also the inability to be intelligent with getting the balance right between focus on performance and bringing younger guys through.

So many of the younger brigade who have played have been mismanaged. Rachin was a fluke, whose success fell into Stead's lap despite himself. Sears has a huge upside but has been in and out. Smith should have played a lot more.

We're never going to get any better from a guy who just isn't a leader, and isn't dynamic, isn't smart. England back their environment so can justify bringing in Josh Hull, who is 6 foot 7 and 140+, but has no stats to back it up yet. They back in the likes of Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir who they see as having the skills, they trust their coaches to make them better in the environment, and they're brave enough to play those guys regularly around their core of stars, not rebuilding but looking to win today + in 4-5 years time. Stead wants to win today at all costs, but he wants to do it with guys who he doesn't have to do a lot of work on, or build as a long-term project.

Stead has selected New Zealand teams on the basis of keeping his cushy well paid job. Don’t rock the boat, keep the senior guys happy, don’t get rid of their mates. That has been obvious for years now.

After Sydney 2020 he knew he wouldn’t last 2 minutes pulling a stunt like that again.

 

[Moss]

After Sydney 2020 he knew he wouldn’t last 2 minutes pulling a stunt like that again.

Despite NZ losing badly, that Sydney test was enjoyable viewing for how bizarre the whole thing was. Dropping Southee and playing 2 middling spinners in Australia, picking Phillips all of a sudden and getting a 50 out of him, and ending the tour with Blundell as opener and Raval as a stand-in number three. Plus CdG getting a quickfire 50 to go with his usual daft dismissals. Good times and a fun visit to Stead’s parallel universe.

 

[Bahnz]

I havent heard much about them, can you explain their playing style?

Smith is probably going to be a long-form specialist. Right arm, medium fast, swings the ball both ways, doesn't offer that much of a threat once the shine comes off. Also a handy lower-order bat. So basically, think Chris Woakes (though probably not quite as fast).

Clarkson is a fabulously talented middle-order hitter, and the ideal batsman to have coming in with 7 or 8 overs to go in a T20. Great shots all around the wicket, though he's never been able to put outstanding numbers on the board year after year, so is only just getting a look in now. Also bowls some filthy medium pacers that have the uncanny knack of getting wickets.

 

[SteveNZ]

Stead has selected New Zealand teams on the basis of keeping his cushy well paid job. Don’t rock the boat, keep the senior guys happy, don’t get rid of their mates. That has been obvious for years now.

After Sydney 2020 he knew he wouldn’t last 2 minutes pulling a stunt like that again.

This is a man who knows.

 

[thierry henry]

For me just about the weirdest thing about Sydney 2020 was how Astle had worked for 10+ years to reinvent himself as a spinner, made the test side and arguably had become the #1 spinner in 2018, got injured, worked his way back in.....and then promptly retired from tests.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

For me just about the weirdest thing about Sydney 2020 was how Astle had worked for 10+ years to reinvent himself as a spinner, made the test side and arguably had become the #1 spinner in 2018, got injured, worked his way back in.....and then promptly retired from tests.

wild take - maybe he finally came to his senses and realised being a NZ test spinner just aint worth it

 

[_Ed_]

Saw Todd Astle at Christchurch Airport last month. He looked incredibly old for someone who's meant to be a few months younger than me. But, then again, I also look incredibly old.

 

[thierry henry]

Saw Todd Astle at Christchurch Airport last month. He looked incredibly old for someone who's meant to be a few months younger than me. But, then again, I also look incredibly old.

Yeah it’s funny, sportsmen around my age tend to look incredibly old to me. You’d think it’d be the opposite because they’re healthy and I’m not.

On the other hand, they probably have at least a modicum of testosterone flowing through their veins making them look like an adult male, unlike me.

 

[thierry henry]

Also I saw your recent photo @_Ed_ and you still look like a baby