**Official** Pakistan Tri-Nation Series

[trundler]

Yeah as impressive as Williamson's bullying of SA is from his limited opportunities. 8 hundreds from 23 innings is just absurd.

https://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/e...=wickets;team=3;template=results;type=bowling

Apparently he did bash up scrubs after all as Adcock and Heine only played 4 and 3 matches respectively against Harvey. Still, SA weren't minnows after WW2.

 

[Athlai]

8 hundreds from 23 innings is good against even the largest of spuds

 

[Fanboy375]

Pak vs SA is semi final

 

[Silver Silva]

Pak vs SA is semi final

Pak should be disappointed if they don't beat SA , SA wouldn't have qualified for the Champions Trophy if they were playing the squad they have for the tri series

 

[SeamUp]

Our team welcomes 5 players for the Pakistan game. Hazard a guess at the team.

Breetzke
Bavuma
De Zorzi
Verreynne
Klaasen
Mulder
C Bosch
Maharaj
Maphaka
Shamsi
Ngidi

So missing out;
Smith
Mpongwana
Muthusamy
E Bosch
Dala

Would maybe leave out Shamsi or Ngidi for E Bosch for better balance but you play the Champs Trophy guys 100%

Prince
Peters

 

[Skyliner]

A hat-trick of ducks for Tom Latham, each duck scored faster than the last -

 

[straw man]

Great to see Williamson make a score at faster-than a run a ball, after the slow innings last match. Though admittedy he had plenty of off-target bowling to feed on, it's very accurate bowling and blocking the dab to third man that ties Williamson down.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

A hat-trick of ducks for Tom Latham - View attachment 45284

The 3-peat we least expected

 

[straw man]

It's just an incredible waste of a position. GP bats one too low at 6 (and is batting 5 anyway because Latham can't score a run) and Bracewell is more than capable of batting 6. Yes, it allows those guys to play as finishers which they're really good at, and Santner is too hit and miss, but he's a busted arse, Latham. He's clogging up a spot and I can't see a world in which he either a) plays a good enough middle overs innings or definitely b) he finishes well.

After this summer, I actually don't think Hay nor Chu are ready, Blundell is basically done, Cleaver is overrated by anyone who lives in the middle third of the country and Fletcher got in the frame then trailed off completely. It's a pretty bare cupboard right now, to be honest in white ball.

But yeah, **** it's hard to get dropped in the Stead era if you are a big name. Apart from Wags. Bizarre, really, given he'd have been the biggest voice pushing back against it

I actually like a 6/7/8 of Phillips/Bracewell/Santner, with Santner's batting having improved in the last couple of seasons too. It's the best ODI finishing lineup we've had in aaaages, probably since back when we had Oram and McCullum there, before Oram forgot how to hold a bat.

I would still have replaced Latham. Sure Hay and Chu might not be quiiiite there yet, but NZ doesn't usually expect the new guy to be a finished product when first selected. We gave Hay a chance so I would probably have persisted with him - sure it's not quite enough time leading into a tournament for his development, but it's only the Champions Trophy, noone gives that much of a ****.

 

[trundler]

I actually like a 6/7/8 of Phillips/Bracewell/Santner, with Santner's batting having improved in the last couple of seasons too.

I mean it's pretty much the best lower order in the world at the moment

 

[Zinzan]

Thoughts on KW's innings? Was pretty turgid, but helped to stabilize things after the early double strike. Still you can't count on bagging 60 runs in the last 3 overs in every game, on another day a 50 off 80 innings on a flat deck could really cost NZ.

Not concerned about KW in ODIs, and not just being wise after this latest innings either. Never minded his ODI tempo especially with guys around him like Rachin, Mitchell, Chapman, Bracewell & Phillips who all strike around or over 100.

It's KW's existence in T20Is that I have issues with.

 

[straw man]

I mean it's pretty much the best lower order in the world at the moment

Is it? Don't feel like I'm up with a lot of teams' best ODI XIs at present.

Where is Iftikhar Ahmed for Pakistan? He always scores fast runs against us.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

After this summer, I actually don't think Hay nor Chu are ready, Blundell is basically done, Cleaver is overrated by anyone who lives in the middle third of the country and Fletcher got in the frame then trailed off completely. It's a pretty bare cupboard right now, to be honest in white ball.

I really like Cleaver. He has excellent cricketing instincts and isn't intimidated by pace and bounce like most domestic veterans (watching him dismantle Cantebury's NZ A attack at McClean was great fun). Sadly think he's just a cut below international level on the raw talent front.

but yeah slim pickings from the domestic keepers. Think we've missed the boat on Fletcher, Hay's average looks good but is from a fairly limited sample size. Tempted to invest in Chu as a long term project.

 

[nightprowler10]

Pak should be disappointed if they don't beat SA , SA wouldn't have qualified for the Champions Trophy if they were playing the squad they have for the tri series

It'd be hilarious if we lose to this team after beating SA in SA.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

Not concerned about KW in ODIs, and not just being wise after this latest innings either. Never minded his ODI tempo especially with guys around him like Rachin, Mitchell, Chapman, Bracewell & Phillips who all strike around or over 100.

It's KW's existence in T20Is that I have issues with.

Kane's weakness in ODIs is hard length outside off with a wide slip and two gullies for his first 10-15 balls. He's an extremely risk-averse starter so you have to cut off his glide to third man.

 

[trundler]

Is it? Don't feel like I'm up with a lot of teams' best ODI XIs at present.

Where is Iftikhar Ahmed for Pakistan? He always scores fast runs against us.

He scored fast runs against yer IPL-ravaged attacks, didn't he? After a couple of years of under delivering he was finally dropped when we lost to USA at the T20 WC.

Pakistan's lower middle order is a problem, England have not found a substitute for Stokes and Woakes and Buttler has been meh lately so they're out of contention, SA have Jansen at 7 which disqualifies them by default in my eyes, Australia's is similarly inexperienced like Pakistan's. India's 6-8 is rather good but I think NZ trump em on the ability to accelerate and hit out and hence win.

 

[NZTailender]

There just aren't many better stroke-makers in SA when Breetzke is in full flow.

Easy, Breetzke, beautiful, cover drives.

 

[thundaboult]

KW has been world class in odi's for like 11 or 12 years. Never any strike rate issues. To me its his best format, he pushes the game along so nicely for us in the format + tries to hit oppo bowlers out of the attack (and this is something he rarely does in the other 2 forms). Can really go after ya. Even his best test hundreds have been the ones where he's playing ODI style, looking to set a busy tempo and be in that 65-85 SR.

 

[DougieRydal]

It's just an incredible waste of a position. GP bats one too low at 6 (and is batting 5 anyway because Latham can't score a run) and Bracewell is more than capable of batting 6. Yes, it allows those guys to play as finishers which they're really good at, and Santner is too hit and miss, but he's a busted arse, Latham. He's clogging up a spot and I can't see a world in which he either a) plays a good enough middle overs innings or definitely b) he finishes well.

After this summer, I actually don't think Hay nor Chu are ready, Blundell is basically done, Cleaver is overrated by anyone who lives in the middle third of the country and Fletcher got in the frame then trailed off completely. It's a pretty bare cupboard right now, to be honest in white ball.

But yeah, **** it's hard to get dropped in the Stead era if you are a big name. Apart from Wags. Bizarre, really, given he'd have been the biggest voice pushing back against it

If they are going to persist with Latham, the only time he bats five is if NZ are 20/3, otherwise he gets shunted down the order, potentially even to 7/8, but this Management set up are very set in their ways and aren't risk takers or outside the box thinkers. You'd think Santner would take this opportunity to stamp his mark on the team, and be bold.

 

[thundaboult]

If they are going to persist with Latham, the only time he bats five is if NZ are 20/3, otherwise he gets shunted down the order, potentially even to 7/8, but this Management set up are very set in their ways and aren't risk takers or outside the box thinkers. You'd think Santner would take this opportunity to stamp his mark on the team, and be bold.

santner has never struck me as someone who's bold or attacking

very much a dullard in the mould of stead, southee, kw