nz man4man better than australia

the results are gonna start coming any day now i reckon

You keep trying i'll give you that, bit like the nz team really....

Man, is this NZ side the most overrated team in recent years or what? Yes, they are a quality OD outfit that work together well as a team despite lacking really world class individual performers, and yes they can make a fair claim to be the outright number two side in the world at the moment. But to suggest that they are man for man (meaning, based on individuals) even in the same league as Australia is ludicrous. Sri Lanka aren't far behind them, and if England can sort out their bowling and selection issues and get Flintoff back they will be closing in as well. Frankly, I picked Australia to beat New Zealand 4-1 in this series, and I haven't seen anything to change my mind on the matter.

A good OD side? Absolutely. A great, star-studded lineup breathing down Australia's neck? Not even close.

New Zealand certainly have some quality players (two of their best, Harris and Oram, are missing - and of course another has been missing for God-knows-how-long).
But I don't think they have as much quality as Australia.
To suggest that England are anywhere near them, though, is ludicrous.
If they could have picked Papps, Oram, Harris and Bond ahead of Tuffey, Wilson\Adams, Sinclair and Mills, I reckon the series would have been a hell of a lot closer (and it ain't like the 1st game wasn't incredibly close anyway).

man for man better? woah steady on there. methinks not

Should stick to OT nibbs mate..

nibbs said:

the results are gonna start coming any day now i reckon

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As a Kiwi...I'd say on current form the only NZ'er that would make the Aussie oneday side at the moment would be Vettori for Brad Hogg.......But thats all !!

i think nibbs must hae been ****ed or stoned when he posted that
richard, harris is not a class player. he is a has been. and he normally struggles to get into the kiwi side

zinzan12 said:

As a Kiwi...I'd say on current form the only NZ'er that would make the Aussie oneday side at the moment would be Vettori for Brad Hogg.......But thats all !!

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Bond for anyone bar McGrath (if he was fit - which it seems there is actually a genuine possibility of happening - soon).
I also think Astle's a better player than Hayden. Regardless of any difference in average. Astle's been poor recently, of course.

cbuts said:

richard, harris is not a class player. he is a has been. and he normally struggles to get into the kiwi side

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Harris, a has-been?
His record hasn't denegrated much recently as I've noticed - particularly his bowling (and I'd pick him as a bowler alone - far better than Tuffey and Mills)
It's not surprising he's currently struggling to get in, given that he's injured.

I think the topic should be .... NZ MAN FOR WOMAN BETTER THAN AUSTRALIA !

Sadly, the Aussie one-day team is almost man for man a better side. Vettori over Hogg? Maybe, it would be close though - Hogg has improved a lot recently. The Aussies don't really have a 'class' all-rounder. Symonds' bowling isn't great compared to Cairns' (career wise), but his batting is more consistant - especially over the last few years.

I noticed this little gem on an Australian cricket site and thought wow ..

"I've just come back from NZ and was amazed at the national inferiority complex that exists there, when comparing with anything Australian.Their cricket team believe they are nowhere near as good as Australia and that's a fact. While people in Australia would hardly give NZ a thought as they go through their daily lives, many Kiwis are obsessed with how they are doing in comparision to the Aussies"

Scallywag said:

I noticed this little gem on an Australian cricket site and thought wow ..

"I've just come back from NZ and was amazed at the national inferiority complex that exists there, when comparing with anything Australian.Their cricket team believe they are nowhere near as good as Australia and that's a fact. While people in Australia would hardly give NZ a thought as they go through their daily lives, many Kiwis are obsessed with how they are doing in comparision to the Aussies"

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Thats true. Because you are our Big Brother and we aspire to be a great sporting nation like you guys.

Richard said:

Harris, a has-been?

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Perish the thought a New Zealander would know more about a New Zealand player than you do

Richard said:

Harris, a has-been?
His record hasn't denegrated much recently as I've noticed - particularly his bowling (and I'd pick him as a bowler alone - far better than Tuffey and Mills)
It's not surprising he's currently struggling to get in, given that he's injured.

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Yes, Harris, a has-been. I would be very surprised if Harris ever plays for NZ again actually. We would have to be struck-down with injuries. He may have got a couple of games in this series if he wasn't injured because of the injuries to Styris and Oram but when we're fully fit he wouldn't get a look in any more I doubt.

marc71178 said:

Perish the thought a New Zealander would know more about a New Zealand player than you do

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Perish the thought, nationality is relevant to analytical ability.

Fiery said:

Yes, Harris, a has-been. I would be very surprised if Harris ever plays for NZ again actually. We would have to be struck-down with injuries. He may have got a couple of games in this series if he wasn't injured because of the injuries to Styris and Oram but when we're fully fit he wouldn't get a look in any more I doubt.

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So... who else is out there who can bowl anywhere near the required standard in ODIs? Because one thing for sure - Tuffey and Mills can't.

Richard said:

So... who else is out there who can bowl anywhere near the required standard in ODIs? Because one thing for sure - Tuffey and Mills can't.

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Admittedly, they have been poor but Tuffey is a quality bowler when on form and I can take or leave Mills who seems to have been given a free ride ever since Bracewell took over. Harris wouldn't be competing for the opening bowling spot anyway.

Yet - his record is better than almost anyone who's played for NZ in the last decade - except Gavin Larsen of course.
It simply seems to me that people refuse to accept someone so unorthodox can be anywhere near as good as he actually is.
Tuffey's been good of times, yes, but I've always considered him exceptionally overrated in ODIs - and his domestic record ain't flash, either.