20th Match - New Zealand v Australia

[flibbertyjibber]

If we lost I would not have been too disappointed. At the end of the day it is just a pool game and both teams will go through to the quarters. The quarters is what I am worried about.

Should beat Ireland.

 

[Antihippy]

I don't know where this doubt about starc's white ball bowling came from. He was always a gun with the white ball. Waaaaay before warne being an idiot.

 

[Spark]

Warne had sweet **** all to do with it. Starc was, and still is, nowhere near as good in Tests as he is in ODIs. The fake aggression we saw after Warnie's commentary rubbish had nothing to do with what we saw today.



Yeah, it's exactly this. He's arguably the best ODI bowler in the world, and I think the signs were there in the Sydney Test that we're starting to see him deliver. The step up in pace doesn't hurt, either.

That being said, there's been multiple false dawns before in terms of translating his ODI gun-ness to Tests, but this does seem very different, yeah.

This is different purely because it's under extreme pressure in a meaningful match. Starc has been criticised for being a bit soft and just sort of going through the motions at times, so this bodes well.

 

[Bahnz]

Seriously, why the **** isn't Starc a great test bowler? Height, swing, pace he's the whole package, so where does it all go wrong in the whites?

 

[_Ed_]

I've only been able to follow the last bit on my phone, but my heart's going like the clappers. What a game. Can't wait to see the recording later. Shaping up as being one of my favourite matches ever.

 

[anil1405]

Seriously, why the **** isn't Starc a great test bowler? Height, swing, pace he's the whole package, so where does it all go wrong in the whites?

Colour of the ball.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Seriously, why the **** isn't Starc a great test bowler? Height, swing, pace he's the whole package, so where does it all go wrong in the whites?

Anyone can swing a white ball etc etc...

But I agree, he really should be better. Bowled well in the 4th test vs us though

 

[Cabinet96]

I dunno. He was looking this good in those UAE ODIs against Pakistan and Afghanistan too.

Benchy was pushing the "Starc is the best ODI bowler in the world" case two years ago.

 

[Zinzan]

Well said by the 2 best captains in world cricket today.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Seriously, why the **** isn't Starc a great test bowler? Height, swing, pace he's the whole package, so where does it all go wrong in the whites?

Something in his head. Doesn't even look half the bowler with a red ball in his hand yet. It may come as he is still relatively young but he needs to start showing it.

 

[Spark]

Seriously, why the **** isn't Starc a great test bowler? Height, swing, pace he's the whole package, so where does it all go wrong in the whites?

He sometimes looks very floaty and aimless. He hasn't quite worked how he's going to get set Test batsmen out if "massive inswinger" stops working, and he sometimes doesn't look nearly as quick as the speedgun suggests.

He did look better in the fourth Test when Smith got him to bowl in a manner more akin to Johnson than how he'd been bowling before.

 

[Bahnz]

Should beat Ireland.

Seriously reckon they could pose a bigger challenge than Pakistan.

 

[Antihippy]

Seriously, why the **** isn't Starc a great test bowler? Height, swing, pace he's the whole package, so where does it all go wrong in the whites?

He doesn't have a good enough plan once the red ball stops swinging.

Also if it doesn't swing he serves up floaty half-volleys.

 

[Flem274*]

yesss

I think a lot of that came from dem lemons rather than dat genuine hatred though.

haha yeah

eden park is so good for rewarding good play and punishing crap in odis

 

[Dan]

I dunno. He was looking this good in those UAE ODIs against Pakistan and Afghanistan too.

Yeah, Spark's basically made my point here:

This is different purely because it's under extreme pressure in a meaningful match. Starc has been criticised for being a bit soft and just sort of going through the motions at times, so this bodes well.

Not only has he shown that he can bowl brilliant left arm inswing at extreme pace and dominate batting line-ups, but he's shown that he can do that all under pressure too. That bodes well for his Test game, more so than "hey he's used his abilities and attributes well again".

 

[MyLord]

oh come on, I hate this rule where the MOM only goes to a member of the winning team. Starc made this a contest - should have been MOM (not that Boult was undeserving).

 

[Cabinet96]

Is this the first Aus-NZ game since Hobart? Because that was pretty incredible too. Why can't they play more ffs?

 

[Antihippy]

Gotta remember that starc is what. 25?

Plenty of time for him to grow into his role once johnson is gone.

 

[Flem274*]

i would have made kane MOM. the award is usually too batsman biased but without that 45* we died, simple as that

 

[OverratedSanity]

Kane is insane right now. No matter what the format, conditions of the pitch, against seamers or spinners, situation of the match, he just always delivers. He's looking like the most complete batsman in world cricket right now. Has made me eat humble pie in the last 12 months because I didn't see what the big deal about him was.