Bracewell

[Loony BoB]

His contract has been extended until after the next World Cup. Thoughts?

My thought: God, I hate that guy. We need a foreigner. I'm sick of crappy New Zealand coaches. Especially one that rides on his OD successes and doesn't get penalised for his test failures. Has a country ever employed a seperate coach for the different forms of the game? We need one of those.

Either that, or we just need to get Bracewell to bugger off, 'cause I feel Fleming does better on his own than with Bracewell's tactics.

 

[vic_orthdox]

had to laugh today watching the NZ bowlers warm up, and bracewell took the glove as they bowled to him. he kept missing all the balls, and the crowd kept having to throw them back :d

 

[Richard]

While I do believe as a general rule foreigners make the best coaches of national sides, I don't think Bracewell getting pilloried the way he has is entirely fair.
He can't do anything other than use the tools he's got - and right now he's got a threadbare attack and several underperforming batsmen.
Consistency has always been one of the keys to success and I don't know that one year in the job is really fair to throw judgement on.

 

[Richard Rash]

He can't do anything other than use the tools he's got - and right now he's got a threadbare attack and several underperforming batsmen.
Consistency has always been one of the keys to success and I don't know that one year in the job is really fair to throw judgement on.

Yes i agree that he should be given another year to try turn things around but if they continue to lose tests with the regularity that they did this year then he should be given the chop because he had a similar record with his county side i believe of being successful in the one day form of the game but struggling in the longer form of the game.

Also before Bracewell took over NZ were third in the world for tests so he is obviously doing something wrong but should be given more time to try and fix it... Bring back John Wright

 

[Kent]

There's no way IMO Bracewell should have the right of veto to all selections. I think Bracewell would admit himself he comes from leftfield with some of his ideas, and said ultimate control was a pivotal condition to him signing for NZ after what he had at Gloucester.

The problem is that on his own, he seems to keep second-guessing himself -

* Said Tuffey is the attack's linchpin and wasn't being affected by injury at all, now won't be picked again until he's over his injury/technical issues.
* No more cavalier middle-orders, yet McMillan plays after all.
* Experiments with McCullum at #3 twice mid-test, no reason given either for why it was done or why it stopped.
* Picks Fleming as an opener, succeeds, now "the side looks better" with Sinclair as a guinea pig in that role.

 

[Richard]

Yes i agree that he should be given another year to try turn things around but if they continue to lose tests with the regularity that they did this year then he should be given the chop because he had a similar record with his county side i believe of being successful in the one day form of the game but struggling in the longer form of the game.

Also before Bracewell took over NZ were third in the world for tests so he is obviously doing something wrong but should be given more time to try and fix it... Bring back John Wright

I have to say I think John Wright wouldn't make anywhere near as good a coach with New Zealand as he has with India.
I also think NZ were extremely lucky to be ranked three in The World the way they were, as you'll see if you read my article here

 

[Richard Rash]

I have to say I think John Wright wouldn't make anywhere near as good a coach with New Zealand as he has with India.
I also think NZ were extremely lucky to be ranked three in The World the way they were, as you'll see if you read my article here

Great article mate it gave a really good summary of NZ test cricket in the last few years. You really write quite well. I, believe it or not am actually experienced in writing sports articles but mainly in the rugby area. I have won big money in competitions run by the Herald in Auckland and go to jornalism school in Christchurch and yea it was a really nicely structured article and you outlined your point very well and backed it up with good information. Well done.

 

[Craig]

I have to say I think John Wright wouldn't make anywhere near as good a coach with New Zealand as he has with India.

Based on what? I think it would be worth a shot putting somebody who without a doubt is one of New Zealand's best ever cricket.

It must be a bit annoying trying to deal with Harbhajan Singh, who's English is poor and hates speaking it, requiring somebody standing next to you to translate for him, when most members (if not all) of the Indian team speak good English.

 

[shaka]

Steve Rixon did a good job with the team. Maybe he should return, unless he had a fallout with top management.

 

[Macka]

There's no way IMO Bracewell should have the right of veto to all selections. I think Bracewell would admit himself he comes from leftfield with some of his ideas, and said ultimate control was a pivotal condition to him signing for NZ after what he had at Gloucester.

The problem is that on his own, he seems to keep second-guessing himself -

* Said Tuffey is the attack's linchpin and wasn't being affected by injury at all, now won't be picked again until he's over his injury/technical issues.
* No more cavalier middle-orders, yet McMillan plays after all.
* Experiments with McCullum at #3 twice mid-test, no reason given either for why it was done or why it stopped.
* Picks Fleming as an opener, succeeds, now "the side looks better" with Sinclair as a guinea pig in that role.

Totally agree. I would like to know why Fleming isn't opening. 'The side looks better with him at 3' doesn't cut it as an answer. Him going back on his McMillan selection was also very interesting.

 

[shaka]

I would also prefer to see Fleming opening, they may be overplaying the left/right combo in the tests

 

[SJS]

Based on what? I think it would be worth a shot putting somebody who without a doubt is one of New Zealand's best ever cricket.

It must be a bit annoying trying to deal with Harbhajan Singh, who's English is poor and hates speaking it, requiring somebody standing next to you to translate for him, when most members (if not all) of the Indian team speak good English.

The other day, listening to him accepting his MOM award, I was surprised at how much progress harbhajan has made in his English. All the commentators were surprised too.

 

[Richard]

I would also prefer to see Fleming opening, they may be overplaying the left/right combo in the tests

Surely when Papps comes back it's him and Richardson for the minute?

 

[Richard]

Steve Rixon did a good job with the team. Maybe he should return, unless he had a fallout with top management.

Must have been a reason for him leaving.
Certainly IMO he's been New Zealand's best coach in my time of watching. Though, of course, he did have the best side.

 

[Richard]

Based on what? I think it would be worth a shot putting somebody who without a doubt is one of New Zealand's best ever cricket.

Based on that I think he's been a success with India because India-New Zealand chemistry is a perfect combination - the flair of the Indian players, the organisation and management of a Kiwi coach. Kinda always struck me as like dissolving sugar in water.
I reckon someone like Sandeep Patel could do a better job, because it'd work equally well the other way around.

 

[Spetsnatz]

Based on that I think he's been a success with India because India-New Zealand chemistry is a perfect combination - the flair of the Indian players, the organisation and management of a Kiwi coach. Kinda always struck me as like dissolving sugar in water.
I reckon someone like Samit Patel could do a better job, because it'd work equally well the other way around.

Isn't Samit patel the England u-19 left arm spinner ?

Were you referring to Sandeep Patil, the India A and former Kenya coach ?

 

[tooextracool]

I would also prefer to see Fleming opening, they may be overplaying the left/right combo in the tests

IMO fleming is a much better player at 3 or 4 than he is at the top, irrespective of averages. hes strokemaker, therefore he likes to play his shots early on in the innings, and on wickets that offer something for the pacers, he might just have problems. of course since hes a quality player i doubt hed fail miserably in any position, but i think he would score most prolifically at 3 or 4.

 

[Kent]

IMO fleming is a much better player at 3 or 4 than he is at the top, irrespective of averages.

The thing about Fleming is that I think he plays really well when the bowlers are targeting fuller and straighter lines, which fits in nicely with the "make the batsmen play" philosophy bowlers take into the start of a match.

His cut shot is often a bit dicey, and his hook is often top-edged. His two best shots IMO are the straight drive and the clip through midwicket (his taller stance means he's no longer falling over as much), so as long as he and Richardson are leaving the ball well there's no reason why they can't join the Hayden, Langer, Smith, etc. trend of prolific LH openers.

I know people will say "but Fleming's your best asset - protect him", but hopefully they've also heard of the saying 'your only as strong as your weakest link'. Right now, having a guinea pig as an opener is a lousy link, and I agree with Greg Chappell who said NZ are raising a psychological white flag at the start of each innings by partnering Sinclair with Richardson.

What's even more sad is that Sinclair can actually be useful, particularly after the ball is 10-15 overs old. He had an excellent 2004 against South Africa's first and second-tier of bowlers, and when he started the AUS tour with 3 good scores I really thought his self-belief was finally going to be able to override his technical shortcomings in a Trescothick-like manner.

Alas, Bracewell and co. have done their best to completely shatter the guy mentally again, so it'll probably be back through the revolving door for him this summer.

As for Papps, there have now been a few too many objective eyes (ranging from the Proteas team to Neil Pickup) telling me how technically sh*t he is for me to fully endorse his recall. Until he actually racks up some failures I'd be OK with giving him a chance to stick it up the critics, but right now I fear he could be just a younger version of several other gritty, "for his province he's great..." batsmen, like say Matt Horne or Gary Stead.

 

[Richard]

Isn't Samit patel the England u-19 left arm spinner ?

Were you referring to Sandeep Patil, the India A and former Kenya coach ?

Yep. As you'll now see.

 

[tooextracool]

The thing about Fleming is that I think he plays really well when the bowlers are targeting fuller and straighter lines, which fits in nicely with the "make the batsmen play" philosophy bowlers take into the start of a match.

His cut shot is often a bit dicey, and his hook is often top-edged. His two best shots IMO are the straight drive and the clip through midwicket (his taller stance means he's no longer falling over as much), so as long as he and Richardson are leaving the ball well there's no reason why they can't join the Hayden, Langer, Smith, etc. trend of prolific LH openers.

I know people will say "but Fleming's your best asset - protect him", but hopefully they've also heard of the saying 'your only as strong as your weakest link'. Right now, having a guinea pig as an opener is a lousy link, and I agree with Greg Chappell who said NZ are raising a psychological white flag at the start of each innings by partnering Sinclair with Richardson.

What's even more sad is that Sinclair can actually be useful, particularly after the ball is 10-15 overs old. He had an excellent 2004 against South Africa's first and second-tier of bowlers, and when he started the AUS tour with 3 good scores I really thought his self-belief was finally going to be able to override his technical shortcomings in a Trescothick-like manner.

Alas, Bracewell and co. have done their best to completely shatter the guy mentally again, so it'll probably be back through the revolving door for him this summer.

As for Papps, there have now been a few too many objective eyes (ranging from the Proteas team to Neil Pickup) telling me how technically sh*t he is for me to fully endorse his recall. Until he actually racks up some failures I'd be OK with giving him a chance to stick it up the critics, but right now I fear he could be just a younger version of several other gritty, "for his province he's great..." batsmen, like say Matt Horne or Gary Stead.

its not only the " protect your best asset" theory that im talking about, its also the fact that hes a strokemaker, and he likes to play shots very early in his innings. IMO batting up the order requires a large amount of control over what shots you play at at what you leave. fleming is ok, but hes not brilliant,certainly far better off at 3 or 4. i might remind you that playing flashy drives early on in the innings isnt ideal, straight bat or not, particularly on wickets with seam movement early on.
with regard to no other options, opening with fleming doesnt exactly open a place for someone brilliant at 3 or 4 does it? sacrificing your best batsman by playing him out of position and possibly being worse off for the sake of not having someone else to open the batting doesnt exactly sound like the right idea.