*Official* Australia tour of New Zealand Feb-Mar 2024

[HeathDavisSpeed]

If they're looking to help reduce injuries, look no further than starting with the famed BlackCaps fast-bowling collective.

 

[TheJediBrah]

I felt that Williamson comes in earlier against quality opposition

Common sense would dictate that everyone does

 

[Burgey]

Re: Phillips, are there many other cricketers who ditched the gloves to become a very effective bowler? Tristan Stubbs also has kept and bowls spin (though not to GPs level).

Trent Copeland started his grade career as a keeper at St George.

 

[Skyliner]

Nathan Smith demonstrating his all round abilities. Stead has never heard of the bloke though. I bet he’s chomping at the bit to get a chance & yet the muppets-that-be persist with the SP.

———

‘4 March 2024:
At the age of just 20, Muhammad Abbas has his second first-class century after an unbeaten 110* helped bring home a shock five-wicket win for the Wellington Firebirds (over Canterbury) today at the end of the fifth round of the national Plunket Shield championship - lifting the Firebirds to the top of the table.

Abbas teamed up with Nathan Smith to seal the only outright win of the dramatic round, Smith backing up his superb career best of 6/36 yesterday with an unbeaten knock of
75* this afternoon, in an unbroken 148*-run stand for the sixth wicket with Abbas.‘

 

[morgieb]

Re: Phillips, are there many other cricketers who ditched the gloves to become a very effective bowler? Tristan Stubbs also has kept and bowls spin (though not to GPs level).

Different circumstances but Mitchell Starc was a wicket-keeper at junior level.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Common sense would dictate that everyone does

Preconceptions are there to be challenged, particularly when the evidence is readily at hand. The data could easily have suggested that he was coming in just as early against Pakistan and therefore completely annulled any argument about the openers.

 

[RMBolton]

Nathan Smith demonstrating his all round abilities. Stead has never heard of the bloke though. I bet he’s chomping at the bit to get a chance & yet the muppets-that-be persist with the SP.

———

‘4 March 2024:
At the age of just 20, Muhammad Abbas has his second first-class century after an unbeaten 110* helped bring home a shock five-wicket win for the Wellington Firebirds (over Canterbury) today at the end of the fifth round of the national Plunket Shield championship - lifting the Firebirds to the top of the table.

Abbas teamed up with Nathan Smith to seal the only outright win of the dramatic round, Smith backing up his superb career best of 6/36 yesterday with an unbeaten knock of
75* this afternoon, in an unbroken 148*-run stand for the sixth wicket with Abbas.‘

He was so unlucky to be injured last season & miss the NZ A stuff. If he did even half of what Kuggs did in those series, he'd have made this squad easily. Who knows? He might've taken 6-fer against Australia.

 

[Skyliner]

He was so unlucky to be injured last season & miss the NZ A stuff. If he did even half of what Kuggs did in those series, he'd have made this squad easily. Who knows? He might've taken 6-fer against Australia.

The selectors have to be smart enough to realise that. Apparently they aren’t. Probably rigidly sticking to ‘pathways’ rather than using a bit of nous. The bloke couldn’t help being injured.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Preconceptions are there to be challenged, particularly when the evidence is readily at hand. The data could easily have suggested that he was coming in just as early against Pakistan and therefore completely annulled any argument about the openers.

I think you're barking up an irrelevant tree with this "coming in earlier" theory anyway tbh but if it's for your own interest i wish you the best of luck

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Different circumstances but Mitchell Starc was a wicket-keeper at junior level.

I learnt that when my kids read the "Mighty Mitch" book series supposedly about him as a kid. Also read the "Kaboom Kid" ones (little Davy Warner)

 

[Kraken]

Trent Copeland started his grade career as a keeper at St George.

on this as well, Mitch Starc played as a WK-bat in the juniors

 

[ataraxia]

I learnt that when my kids read the "Mighty Mitch" book series supposedly about him as a kid. Also read the "Kaboom Kid" ones (little Davy Warner)

Sounds great:

There's a new kid in town and he wants Mitch's wicketkeeping spot. The gloves are on! Get ready for a mighty Clash of the Keepers! Mitchell Starc and Marshall Spark have got loads in common. They both like keeping. They both like opening the batting. Even their names sound the same! So what's driving Mitch bananas? * Marshall is completely, totally, epically ANNOYING! * Mitch's mate Josh has a PRANKING PLAN (which will probably get Mitch in trouble too) * Someone in the team has BANANA GLOVES . . . and it's really gross! * The Wombats have ONE LAST CHANCE to make the semi-finals Can they do it? Or will they muck it up BIG TIME?! Find out in this action-filled, hilarious new book created by cricket superstar Mitchell Starc!

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Yes, top quality literature - very high brow

 

[jcas0167]

'We got that wrong': Blackcaps coach concedes selection error against Australia

For two tests in a row, New Zealand have failed to correctly read their home conditions.

www.newshub.co.nz

If we knew it was going to spin - not so much the spin, more so the bounce - Santner would have played," he said. "We got that wrong...

But the way he [Phillips] trains, he's certainly a full-time spinner in our eyes.

"He's very early in his career still. [I'm] looking forward to seeing how he keeps developing.

"He has a thirst for knowledge and wants to keep learning to get better."

 

[RMBolton]

Second Test in a row. What madness #SteadMustGo

Santner needs to come in at Hagley. Hell, at this rate call up Ajaz. Get him his first international wicket at home.

 

[Athlai]

Santner and Sears

 

[NZTailender]

'We got that wrong': Blackcaps coach concedes selection error against Australia

For two tests in a row, New Zealand have failed to correctly read their home conditions.

www.newshub.co.nz

Australia probably wouldn't have read it that way either, they just back their spinner and always select em.

4 specialist seamers seems overkill at the best of times. If you can't achieve what you need with your 3 best seamers, how is a 4th going to make a difference. (West Indies not withstanding)

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Still don't understand why Phillips didn't get a single over in the 1st innings with all the lefties (including most importantly Hazelwood) in the Aussie team. He also got his 3/37 against them at the World Cup.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Keep in mind as well that Australia are typically awful against spin (as GP showed). Not picking a spinner was strange. Would have been pretty happy with it after winning the toss and bowling on that first morning though

 

[RMBolton]

Still don't understand why Phillips didn't get a single over in the 1st innings with all the lefties (including most importantly Hazelwood) in the Aussie team. He also got his 3/37 against them at the World Cup.

That's right. GP ended the Head & Warner Show, then took Smith too. In fact, he was the reason Australia didn't reach 400, going at 3.7rpo when everyone else on both sides went at 6rpo at least.