**Official** England in New Zealand

[Magrat Garlick]

Hmm, fair noof I suppose, but only a couple of months before he was actually picked ITBT.

http://forum.cricketweb.net/showpost.php?p=883062&postcount=3852

Admittedly for ODIs as "someone", but still.

 

[Richard]

We were blatantly talking Tests.

 

[James]

If it's the same as the ODI pitch (Napier uses drop-ins UIMM tho, so who knows) then it's highly unlikely there'll be a result even if every chance given is held.

This was a vital win.

If that's the case, I think most Kiwi fans would take a 1-1 series result, where as I doubt most England fans would.

 

[Athlai]

Good victory to England, played better than us in all aspects bar the fielding.

Bring on Patel IMO.

 

[BoyBrumby]

If that's the case, I think most Kiwi fans would take a 1-1 series result, where as I doubt most England fans would.

Fair point, especially when you consider the players NZ have lost recently. I, for one, was pretty confident of us taking the tests out.

We still might, of course, but by all accounts Napier is going to be as flat as a witch's tit, so the draw looks the fav.

 

[Richard]

If that's the case, I think most Kiwi fans would take a 1-1 series result, where as I doubt most England fans would.

Exactly - 'tis why it was so important we won this game. Going to Napier 1-0 down would've been extremely dangerous for us.

BTW, you Kiwi boys will surely love David Lloyd forever more: "John Bracewell is a good man".

 

[Richard]

Y'know, just occurred to me - last time we toured NZ the last Test of the series saw the departure of a Kiwi of the just-below-the-very-top rung type in Parore. Now the same will happen again with Fleming.

Ain't it funny.

BTW, wonder if anyone who had Sky Sports in 2001\02 remembers the music they used to review the extraordinary Third Test?

 

[Athlai]

How - The bowling was too good, yet he was in turn good enough to hit the edge. Hopefully he'll be able to come back strong in Napier. 3/10

Bell - If only How had been given the chances Bell had been given... Despite being given a truckload of chances he only managed to gather an ugly start with a score of 29. Though he survived the new ball so some credit must be given. With two abject performances in a row his position is certainly threatened. 4/10

Fleming - This man is one of the best partnership builders in the country, yet due to lapses in concentration his stumps go flying when he looks set as stone. Disappointing but solid. 6/10

Sinclair - His 39 may have saved him for now, but still a poor performance all round by NZ's highest averaging FC batsman. Should really have went on, almost ran Fleming out and his first innings was dire. 4.5/10

McCullum - Solid effort all round by McCullum, the man is in the form of his life, the "if only's" will remain as to how the game could have went if Oram and Vettori had managed to stay in with him. 7.5/10

Taylor - Proving his class, never really looked like getting out till he just completely fouled up and gave away his wicket, this man's biggest enemy is himself but by God he can score runs. A solid effort in both innings kept New Zealand in the match much longer than we deserved. 8.5/10

Oram - Should have taken more wickets, this surge in bowling form comes hand in hand with the loss of batting. He played a grinding knock in the second innings and if not for some poor officiating may have gone on the next day, though would still have been very susceptible to the new ball. Hopefully he will get in the runs in Napier. 6/10

Vettori - The pitch offered our captain nothing in the bowling department yet his batting is worth keeping him in the team regardless of the conditions. Another solid first innings knock from him saw us reach a score of near 200, out done by the prowess of Sidebottom in the second innings when we needed him to win us the match. 6/10

Mills - Good balls mixed with poor ones, was very decent throughout the match though was really expected to do more with the ball in the first innings. 5/10

Gillespie - Either bowls rubbish or solid gold, far to unreliable to keep his position in the squad and hopefully showed the selectors that South Africa was relatively a fluke. His first innings had a fantastic spell in it but he just couldn't replicate it, while a decent enough bowler shouldn't make a full strength New Zealand team. 5/10

Martin - Bowls well with no reward, such is the life of Chris Martin, hinted at genuine pace and at some movement but didn't totally deliver either, a quiet match from the worst batsman in the world. 4/10

 

[jeevan]

England just did what India has not been able to do in 32 years: Beat NZ in NZ in a test match.

 

[Richard]

Sri Lanka did tho.

 

[Richard]

Oram - Should have taken more wickets

Only reason he didn't was misfortune IMO, couldn't have asked for more from him with the ball. Head-and-shoulders above NZ's other seamers. 9- or 10-for wouldn't have flattered him.

 

[Brett Dale]

England has done well to tie the series, Sidebottom has to be man of the series if ya ask me, Napier is a flat track, if anyone can get anything out of it, he can.

 

[Dick Rockett]

Well, what a disappointment. I was hoping we'd get closer and gave England a scare, but well done to them, a deserved victory. Just goes to show how one poor innings with the bat can cost you the game - I thought we bowled well but that first innings deficit was the difference in the end.

Sidebottom for PM?

 

[sportychic33]

How - The bowling was too good, yet he was in turn good enough to hit the edge. Hopefully he'll be able to come back strong in Napier. 3/10

Bell - If only How had been given the chances Bell had been given... Despite being given a truckload of chances he only managed to gather an ugly start with a score of 29. Though he survived the new ball so some credit must be given. With two abject performances in a row his position is certainly threatened. 4/10

Fleming - This man is one of the best partnership builders in the country, yet due to lapses in concentration his stumps go flying when he looks set as stone. Disappointing but solid. 6/10

Sinclair - His 39 may have saved him for now, but still a poor performance all round by NZ's highest averaging FC batsman. Should really have went on, almost ran Fleming out and his first innings was dire. 4.5/10

McCullum - Solid effort all round by McCullum, the man is in the form of his life, the "if only's" will remain as to how the game could have went if Oram and Vettori had managed to stay in with him. 7.5/10

Taylor - Proving his class, never really looked like getting out till he just completely fouled up and gave away his wicket, this man's biggest enemy is himself but by God he can score runs. A solid effort in both innings kept New Zealand in the match much longer than we deserved. 8.5/10

Oram - Should have taken more wickets, this surge in bowling form comes hand in hand with the loss of batting. He played a grinding knock in the second innings and if not for some poor officiating may have gone on the next day, though would still have been very susceptible to the new ball. Hopefully he will get in the runs in Napier. 6/10

Vettori - The pitch offered our captain nothing in the bowling department yet his batting is worth keeping him in the team regardless of the conditions. Another solid first innings knock from him saw us reach a score of near 200, out done by the prowess of Sidebottom in the second innings when we needed him to win us the match. 6/10

Mills - Good balls mixed with poor ones, was very decent throughout the match though was really expected to do more with the ball in the first innings. 5/10

Gillespie - Either bowls rubbish or solid gold, far to unreliable to keep his position in the squad and hopefully showed the selectors that South Africa was relatively a fluke. His first innings had a fantastic spell in it but he just couldn't replicate it, while a decent enough bowler shouldn't make a full strength New Zealand team. 5/10

Martin - Bowls well with no reward, such is the life of Chris Martin, hinted at genuine pace and at some movement but didn't totally deliver either, a quiet match from the worst batsman in the world. 4/10

McCullum - firstly he is a WICKETKEEPER and is not looking the sharpest behind the stumps at the moment so I would rank him just a bit further down at 7/10 for that. Also he gets starts in particularly in the first innings and plays rash shots - not capitalising on potential or on start.

Oram carried that attack and was unlucky as Richard says not to get more reward for the effort he put in. Batting wise sawn off on both occassions and out of form/low on confidence for some reason. Am expecting a bit of a turn around at Napier due to that second innings where it seemed he was starting to get a little bit of that fluency back and remember to move his feet.
Would rate him slightly higher than a 6/10 possibly 6.5 or 7.

 

[meatspx]

Maybe NZ should drop Martin/Mills/Gillespie and select Elliot & another 2 batsman, play for the draw

 

[Silver Arrow]

Tim Southee has been added to the Black Caps squad for the third National Bank Test against England at Napier.

Southee, capped at Twenty20 level earlier in The National Bank Series, makes a timely return,

Fellow seamer Kyle Mills will have his left knee assessed by a doctor this afternoon.

Mills reported soreness in his left knee after the 126-run defeat in Wellington, but the injury is unrelated to the one which required surgery last year.

Southee will be considered for his Test debut even if Mills is considered fit.

BLACKCAPS squad: Daniel Vettori (captain), Matthew Bell, Grant Elliot, Stephen Fleming, Mark Gillespie, Jamie How, Chris Martin, Brendon McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Mathew Sinclair, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.

 

[Prince EWS]

Southee will be considered for his Test debut even if Mills is considered fit.

Well you wouldn't be dropping Gillespie, would you?

I agree he looked pretty dire at times throughout the Test, and I'm really not a big fan of him, but he took key wickets and ensured the tail didn't hang around. If the pitch is going to turn, by all means drop him for Patel, but dropping him for Southee would be madness.

BLACKCAPS squad: ... Mathew Sinclair ...

I really don't see him getting dropped for Elliott, especially given how well Oram has bowled, and there are no other genuine batsmen in the squad, so you'd expect him to play.

 

[FBU]

You have to look at the way Anderson bowled," said Vettori. "For us to be bowled out for 198 in the first innings was purely down to him. He hit the right lengths early on and did a really good job. I suggest Hoggard would have done a similar job but to have fresh legs to do some very good work can only lift a team. New players coming in bring in enthusiasm and it lifts a team." They were sentiments that suggested that Southee could yet feature in the final match.

I hope so, but our batsmen will miss Gillespie.

 

[Days of Grace]

Grant Nisbett going on today like the fat know-it-all piece of **** that he is about the wellington groundsman ignoring NZC's and Vettori's wishes for a pitch that could take turn.

Well, this arrogant/ignorant groundsman cost NZ the match and quite possibly the test series.

It is allright to make a pitch that favours batsmen and bowlers but if little old NZ wants to fight with the big boys they have to play hardball and once they go 1-0 in a series that absolutely have to prepare road pitches or pitches that take turn (considering that is where they have the advantage).

This is the tactic India has always employed and is it little wonder that they are so hard to defeat at home?

It was pathetic and absolutely stupid for the groundsman to prepare a pitch that suited England's strong point: their seam attack. That groundsman should be shot for ignoring orders imo.

 

[Prince EWS]

England's strong point: their seam attack

That's highly debatable. The seamers had been pathetic in the first Test - so bad that two of them were actually dropped for a bowler who had only played one or Tests and one who was a genuine case of "tried and failed".