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*Official* England in NZ 2023

SteveNZ

Cricketer Of The Year
I think Stokes doing it as captain is important even if he makes slightly fewer runs, to set the tone and make the others feel like they won't be criticised if they look dumb when they get out. It could be much damaging to Root than "slightly fewer" too.
OK, yeah I can understand that. I guess as a cricket fan, and not even an England one, it would dismay me if he didn't have a Headingley in him again because he's changed his game. But you do have to make sacrifices as captain.
 

G. S. Kohli

International Vice-Captain
All ready 1158 international runs by Harry Brook, i never seen anyone in last many years who score so repidly includung (in test, his strike rate 96 plus)
 

SteveNZ

Cricketer Of The Year
Yeah. Macewell playing is fine in the right context. In NZ conditions, batting at 8, with three quality seamers and someone in the top 7 (even Mitchell) who can bowl, absolutely fine. But it's what we do with the rest of the XI, that is affected by his inability to average over 25 with bat or under 40 with ball, that causes the consternation.
 

SteveNZ

Cricketer Of The Year
Genuinely feels like Southee is captaining as if he only has two frontline bowlers and three semi-useful part-timers atm.

And it's hard to blame him. The three bowlers thing wouldn't seem so bad if one of them wasn't the ghost of Neil Wagner.
Nah, I actually think it's good captaincy and unceremonious captaincy. Wagner shouldn't be bowling here, and he's not. It would just be a massive waste of any remaining conditions in which to move the ball
 

Athlai

Not Terrible
Genuinely feels like Southee is captaining as if he only has two frontline bowlers and three semi-useful part-timers atm.

And it's hard to blame him. The three bowlers thing wouldn't seem so bad if one of them wasn't the ghost of Neil Wagner.
With Jamieson injured and Boult unselected, we only have the two Test bowlers in the country.
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
Nah, I actually think it's good captaincy and unceremonious captaincy. Wagner shouldn't be bowling here, and he's not. It would just be a massive waste of any remaining conditions in which to move the ball
Yeah I agree - as I said I can't blame him at all. But when that's what's happening you definitely have to seriously question the selection of the team (not that we haven't already done that at length)
 

nzfan

International Vice-Captain
Nah, I actually think it's good captaincy and unceremonious captaincy. Wagner shouldn't be bowling here, and he's not. It would just be a massive waste of any remaining conditions in which to move the ball
Southee is treating Wagner like he treated Ajaz
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
Haha Brook played outside that because it started to swing out of the hand and then just totally stopped. Weird nude ball.
 

SteveNZ

Cricketer Of The Year
Yeah I agree - as I said I can't blame him at all. But when that's what's happening you definitely have to seriously question the selection of the team (not that we haven't already done that at length)
Haha, exactly. That's what we've done. I will acknowledge that picking a side must be a lot harder inside the environment than on a cricket message board where you're not accountable or involved in any type of ongoing relationships within the squad.
 

straw man

Hall of Fame Member
Should say re Wagner that I still admire the hell out of him. He is out there at almost 37 absolutely busting a gut, as always, and I actually think his pace is up slightly from some of his recent matches. Shifting to more of a full and swing-based length also makes sense if he can't pull off the full Wagnerball these days. Unfortunately that approach doesn't seem to be quite test-level.

England's approach against him has also worked extremely well, obviously. It would have been interesting to see a battle between this England batting side and peak Wagner 4-5 years ago.
 

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