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***Official*** India in New Zealand 2013/14

Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
I would pay $100 a day to go to test cricket quite happily. Well not happily but you could get it out of me. I love everything about live cricket. You can enjoy the shots so much more seeing them live. Plus standing to give Ross an ovation for scoring a ton was the highlight of my cricket watching life.

Edit - I am sad Jesse won't play because after what he has been through last year seeing him ton up would have been monumental.
 
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jcas0167

International Regular
Likely to be out IMO but it's not been confirmed as definite yet, no.
I guess if his new baby arrives in the next couple of days he could attend the birth and then play the test on Friday? Realistically, don't think he's going to play but they might want to keep the opposition guessing.
 

Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
I can maybe see the logic of replacing Ish with Neesham. But not so much of including Jimmy as injury cover for our 3 quicks. I would have picked a front line bowler as cover and not an all rounder.
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
I can maybe see the logic of replacing Ish with Neesham. But not so much of including Jimmy as injury cover for our 3 quicks. I would have picked a front line bowler as cover and not an all rounder.
Yeah I think that if someone gets injured at training they'll just add someone else to the squad as it's a home game. No-one's carrying any niggles so the squad they've named is just for different balance options.
 
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Dan

Hall of Fame Member
Yeah I think that if someone gets injured at training they'll just add someone else to the squad as it's a home game. No-one's carrying any niggles so they squad they've named is just for different balance options.
Yeah, this. Makes me more hopeful for a Jimmeh debut at 8, given they probably would have added Bennett if they wanted morning-of-the-game injury cover and nothing else. No reason for Neesham to be in the squad unless they were seriously considering playing him.
 

Kippax

Cricketer Of The Year
Tom Latham and Jimmy Neesham in contention | Stuff.co.nz

Batsman Tom Latham and allrounder Jimmy Neesham are contenders to make their respective test debuts against India at the Basin Reserve on Friday, depending on baby arrivals and pitch conditions.

The pair are expected to be summoned to the New Zealand squad today to replace Jesse Ryder and Doug Bracewell whose night out in Auckland last week saw them scratched from the second test. New Zealand have been unchanged for three winning tests but circumstances might mean some tinkering this time.

Canterbury batsman Latham is putting the heat on opener Peter Fulton, but will join the squad primarily as cover for Ross Taylor whose wife Victoria is expecting their second child during the test. Taylor will depart at any time if he gets the call, but can only be replaced in the 11 if he leaves before the coin toss on Friday morning.

Neesham hit a blistering 147 off 135 balls in Otago's Plunket Shield loss to Central Districts in Nelson yesterday, reaffirming his all-round value to the New Zealand side. As Bracewell was, Neesham will primarily be there as injury cover but if Basin turf manager Brett Sipthorpe produces a similar green, bouncy surface to the West Indies test in December then an extra paceman is a consideration.

"We won't pick a spinner if we don't think that a spinner has got a role to play in the test. Until we see the pitch, we always have that option available to us," coach Mike Hesson said yesterday.

Legspinner Ish Sodhi only bowled three overs in New Zealand's innings and 73 run win over West Indies in December and struggled at Eden Park as Virat Kohli, in particular, attacked him. Sodhi bowled some tidy early overs in the first innings but on Sunday his figures blew out, taking 0-78 off 15 before India were dismissed for 366, giving New Zealand a memorable test win by 40 runs.

"Ish didn't bowl his best and was under a lot of pressure against guys that play spin exceptionally well.

"He started off bowling a really good length and they put pressure on that. He struggled to adjust. He's learning quick and he'll come back stronger. We've got a lot of faith in Ish."

A confident New Zealand side are in the box seat at 1-0 up in the two-test series after their gripping victory over an Indian team who fought strongly with bat and ball in the second innings.

Hesson was a huge fan of Sipthorpe's surface for the emphatic Trent Boult-inspired victory over West Indies, which began their three-test winning streak, and wants more of the same.

"The Basin has a lot of pace and carry, it's a very good cricket wicket and generally holds that pace throughout the test and certainly did against West Indies. The overcast conditions certainly assisted the ball swinging and let's hope we get something similar."

Openers Fulton and Hamish Rutherford desperately need runs after each missing out twice in Auckland, but Hesson said they were safe for now.

"The top order didn't have a great game but they contributed in other ways. Just the little things that guys do to make up a team is important. We're certainly hopeful and confident that our top order will front up."

Hesson hailed Neil Wagner (8-126) for his match-turning spell with the old ball on Sunday, particularly his snorter to remove Indian centurymaker Shikhar Dhawan. Another quiet achiever, gloveman BJ Watling, snared a New Zealand record nine catches in the match including six in the second innings.

Hesson said his tight-knit group were sky high on confidence.

"Throughout those three tests we were in tough situations and we got the worst end of the conditions in all three. Character is a term that's over used but within this group we've got a lot of guys that fight for each other and really trust each other and understand their roles.

"We're not a side of superstars but we've got a lot of ability in the squad and thankfully when we're under the pump guys stand up and that's what you want to see."
 

hendrix

Hall of Fame Member
That said, I'm not quite sure what I'd do with Sodhi's position. Kane Williamson is the best spinner in New Zealand barring the possible exceptions of Vettori (pseudo-retired) and Patel (tried and failed), and Anderson's ability to perform as the fourth seamer would be wasted completely by picking four genuine bowlers. New Zealand have effectively been playing with ten ever since Sodhi debuted, so maybe the best option is someone with a lot of talent who could theoretically contribute heavily with either bat or ball but isn't necessarily expected to. If he fails with the bat then it doesn't matter too much because he's at eight and if he doesn't bowl well then Anderson and Williamson are there too.

I can't shake the feeling it's a bit of a nothing role and that he'll contribute very little as it is, but at the same time I can't really offer an alternative that isn't a waste of resources.
Yeah, it's tough to contribute with the bat from number 8, and it's tough to operate as a fourth seamer. But he's not good enough to bat 6 or bowl first change yet, so it's really the only option we can reasonably give him in the near future.

it didn't take Anderson long to look comfortable as a number 6.

You're right though, it doesn't put much pressure on him to perform in real match situations apart from mostly selfish performances - a few not outs and some cheap wickets. Which sometimes doesn't really get the best out of a player.
 

Flem274*

123/5
Didn't Wagner average close to 40 before this test? Plummeted to Chris Martin territory now. If he has another really good game wickets wise then it could be down to around 30. He's never going to be a low or mid 20s bowler imo but high 20s to low 30s is achievable if he bowls to the standard he set in the test just gone consistently.
 

Blocky

Banned
The thing that really baffles me about the way NZ selects players is that they give a lot of opportunity to players who show potential with the ball, but very few who show potential with the bat.

I mean, even in the current squad, Southee, Wagner and Bracewell have all been given a tonne of opportunities despite their average being high, Southee was dropped but reinstated a couple of times, as was Wagner - those guys have come through but then if you had a look at domestic performances, they were dominant and there was potential there - we don't have that with Sodhi yet we're giving him a tonne of chances to get comfortable, as we did Brooke Walker, and Tarun Nethula. Why are we keeping a guy around the squad who really just isn't good enough for the level?

I think of bowlers like Aaron Schwass or Graeme Aldridge who dominated domestic cricket year in and year out and never got a shot, yet a guy like Sodhi walks in without performing, stays in without performing? Something is broken there.
 

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