I think he just has to have a go with the new ball, even if it's a short opening burst. He is much more penetrative with it than Mills.-and Franklin once he gets his bowling mojo back and people realise he's not a goddamn batsman...now.
I think he just has to have a go with the new ball, even if it's a short opening burst. He is much more penetrative with it than Mills.-and Franklin once he gets his bowling mojo back and people realise he's not a goddamn batsman...now.
Swap Oram for Franklin and put him below McCullum, make him an opening bowler. IMO.Kiwi fans just take a look at the side that could take the field in Napier
Guptill
How
Flynn
Taylor
Ryder
Oram
McCullum
Vettori
Patel
O Brien
Martin
AWTA strengthens the attack a lot.Swap Oram for Franklin and put him below McCullum, make him an opening bowler. IMO.
...I die a little bit more on the inside.S.P. Fleming said:Kyle Mills is an abysmal test match bowler and his just living on his half ass ODI bowling which should never come into the question.
In a greentop situation Tendulkar and Dravid give India a big edge in the batting department and now they have better seamers than NZ too. It might make the contest closer but India will still be big favourites. Can't wait for the test to start.I don't think green pitches are gonna help NZ because India's bowling is a lot stronger now than it used to be.
Indeed. They couldn't make 300 plus on decent batting wickets, so I'm not sure why they want a greentop. Worked when you had the best bowler on show (Bond) and a decent to good top order (Flem, Richardson...) but that is no longer the case.I don't think green pitches are gonna help NZ because India's bowling is a lot stronger now than it used to be.
20 times.Uh how many times did the bowlers get us out?
Guys like Taylor and Ryder have all the talent needed to play on the most difficult of pitches yet their mental game is usually what gets them out. The difficult conditions in Australia made Taylor a much better batsman as he had to have his mind on the game at every moment and he looked up to it. Ryder on the otherhand didn't even seem bothered and only got out when he was playing too aggressively in intensely difficult conditions. Flynn to is able to grind out on hard wickets and work partnerships.
The reason we can't score big on flat wickets is because we lack patience, we have the ability. On difficult wickets we have the chance to thrive.
We will never beat India on a flat wicket.
On a difficult one it reduces the difference between the teams much much more. As if Ryder, Guptill, Taylor or Flynn have a good day and score a 100 and see us to 300 we may well even see a first innings lead against the mighty Indian batting lineup.
Our bowlers are also more used to New Zealands green conditions, O'Brien and Martin would absolutely kill, and hopefully Franklin would too with the new ball.
One of our greatest assets would be Sharma's inexperience in what could be conditions perfectly suited for him. By the time he begins to come to terms with the pitch the new ball may have aged and we could have fought out of danger. While Zaheer and Munaf I expect to do as well as the very best New Zealand pacers in our conditions domestically.
I'm pretty sure we'll see this kind of situation occur in Wellington, and I have hopes of it for Napier too now.
I still think India will be the better team on the green deck, but I also think we have our best chance of winning on that same deck.20 times.
Athlai, India is a far more streetwise team then when they last toured. Sure they can be exposed on wickets with a bit of life, only happened just recently against South Africa but I’ll still take them on a wicket with life then the New Zealanders, especially considering the current attack New Zealand is fielding and they still have problems with their top order, opener and the sides composition.
Would love to know how Laxman has a better chance of scoring on a green top than Sachin (and I'm a massive VVS fan).Players I expect to fail on a green pitch:
Yuvraj Singh
Sehwag
Gambhir (If he does'nt stop poking at balls that are in the off-stump line)
Sachin (If Simon Taufel is not the umpire)
The most like ly to fail in that list is Yuvraj Singh. Just not a test class player.
Bad memory. Include him too.:oWould love to know how Laxman has a better chance of scoring on a green top than Sachin (and I'm a massive VVS fan).
I actually think otherwise. I think a perfectly good deck will even out the odds.I still think India will be the better team on the green deck, but I also think we have our best chance of winning on that same deck.
I think you're forgetting that Zaheer and Sharma have been bowling predominantly on 'flat wickets' (Aus 07/08, 08/09 and Eng 08/09) and comes out as better bowlers. Zaheer was MOTS v England and the way he can reverse the ball consistently shows he has the skills to succeed on flat pitches, hell he's even become a much better bowler circa 3 years as a result of this and is what makes his 'second coming' even better.I
On a green-top, India's bowling and batting both end up being superior, while on a flat wicket, the bowling of both sides is neutralised