**Official** New Zealand Domestic Season 2013/2014

[Flem274*]

Rutherford will get a lengthy go due to being young and bossing domestic cricket in the seasons prior to selection to the same extent Raval has for 13 months. Fulton also finds ways to score runs and is a monster on flat pitches, plus he's been hand picked to provide seniority. The partnership will get an extended run and so it should because it's probably safer than the McCullum-McIntosh partnership which has been our only partnership to achieve some form of success since Richardson retired. Fulton and Rutherford are our boys unless Rutherford stops scoring 40s and scores more ducks, and tbh I'm happy with it. I'm sick of changing openers every other series because they bagged a pair. It won't hurt Raval and Guptill to spend a season smashing blokes at Eden Park and racking up huge scores to keep the pressure on the test team.

It also means we're spared Tom Latham opening, because he really doesn't look one. Middle order or keeper batsman will be his role if he becomes a test regular in future.

 

[straw man]

I agree with all you've said - that Rutherford will likely get plenty of rope from the selectors and rightfully so. But if he continues to be really really poor and average something around or even below 20, as he has in all forms of the game for NZ, Essex and Otago in the time since his debut 171, then it's hard to see the selectors' patience extending quite that far. Particularly if a domestic opener is scoring a lot of runs.

I would be quite happy if Fulton and Rutherford average 28 each and see out the home summer tbh - expectations are that low*. But if either is much worse than that and there will be a need for change.

* unless we get very flat pitches again.

 

[Bahnz]

I think Hesson has also been on the record as saying he likes having a LH/RH opening combination, so if he's gunning for anyone's spot it's probably Rutherford's.

Regardless of missing the A-tour, this is still a pretty big innings that is likely to grab at least a bit of media attention. Scoring centuries in three successive first class matches, all against good quality bowling attacks and the latter made in a pressure situation where a number of former and current internationals failed is eye-catching.

 

[hendrix]

Re: Rutherford-Fulton. Fulton is 100% safe until India at the very least. Scored in Bangladesh and England at home. Rutherford should certainly play the first 2 WI tests, but there should be another opener in the squad so that his place can be questioned by the third test. I agree that he's young, but he's had plenty of leniency. He hasn't scored a fifty since his debut, ffs. That's 12 innings. Even Baz is more consistent then that. That's just not good enough. As to who should be in the squad, I'd rather we didn't yet pick Raval so young. Give him another full season. There are other domestic options, namely my favourite Flynn, but any domestic opener with decent scores in the last 2 seasons should be given a shot since we will be hoping they're just a placeholder for Raval or Rutherford should they come good.

Disagree that Latham is a keeper batsman and if we go down that route I will cry. His technique is good enough to be an opener.

He shouldn't be keeping in domestic cricket and he certainly shouldn't have the captaincy. Complete idiocy from NZC there.

 

[hendrix]

The other thing that simply has to happen for the WI series is that Bracewell needs to be dropped from the squad.

Any one of Henry, Milne, Butler, Gillespie...anyone with a good first class record should replace him

 

[Flem274*]

I've only seen the boundaries but Guptill appears to be batting with a flexed front knee and is timing the ball well. He even played back to a spinner! Definite improvement, though can't say for certain he's ready for another go. Only being dismissed once by a leg side strangle is positive news though.

 

[ohnoitsyou]

that Worker dismissal. What a way to be out

 

[Bahnz]

As to who should be in the squad, I'd rather we didn't yet pick Raval so young. Give him another full season. There are other domestic options, namely my favourite Flynn, but any domestic opener with decent scores in the last 2 seasons should be given a shot since we will be hoping they're just a placeholder for Raval or Rutherford should they come good.

Raval is 25, and has been posting good numbers since the 2011/12 season...

 

[Flem274*]

I don't want a placeholder, I want two test openers. I don't care who.

And Latham is the only New Zealand captain to beat England in a red ball match since 2008. He also doesn't move his feet much to pace, so he shouldn't be in the top three.

 

[straw man]

I think Hesson has also been on the record as saying he likes having a LH/RH opening combination.

Yes he has, though I find this line of thinking strange given the rest of the top 7 was (until Anderson came along) all RH. A LH/LH opening combination would have led to many more LH/RH batting combinations through the course of an innings (if that's the aim of this exercise) than a LH/RH opening pair that means every subsequent pair is RH/RH once Rutherford gets out.

 

[hendrix]

Raval is 25, and has been posting good numbers since the 2011/12 season...

Oh really? I didn't know that. In that case, get him in the squad ASAP IMO.

He also doesn't move his feet much to pace, so he shouldn't be in the top three.

The whole foot movement thing is a red herring. I like Sunil Gavaskar's thoughts on the matter. The end outcome should be that you're playing the ball from a position of balance. If minimal foot movement works for you then that's fine.

Dunno how you can look at the technique of Rutherford and think it's better suited to opening, tbh.

 

[Kippax]

Averages 57 in Auckland, Raval -
The Home of CricketArchive

Auspiciously enough Hopkins also has 2000 FC runs in Auckland at 57, with seven tons.
The Home of CricketArchive

Add in Craig Cachopa, Craig Munro.....it's like this whole artistic movement of some of the best FC batting New Zealand's seen in years. The good vibes have gone through their system up there, and they're booming it.

 

[Flem274*]

Bennett solves the Guptill problem. Probably missed out on a chance to really push for a recall. Three figures always looks better than two, not matter how close the scores are.

In Raval's defence, at least his runs conform to the "Top Four or gtfo Craig Munro" rule.

 

[Dan]

Raval always gunned it for me in ICC. Pretty sure I have a save lying around where he averages 60+ in Test cricket. Should be picked on the strength of that alone, IMO.

 

[Prince EWS]

Raval always gunned it for me in ICC. Pretty sure I have a save lying around where he averages 60+ in Test cricket. Should be picked on the strength of that alone, IMO.

Jono always used to make posts like this about Gambhir despite people ragging on his technique and it actually worked for a while once he was given a decent run. He may have even been ranked #1 in the world at one stage.

 

[straw man]

Stewart starts the season like he did the last - currently has 5 wickets at 4

Edit: make that 6

 

[Bahnz]

Shannon Stewart doing his depressing thang, picking up wickets that our more favoured prospects couldn't get. Should be an interesting chase, though you'd probably back Canterbury to pull in 250 odd.

 

[Flem274*]

If you look at Stewart's wickets though most of them are aerial shots. I think he got them out of a lack of respect more than anything else.

 

[Bahnz]

Raval was a bit unlucky. Was hit outside the line of off.

Guptill's dismissal was so typical I think Flem can put to bed any hopes that he's ironed out the problems in his game.

 

[Flem274*]

Hahaha do I want to know?

Wasn't he out to Bennett? Picking a drive to a ball that wasn't full enough and bounced a bit too high. Well I hope so anyway, because him getting out to a strength >>>>> lunging forward to Astle.