***Official*** New Zealand Domestic Season 2017/18

[jcas0167]

 

[Kippax]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/crick...ter-ken-mcclure-admits-hanmer-springs-assault

McClure pleads guilty to assault, will take a break from all cricket until after sentencing on January 19.

 

[jcas0167]

Not a headline you would have expected a few seasons ago. From laughing stock to proven winners: how Wellington Firebirds became the country's best cricket team

Coach Bruce Edgar, the former gritty test opener and proud Wellingtonian, is now in his third season in charge. He described the culture as "mixed" when he took the reins...

Edgar visited the Sydney Swans AFL franchise, whose former coach Paul Roos was said to have instigated the much-discussed 'no dickhead policy'.

The main thing Edgar took away was the formation of a six-strong leadership group, voted by the players. Each of the six spends one month as chairman.

The chosen six this season were new captain Michael Bracewell, Michael Papps, Luke Woodcock, Stephen Murdoch, Hamish Bennett and Ollie Newton. The group is a go-between, where young players can freely confide and Edgar and his assistant Glenn Pocknall receive honest feedback about how they do things.

Said Edgar: "You get the right support team around you - coaches, physio, strength and conditioning - then get the players you think will deliver for you on the field, and with really strong character off it.

"Then you create an environment where people are prepared to share their knowledge and help others improve and learn. It's creating that feeling where it's OK to chat and talk, because players learn from themselves."

 

[Howsie]

Uh oh, Tim Seifert currently 135* and single handily carrying ND to a big first innings score. Hesson and the Pizza boy’s love child better score some runs this weekend.....

Oh wait who am I kidding, they have free reign to pick and drop whoever they please with absolutely no ramifications, even if this players gets made to look completely out of his depth on an A tour just a few months earlier.

 

[Kippax]

Seifert is looking quite a bit better than Blundell this season.

Tell Seifert that runs in the South Island and at Mount Maunganui are fine and dandy, but it's the faster half of the block at Seddon Park where we'd want him to rock back and give us a really convincing Ricky Ponting pull shot or two. That would really get me onboard.

 

[Prince EWS]

Seifert is looking quite a bit better than Blundell this season.

I think this has always been true even when he's made less runs.

We all know Howsie hasn't come to his opinions on these players through objective analysis but he's been right from the start about Seifert.

 

[straw man]

That Seifert was the highest (I think) batting average on the recent NZ A tour to India, while Blundell scored single digits, should have counted strongly in favour of Seifert. Blundell did score those two not-outs in the low-scoring last PS round, but NZ A runs away from home should count much higher.

Who do we think is the better gloveman again?

 

[straw man]

View attachment 23781

Lucky noone ruined it by having more than five letters in their name. Sorry Kieran NB, you can't come back.

 

[vandem]

Encouraging return from injury by Wheeler. 26 overs across 2 innings. 5 wickets, 4 RHB falling to in-swing (3 bowled, one lbw), 1 LHB falling to out-swing (ct gully).

 

[Flem274*]

last season seifert played some innings that were very uncharacteristic of the #intent label he'd been given that got me excited for him. Showed he can adapt and isn't just going to flail away no matter what (always a feature of 123/5).

 

[Howsie]

I think this has always been true even when he's made less runs.

We all know Howsie hasn't come to his opinions on these players through objective analysis but he's been right from the start about Seifert.

It’s a pretty simple selection as far as I’m concerned. Seifert is at the very least arguably the better cricketer, obviously I think the gap is much larger. But when Seifert is 22 and has a much bigger scope for improvement over Blundell at 27 you pick the much younger guy.

That’s Hesson and Larsen for you though.

 

[Kippax]

Well it probably would be out of step with what goes on around the rest of the cricket world, for Hesson/Larsen to give the 22-year-old the one cap, then regardless of how he performs, put his career put back on hold for 3-4 years.

On merit and form I think he should probably suck it up and do it, but it's another one of those Aaron Redmond 2013 situations that got Cribb's goat a bit. We know the headache-free neatness of just slotting in the local battler is how Hesson will choose to handle it.

 

[SeamUp]

Must admit the NZL A batting selections were a bit bland. But then again no one else is really sticking up their hand.

They probably had to go to Seifert before Blundell though.

 

[Kippax]

I think this has always been true even when he's made less runs.

We all know Howsie hasn't come to his opinions on these players through objective analysis but he's been right from the start about Seifert.

This isn't your typical 34-averaging Plunket Shielder, sure.

Given CW's long-established bias for the limited yet conscientious BJ Watling type of player, Seifert was never going to be one of the favourite new pets.

 

[hendrix]

Given CW's long-established bias for the limited yet conscientious BJ Watling type of player, Seifert was never going to be one of the favourite new pets.

Watling is not a limited batsman.

 

[Kippax]

Well what is Watling's batting. Wrought, I guess.

Albi was in the back of my mind. He prefers I leave 'quixotic' and 'wrought' for my posts on other forums.

 

[Flem274*]

what forums are these?

 

[wellAlbidarned]

Well what is Watling's batting. Wrought, I guess.

Albi was in the back of my mind. He prefers I leave 'quixotic' and 'wrought' for my posts on other forums.

that's the ticket. Gotta keep a tight grasp on that joe rogan listening pseudo intellectual woke meathead demographic.

 

[Blain]

Yeah I can't really see what NZ crickets plan for the keeper role is. Watling is our test man, should have another couple years in him. Latham is our current short format keeper, but I think the gloves are up for grabs there.

Tim Seifert is doing a solid domestic apprenticeship IMO, should get a go in one dayers or T20 this season if he keeps form in the short formats. Phillips should be concentrating on the batting, his keeping isn't really required (not even for Auckland currently). Obviously has a brilliant eye and scores hundys. Blundell needs runs, his record is OK and showed some class in T20's last season.

Cleaver and De Border have slipped under the radar this season, I think poor Derek missed his chance to ever play BC's when Watling took the test spot by both hands a few years ago. Cleaver is a couple big scores from being right in the mix..

So I have no idea.

 

[straw man]

Phillips also took 4 wickets in the just completed Auck-Canty match - forget keeping, can get him to lob a few balls down instead. Great take by Ben Horne to catch McConchie.