***Official*** New Zealand in Australia 2011

[Mike5181]

I'd run with

1.Watson
2.Marsh
3.Khawaja
4.Ponting
5.Clarke
6.Hussey
7.Haddin+
8.Johnson
9.Harris
10.Copeland
11.Cummins

That attack would do some damage if McCullum/Guptill go early. I picked Johnson because his record against us is phenomenal.

 

[Spikey]

I've been training hard tbf.

that's just not true

 

[Flem274*]

Actually if you pick a spinner you could almost give him a crack at our openers. McCullum loves a challenge like that and could have a crack, and Guptill has been tied down a bit by good tight spin bowling.

Australia would never do it but it is an idea.

 

[benchmark00]

Would be excited by:

Khawaja
Warner
Marsh
Ponting
Clarke*
Watson
Hussey
Haddin+
Copeland
Harris
Bollinger/Hauritz

Having H00ssey at 7 should fix our batting woes imo.

 

[Flem274*]

Would be excited by:

Khawaja
Warner
Marsh
Ponting
Clarke*
Watson
Hussey
Haddin+
Hauritz
Copeland
Harris
Bollinger

Having H00ssey at 7 should fix our batting woes imo.

Good maths.

 

[benchmark00]

??

 

[Furball]

Good maths.

Yeah, you know Australian cricket has sunk when they need to pick 12 players to beat New Zealand.

 

[benchmark00]

Originally had Bollinger at 12th man just didn't put the space in.

Then remembered we're playing at the GABBA and wouldn't care if we went with 4 seam bowlers.

 

[Scaly piscine]

You're taking a fair bit of liberty there by stretching what I said to giving up once we're six down. What I'm saying is the onus goes on the top 7. If we lose, it will be because they didn't front up. Not because a bowling all-rounder didn't score runs. And playing an extra batsman is less likely to win us a Test than a fourth seamer, especially given the talent of our fringe batsmen.

Southee has scored runs v Australia, Bracewell has batting talent and Boult can also hold a bat. It's not an awful 8-10, just an inexperienced one.

Martin's presence costs us 40 runs? Absolute tripe. Crap. In the field? Doubt it, unless you are comparing him to the great fielders of all-time. With the bat? Compared to fellow No.11s, 10 runs at the very most. It's a lame argument. McGrath never got it and he was just as weak in both disciplines early in his career. Incidentally he has put on some very decent partnerships, with McCullum especially.

Whilst I agree his time is probably at its end, saying someone who has taken 201 Test wickets was never much chop is laughable.

It's a team game. Everything matters to some extent, you can't just say well it's all down to the specialist players to do their specialist role and that's it.

Whoever replaces Martin won't necessarily be a number 11. An 'average' replacement would average 10-15 runs, occupy on average 30-35 balls per dismissal. Martin averages 2.5 runs and occupies 12-13 balls per dismissal. So there's a 10 run differential just from the guy who takes his spot and another few overs your team typically bats out - there'll be runs from the other end too, plus the odd extra. 40 runs per Test is a perfectly reasonable approximation given his fielding is also mediocre at best.

 

[Athlai]

NZ could quite easily field a team that puts Tim Southee at 11. It'd be a pretty vast difference in batting superiority.

 

[Howsie]

All true, but Mckay was also the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand A earlier this year (which included Boult), and for that he has my interest. He's only had a few overs of bowling so far. I'll be interested to see how he goes throughout the rest of the match.

Ah, no he wasn't. During the three dayers McKay rocked along at over five runs an over, he was terrible. Not that it matters now, McKay is as good as gone after his performance yesterday. Don't you think it says something about McKay's ability with the ball that even after Wellington were shot out for 160 he wasn't given the new cherry ahead of James Franklin?

 

[SteveNZ]

NZ could quite easily field a team that puts Tim Southee at 11. It'd be a pretty vast difference in batting superiority.

Who would be the seamers? I can't think of any kicking around at the moment who are better batsmen than Southee, apart from Mills and Franklin. And that wouldn't scare too many international top orders.

 

[howardj]

Mike Hussey would have to have an arm amputated to not be playing in the First Test. There's just not a huge amount of options, really. Would probably rather see Usman play as an opener than at 6. But I'd also like to see Watson slide down, and I don't know if you can go with two new openers.

Fair call.

Am happy to swap Hussey for Katich as opener.

I like the structure of my team though:

- a veteran opening up with Warner
- Watson and Clarke in the middle order
- number six left vacant for a young player
- new boy at seven

 

[straw man]

Stuff website has four pieces on the NZ squad before it is named later today. There's a good bit of regional bias in there... The Press suggesting Canterbury's Andy Ellis and Todd Astle!
Black Caps Cricket | Pace-bowling backup Wright's... | Stuff.co.nz
Cricket | Wellington duo drop ball in Black Caps... | Stuff.co.nz
Black Caps Cricket | Brownlie may have played himself... | Stuff.co.nz
Cricket | Fringe Black Caps choices are the toughies... | Stuff.co.nz

Also don't know why they're talking about Boult and McKay competing for one spot - I would choose both in the fourteen (and hope erratic McKay finds some form in the tour match).

 

[Flem274*]

Michael Mason.

Make it happen.

 

[Athlai]

Who would be the seamers? I can't think of any kicking around at the moment who are better batsmen than Southee, apart from Mills and Franklin. And that wouldn't scare too many international top orders.

Tuffey, Aldridge and Dougeh.

 

[Prince EWS]

Who would be the seamers? I can't think of any kicking around at the moment who are better batsmen than Southee, apart from Mills and Franklin. And that wouldn't scare too many international top orders.

Well the last Test squad contained Bracewell, Mills and Aldridge, all of whom are better bats than Southee.

 

[Athlai]

Well the last Test squad contained Bracewell, Mills and Aldridge, all of whom are better bats than Southee.

Jeets arguably too. Todd Astle deffo is if he becomes the 2nd spinner.

 

[SteveNZ]

Well the last Test squad contained Bracewell, Mills and Aldridge, all of whom are better bats than Southee.

Bracewell isn't. And a seam attack of Bracewell, Mills and Aldridge, or Tuffey, or Jeets, or Astle, would be a very average one.

 

[Flem274*]

Trent Boult is going to Australia. Trying to find an article but I just saw it on Twitter from someone who has talked to him at the ND match today.