*Official* New Zealand in Australia 2019/20

[straw man]

think the pudding pitches comment may've been about home wickets v England.

Do think KW just hasn’t looked the same since Lords. He’s looked really vulnerable in the last 6 tests - he was dropped twice during his only ton this summer.

The worst drop in 200 years of cricket, no less.

 

[vandem]

How have there been pudding pitches when they haven’t topped 300 all tour?

I think the low NZ scores in Aussie are extra evidence of the pudding-ness of the pitches at the Mount and Hamilton. NZ scored 9-615, 375 and 2-241 in the Eng series. Against an English bowling attack that shared the Ashes series 2-2.

 

[The Hutt Rec]

That comment by Coney that Williamson wanted to just name a squad for the England series then reassess makes me worry. As do newspaper reports that Stead is behind Astle’s continuous selection due to the Canterbury link, but Williamson has the final day for the playing XI on match day. It all sounds like captain, coach and selector pulling in three different directions.

Didn't they have to get a mediator in for Stead’s last season as a Canterbury coach, as well? Hope things aren’t going that way again ...

 

[sphynx]

Would like to challenge Australia to a series in Dubai.

Or just wait for India vs Aus, Lords, 2021.

 

[marcus1232]

Australia’s front line pace depth is probably the best since the West Indies of the 80s/90s. Your not going to get a positive result against them in Australia without disciplined batting. Really disappointing from Williamson and Taylor in particular

 

[Burgey]

I think the low NZ scores in Aussie are extra evidence of the pudding-ness of the pitches at the Mount and Hamilton. NZ scored 9-615, 375 and 2-241 in the Eng series. Against an English bowling attack that shared the Ashes series 2-2.

Ah gotcha. Thought you meant the two decks here so far. I thought Melbourne was going to be awful again (like the rest of the city) but it seemed to hold up fine and offer something I’ve rather whole match for a change.

 

[NUFAN]

Combined XI so far:

Warner
Blundell
Labuschagne
Smith
Wade
Head
Paine
Cummins
Starc
Wagner
Lyon

 

[slippy888]

Williamson looks mentally shattered after the world cup final i think he should take a break from cricket for at least 6 months and come back for the 20 20 world cup.

 

[Hicheal Michael]

I would love to find out what has been going on behind the scenes over the past 6 months re the NZ set-up.

I don't think we ever will though, as i can't see who within the team wouldn't release an incredibly tame 'tell all' autobiography.

 

[Hicheal Michael]

Williamson is at risk of averaging sub 40 in Australia, England, South Africa and India by the end of this tour - probably the most damning statistic you could hold against any of the fab four.

 

[Frost]

Williamson is at risk of averaging sub 40 in Australia, England, South Africa and India by the end of this tour - probably the most damning statistic you could hold against any of the fab four.

Still miles ahead of root imo, hard when doesn't play as much as the others.

 

[Starfighter]

Suffice to say, New Zealand have been disappointing.

 

[_Ed_]

Suffice to say, New Zealand have been disappointing.

So, so crushingly disappointing. Worse NZ teams have been much more competitive in Australia than this.

 

[Moss]

Ultra disappointing for this NZ outfit, considering they were finally invited back to the G after 32 years (though hopefully the turnout will cause CA to look at more boxing day tests for NZ).

Reminds me a bit of Sri Lanka with Jayawardene, Sangakkara et al finally getting Melbourne and Sydney tests in 2012 ans proceeding to muck it up. That was a far weaker Australia side they were up against though.

 

[mr_mister]

Patto now averages 27 with bat and 25 with ball after 20 tests


Not too shabby

 

[Daemon]

Tom Blundell raised his bat like this for a reason when he reached triple figures.

He’s raising money for a young girl called Hollie who’s suffering from a rare aggressive cancer, by selling bat grips like the one he just used to make 100.

If you want more information about the cause, and about Hollie, follow the link: https://ab.co/37kau4w

https://www.facebook.com/abcgrandstand/photos/a.156743400975/10156834768410976/?type=3&theater

What a guy.

 

[thundaboult]

Class act Blundell. Hope his heroics have brought more exposure to the cause.

And if anything, our faults are now obvious. I think a thrashing like this could really wake up NZC to be better prepared next time. And for their sake I hope the financial losses stop as well. Lots of rebuilding to be done now.

 

[quincywagstaff]

So, so crushingly disappointing. Worse NZ teams have been much more competitive in Australia than this.

Reminds me of the 2004/05 series; NZ had lost 3-0 in England earlier that year and were on the decline but still had a strong reputation in Australia based on how well they competed in 01/02 and how respected Fleming's captaincy was so expectations were high for a good series. The first couple of days were relatively competitive but Australia destroyed them after that

 

[quincywagstaff]

Not insignificant that the NZ players who've played Australia a lot over the past decade (Taylor & Southee on their 4th Test four of Oz) with little success were largely the biggest disappointments. They've been consistently disappointing in contests against Australia home and away for the past decade so it's not that surprising they failed to deliver.

Obviously the standout performer this series was Wagner who came with the right aggressive attitude and genuinely seemed to shake up and get in the heads of some of the opposition batsmen. As some observed, that Oz between Tests were making references to 'Bodyline' tactics and getting their own back against him was a sign of how successful Wagner had been. For all their skill, Boult and Southee seem the polar opposite in temperament required to succeed against Australia.

 

[quincywagstaff]

Re: Australia, it's interesting to note that in this particular side, 8 of them made their debuts in the mid-2010 to mid-2012 period. Several of them missed a lot of international cricket in that time but they're all seasoned cricketers now and should largely be at their peak. The next 2-3 years should be about them not only dominating at home, but winning series away as well in all conditions.

Been pretty much a flawless summer of cricket for Oz; could've won all 4 Tests by an innings if they'd so wished.