**Official** New Zealand in Australia Thread

[Tim]

NZ also had a golden chance in the 1st test to snatch victory. Waugh was trying to play aggressively..but it almost back-fired.

 

[Tim]

If you look at NZ's form before they toured Australia last time..they actually drew a 1 off test with Zimbabwe & then lost the ODI series which followed.

 

[Slats4ever]

that's cricket. i for one am tipping Australia to treat this tour a little bit relaxed after their success in india, which was a real emotional rollercoaster. I reckon the Aussies might get off to a slow start in the first test. I'm tempted to put a few bucks on NZ

 

[bryce]

NZ also had a golden chance in the 1st test to snatch victory. Waugh was trying to play aggressively..but it almost back-fired.

it could have so easily been 1-0 new zealand if a couple of umpiring decisions went our way in the third test aswell.

 

[Tim]

Im not totally convinced that we were on the rack in the Brisbane test..certainly we were heading for trouble at Hobart and then at Perth we doing well.

People are saying the NZ pace attack lacks pace..but if you look at the current side, it's pretty much the same pace as the last touring side.
Bond only came into the 2nd test & didn't exactly take a truck load of wickets either.

 

[bryce]

yeah if i remember right in that test series bond got 3 wickets at over 90 a piece.

 

[Tim]

In the Brisbane test we used: Cairns, Nash, O'Connor & Vettori as our strike bowlers

In Hobart we used: Cairns, Tuffey, Bond & Vettori

In Perth we used: Cairns, Bond, Martin & Vettori

If anyone tries to convince me that that pace attack spread over 3 tests was any quicker than the one we have now...i'd beg to differ.
Cairns was already struggling I feel in tests at that time with the ball anyway.

 

[Tim]

If by chance NZ get a shock 1-0 lead at Brisbane...I still feel we'll come undone at Adelaide facing spin. If you looked at how NZ played Rafique & co in Bangladesh, we've got absolutely no patience to play Warne, MacGill or whoever Australia throw at us.

 

[Slats4ever]

yeah given but i'm defiantely hitting the TAB for NZ to upset the Aussies in the first dig

 

[Craig]

If this rain stays the way it is, then it will be 0-0 going into Adelaide.

Reading in today's paper, I couldn't believe that the Australian selectors are considering dropping Simon Katich and bring back in Darren Lehmann, should he be fit by then.

Interesting to note Lehmann's charity offer of sttepping aside for Mike Clarke has gone.

 

[anzac]

Yup, must be a record for me and you agreeing Anzac. I must get to sleep if this is happening....

It was odd that Martin didn't get any game time at all. But what do you think of Mills as a Test bowler? He generally bowls good lines, and can swing it away from the right-hander. Handy batsman as well. But at this stage I still favour Martin.

IMO Mills is favorite ahead of Martin to start in Brisbane for a number of reasons:
*Martin's failure in ENG & lack of form in RSA on the 'A' tour;
*Mills has semi decent FC stats in the Championship & no 'history' at this level to speak of - can't be judged from those 6 overs in ENG so has yet to come under fire.......;
*he swings the ball which is a different option to RMF - I'm certain that until NZL has some genuine 'strike' bowling options, that Bracewell has adopted the approach to try & mix up the seam attack, which is generally much the same pace;
*finally - Brisbane at this time of year is more likely to have swing conditions than not (overflow of the tropical build up across the Top End), & as a result is the one track in AUS most like AUCK so far as atmospheric conditions go - but with more pace & bounce off the pitch - and guess who Mills plays for.............

His efforts in the field in the ODIs v RSA was outstanding afaic - & IMO that over v Pollock will have actually done him a helluva lot of good, rather than shattering him as a lot of people suppose - he backed himself & put the ball up there & got the wicket & NZL won the game..........

my main concern re his swing bowling is as someone else pointed out - he swings it basically from the hand rather than thru the air - easy enough to pick off unless the line & length are spot on & sometimes he gets a bit wayward trying too much - a bit like Anderson can be for ENG at times........

I too favour Martin all things being equal - but the reality is atm we can not say that they are...............

unless it's all a devious plot to throw AUS off the scent.............

 

[anzac]

If by chance NZ get a shock 1-0 lead at Brisbane...I still feel we'll come undone at Adelaide facing spin. If you looked at how NZ played Rafique & co in Bangladesh, we've got absolutely no patience to play Warne, MacGill or whoever Australia throw at us.

I'm not so sure that Adelaide is such a big turner that spin will dominate - certainly not finger spin. IMO it is much the same sort of wicket as NZL faced in IND & against a much better spin attack...........based on the assumption that this early in the season I can not see AUS taking 2 specialist spinners to Adelaide...........

2 days ago I watched a OD game SA v QLD & the ball swung & seamed all day........spin was non effective in the trad sence - Symonds was firing them down as if he was bowling in Mumbai - no flight & no bite.............

but you are right - patience is the key.........

 

[LongHopCassidy]

Frankly, I think the Aussie pace battery will unravel the Kiwis.

Look at how they performed on Indian dustbowls.......

I think spin will be more a containment option.

 

[tooextracool]

i think that Clarke has to be given another go! He's the future of Aussie cricket and Lehmann's only valuable when the other team has a spinner around. Which NZ doesn't really have anyone of great worth...

thats really quite a ludicrous statement, you clearly havent watched too much of lehmann have you? i'll remind you that he scored the most runs in the first test against SL at darwin on what was a real seamers paradise. 2 50s in the same test. lehmann has shown that he is capable of playing both seam and pace at his best, clarke has shown that he can play spin, certainly nowhere has he shown that he is a brilliant player against pace.

 

[tooextracool]

NZ also had a golden chance in the 1st test to snatch victory. Waugh was trying to play aggressively..but it almost back-fired.

one must remember that the NZ bowling attack was far better then than it is now. cairns,nash, o connor and vettori in his prime is certainly better than their current attack.
regardless, if it werent for the rain, that series might have been completely different.

 

[tooextracool]

it could have so easily been 1-0 new zealand if a couple of umpiring decisions went our way in the third test aswell.

and if it hadnt rained, it could have been 2-1 australia.

 

[age_master]

clarke has shown that he can play spin, certainly nowhere has he shown that he is a brilliant player against pace.

hard to do when you pretty much only play spinners, wait and see, he plays pace well too i assure you

 

[Mister Wright]

hard to do when you pretty much only play spinners, wait and see, he plays pace well too i assure you

The jury is still out. He didn't look too confident facing Zaheer in some of his spells. Strangely, he doesn't seem to move his feet as well against the pace men, especially when the ball is angled past him, he seems to hang the bat out there on the back foot.

 

[age_master]

zaheer was bowling pretty well at times, doubt he could consistantly trouble him too much though

 

[Mister Wright]

zaheer was bowling pretty well at times, doubt he could consistantly trouble him too much though

I have a feeling if he had of been in during that spell where Zaheer & AA were bowling consistently well, he wouldn't have got through it. I will be convinced if he can pass the Shoaib in Perth examination.