**Official** New Zealand in England

[Perm]

Nah, Braces has already said the top 3 are set in stone, barring injury, for the entire series, which is a sensible enough policy.

Indeed. I can't see James Marshall doing much in the 3rd Test, but if Fulton was re-called to the side and scored poorly then his chances of further Test selection would be greatly diminished IMO (unfairly obviously, but still true).

Stick with Marshall, and presuming he fails, get rid of him after this series.

 

[Richard]

Marshall looks like he's ruined his chance at getting the third Test IMO, Fulton's spot now.

Leaving the lineup as...

How
Redmond
Fulton
Taylor
McCullum (wk)
Flynn (Marshall)
Oram
Vettori


Martin, Mills, Southee, O'Brien, Mason and Patel for the last 3 spots.

Martin taking one leaves two spots, in all fairness Mills should be dropped for O'Brien, but that will never happen, so Mills is likely to get the 2nd spot.

Martin, Mills, Southee being the likely lineup.

Though I wouldn't be all that adverse to dropping Flynn for the extra bowler. Jeeves or Southee IMO. Mason should feel a bit out of luck that he hasn't got a spot in the team.

Seriously, I know you love the fellow, but Patel playing at Trent Bridge would almost certainly accomplish nothing - the likelihood of the surface turning appears to be something approaching zero, and Patel's form on this tour has been woeful.

Yes, Trent Bridge did produce a wicket that turned in 2004 and 2006 (the latter being one of the most annoying instances in recent memory) but that's the only times I can ever remember it doing so and I've been watching cricket in this country for 16 years now.

Think Martin, Mills, Southee would be the only lineup that made any real sense. Which is a shame from Mason's POV.

 

[Richard]

38-3.

Good to see we're still in top second-innings form.

What's worse, you've somehow allowed David Wigley to get 8 wickets in a match, something I never believed remotely possible. AND there's still another 7 available.

 

[howardj]

Poms have named the same squad.

Tends to happen when your next in line are next to useless.

Joking.

 

[Bahnz]

Taylor again showing the vast gulf in talent between him and the rest of New Zealand's top order.

 

[NZTailender]

Taaaaaaayyyyyyyyyloooooorrrrrrrrrrrr!

 

[Leslie1]

Great to see we have another star batsman in the side, with support from McCullum, and captaincy of Vettori. A nice nucleus for the rest of the side to play around.

Now all we need is some bowlers with some venom in their deliveries, 'cause we sure have enough stock-contain type bowlers.

 

[gettingbetter]

Really a post with no point (some point since the ODI squad was selected), but do you think Trott will ever make a comeback (into the squad)?

 

[Prince EWS]

Really a post with no point (some point since the ODI squad was selected), but do you think Trott will ever make a comeback (into the squad)?

Absolute bloody travesty if he doesn't.

 

[Richard]

FFS, Gareth Hopkins is one useless %$£@ing bastard! Why the blue blazes did the stupid %$£@ have to get out to Andrew %$£@ing Crook?! Why not just declare before the bugger got out Brendon McCullum you stupid idiot?!

Now Crook probably won't play, never mind bowl, again this season!

 

[Richard]

Really a post with no point (some point since the ODI squad was selected), but do you think Trott will ever make a comeback (into the squad)?

Doubt it, if they think Luke Wright is better than him (and Usman Afzaal) they can think any batsman - including me probably - is better. Useless idiots, our selectors. Mirroring selectors from around this planet.

 

[stumpski]

Indeed. I can't see James Marshall doing much in the 3rd Test, but if Fulton was re-called to the side and scored poorly then his chances of further Test selection would be greatly diminished IMO (unfairly obviously, but still true).

Stick with Marshall, and presuming he fails, get rid of him after this series.

Bringing Fulton in at 3, and dropping Marshall down to 6 would appear to be the sensible course. Can't believe Flynn will play, it looks as if his confidence has gone for the moment, understandably enough.

 

[Flem274*]

FFS, Gareth Hopkins is one useless %$£@ing bastard! Why the blue blazes did the stupid %$£@ have to get out to Andrew %$£@ing Crook?! Why not just declare before the bugger got out Brendon McCullum you stupid idiot?!

Now Crook probably won't play, never mind bowl, again this season!

 

[Richard]

'Cho blinkin' at Kierano?

 

[Flem274*]

'Cho blinkin' at Kierano?

Whats so bad at getting out to Crook? Surely it can't be bad enough to force McCullum to declare before he gets wickets.

"Right lads, go out and play hard today but whatever you do, dn't get out to Crook. The tour is as good as over if you do."

I know Northants or whoever it is can't bowl btw so is Crook simply the worst of the lot?

 

[Richard]

But he'd only conceded 5 runs - he's now likely to end the season with an average of 5, and it always really annoys me when players play 1 game, get 1 wicket for nothing much and end-up topping the averages.

It just irritates me when captains declare instantly a wicket falls. Why didn't McCullum declare before Hopkins got out, or wait a bit longer and allow some of his lower-order to hit Crook for a few runs so he took 1-30 or something?

Wasn't like he had anything to gain from the massive 20 overs his bowlers had. If anything, the bowlers lost more than they gained.

 

[steds]

Crook's a deadset legend. Not quite enough of a deadset legend to still be in Lancashire's team, but more legendary than most County players, who don't get to play for Lancashire.

 

[Richard]

Andrew and Steven Crook are both two of the worst Australians ever to play county cricket.

 

[Leslie1]

If we are serious about drawing the test series...

J How
A Redmond
P Fulton
R Taylor
B McCullum
G Hopkins (wk)
J Oram
D Vettori
T Southee (over Mills who hasn't done anything with the ball)
O'Brien
C Martin

D Flynn agreed should just take a break before the Papps-disease sets in, and give McCullum who's been complaining of sore back a break from wicket keeping duties.

If we just want to keep blooding with the intention of "losing but gaining something out of it", keep Flynn and drop Hopkins with McCullum wk.

 

[aussie]

If Prior could actually catch I think he has the batting ability to settle the arguments once and for all. The trouble is he can't.

I haven't been overly impressed with Ambrose's batting so far actually, his keeping has been solid (which makes it infinitely better than Prior's) but I don't think the form he's shown in either discipline is enough to displace Mustard. Mustard's keeping has been (surprisingly, given the bad rap he came in with) tidy & his batting has shown promise, without being fully convincing, apart from in the tied 4th ODI in NZ. He'd done enough to get another go for the sake of continuity, if nothing else.

Prior as a specialist bat in the shorter form, anyone? More of a dasher than we have currently.

I'd go with that idea no doubt. England really can't afford to have openers who can't take advantage of the power-play in these times.

With Tres out & with all fit the best ODI line-up ATM (subject to change after NZ series):

Cook
Prior
Bell
KP
Collingwood
Flintoff
Ambrose
Mascarenhas
Swann
Sidebottom
Anderson