**Official** New Zealand in England

[Leslie1]

Right, that's it, Leslie. After the above message convinced me that your cricketing knowledge amounts to something just short of nought, the only people you should be criticising are the public health officials who decided it was OK to release you into the community. Oh, for the days of Cherry Farm to return...

I was meaning two ways to spin the ball, do apologize for turning this thread supposedly about New Zealand in England into "moron leslie" thread these last few pages...

ie... left-arm orthodox versus leg spin.

I'll make sure I check my posts before posting for fear of more backlash. Or not post too much crap inbetween proper games.

 

[Flem274*]

As the Spam Man would say, Leslie is in the prime of his Stage 1 as a CW poster.

 

[Dick Rockett]

As the Spam Man would say, Leslie is in the prime of his Stage 1 as a CW poster.

Haha, nice to see I've left an indelible mark on these forums, however obscure.

 

[Retox]

Haha, nice to see I've left an indelible mark on these forums, however obscure.

Macho Man 16TOS?

 

[Spitfires_Fan]

Without wanting to stoke Tom (Spitfires_Fan)'s ire... awful.

Tredwell is a typical fingerspinner in being toothless on any non-turning surface, but this is compounded by the fact I've rarely come across a game where he's offered that much of a threat even when other spinners were.

Seems to be useful from time to time in the one-day game, but even then the thought that he's ever been anywhere near ODIs while Mark Ealham was 100% ignored for 6 years when he could and should have been playing is frightening.

Nah, you're alright - I tend to agree! I don't think Tredwell's as bad as some people make out, he can be very useful at county standard with bat and ball but if he was to make it into the test side as our premier spinner who can bat a bit, I'd be very concerned at the dearth of spin bowling talent in the country.

I'd like to see Key back in the test side, but not before the likes of Denly, Walker and Stevens find some form for Kent - otherwise we'd start collapsing for less than 100, as opposed to slightly more than 100.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

I'd like to see Key back in the test side, but not before the likes of Denly, Walker and Stevens find some form for Kent - otherwise we'd start collapsing for less than 100, as opposed to slightly more than 100.

Would take something to collapse to less than 100 in this game.

 

[Richard]

You are a prize prat. Welcome to my ignore list.

EDIT: And just removed Richard from it... For now.

 

[BC_fan_abored]

i thought we'd sorted the obrien issue out, don't the NZ selectors read this thread?

guess it just shows their lack of communication

 

[Richard]

BTW, the England A (refuse to use the ridiculous "Lions" term) squad has been announced:
Robert Key (Kent) to captain, Ravinder Bopara (Essex), Michael Carberry (Hampshire), Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire), Steven Kirby (Gloucestershire), Matt Prior (Sussex, wk), Graham Onions (Durham), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Owais Shah (Middlesex), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Chris Tremlett (Hampshire), Luke Wright (Sussex)

at Wright, Kirby and Onions, obviously, none are ever going to be Test-standard players, and I don't really see the point in picking both Rashid and Swann either. Prior is a curious one too, given it's exceptionally unlikely he's going to have gone from woeful to good in his wicketkeeping in the space of 5 months. Still think James Foster is far more deserving of the second-in-line spot than him. Some minor relief to see Mustard being ditched now we're back home, though, much as I was expecting and hoping against hope it would happen.

Carberry, Key, Shah, Tremlett and Bopara are "obviously"s, obviously. Extremely disappointed there's no Ed Joyce though - far more deserving currently than Rashid and obviously an infinitely better batsman than Luke Wright will ever be. I guess his poor first 3 games have cost him dearly. That and the fact he's almost 30 now. Equally, Jonathan Lewis is clearly still a better bowler than Onions and Kirby, but I suppose he's getting on a bit now so his exclusion is fair noof.

 

[Spitfires_Fan]

Would take something to collapse to less than 100 in this game.

Yeah, in the one FC game of the year where you don't score points for batting well in the first innings...

 

[BoyBrumby]

Only 38.2 overs bowled in the day. Must've been similar weather down in Kent to round here. Kent declare on their overnight total & at stumps NZ are 92/1; How makes 50.

Anyway, quite a powerful looking England A England Lions named for their game from cricinfo:

England Lions squad
Robert Key (Kent, capt), Ravinder Bopara (Essex), Michael Carberry (Hampshire), Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire), Steven Kirby (Gloucestershire), Matt Prior (Sussex, wk), Graham Onions (Durham), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Owais Shah (Middlesex), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Chris Tremlett (Hampshire), Luke Wright (Sussex)

Six with test experience & another couple with ODI caps. No Harmy tho & the absence of Anderson is intriguing too; could mean he's either nailed on for the first test or so far off the radar as to not be worth considering at all. The four seamers in the squad (not counting Wright here, obv) look the most likely replacements should a test bearth open up.

 

[Dick Rockett]

Macho Man 16TOS?

Best. Champ. Ever.

 

[Pup Clarke]

at Wright, Kirby and Onions, obviously, none are ever going to be Test-standard

Their the best of the bunch, deal with it. (Well not Wright anyway)

 

[BC_fan_abored]

TBH i think England, New Zealand and (in a short while Australia) are in dire straits in regard to test teams and i can see SA or IND becoming the top 2 test teams in the near future (if SA can get over their Australian problem).

 

[Richard]

Their the best of the bunch, deal with it. (Well not Wright anyway)

For crying out loud...

Anyway, Onions and Kirby are certainly not two of the best seam-bowlers in the country. Yes, they are indeed better than Sajid Mahmood and Liam Plunkett, but that's not very difficult. Onions could very easily be the next Plunkett in fact.

Kirby is not even young any more, either. Don't know what they're playing at picking him.

 

[Richard]

the absence of Anderson is intriguing too; could mean he's either nailed on for the first test or so far off the radar as to not be worth considering at all.

Hadn't thought about that actually, and TBH it's rather worrying signs - there's no way he's going to have been discarded completely, so that suggests he's still a very likely candidate.

 

[Flem274*]

NZ Emerging Players Squad to tour Queensland

Corey Anderson (Canterbury)
Brent Arnel (ND)
Hamish Bennet (Canterbury)
Trent Boult (ND)
Neil Broom (Otago)
Leighton Burtt (Canterbury)
Brendan Diamanti (CD)
Bevan Griggs (CD)
Martin Guptill (Auckland)
Greg Hay (CD)
Brandon Hiini (Canterbury)
Peter Ingram (CD)
Robbie Schaw (CD)
Bradley Watling (ND)

Good squad, though there is a lack of batsmen which isn't surprising as they're all either in India or in England. I'd have Nicol instead of Diamanti though.

My suspected FC line up:

Bradley Watling
Martin Guptill
Peter Ingram
Greg Hay
Neil Broom
Corey Anderson
Bevan Griggs (captain/wk)
Leighton Burtt
Brent Arnel
Trent Boult
Hamish Bennet/Robbie Schaw

Hiini to come in for Bennet or Schaw in the List A stuff. Diamanti to get "injured" and come home. At least Hiini is a good bits and pieces allrounder.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Hmmm. I quite like that development squad. Good to see Hiini there. He was a standout this year. Thought Andy McKay might get a look in (rather than Boult), but otherwise not too shabby. Maybe they're throwing Corey Anderson in a bit early, and Diamanti does look a little out place.

Schaw is an interesting pick. Probably doesn't deserve selection on this year's performances, but he's the Kiwi equivalent of Adil Rashid it seems.

 

[Flem274*]

Hmmm. I quite like that development squad. Good to see Hiini there. He was a standout this year. Thought Andy McKay might get a look in (rather than Boult), but otherwise not too shabby. Maybe they're throwing Corey Anderson in a bit early, and Diamanti does look a little out place.

Schaw is an interesting pick. Probably doesn't deserve selection on this year's performances, but he's the Kiwi equivalent of Adil Rashid it seems.

I've seen Schaw bowl a couple of times. Can bowl some excellent stuff but there's at least one full toss or long hop an over. However, as a spinner, he has alot of growing and learning to do. He'll get better (hopefully).

 

[FBU]

For crying out loud...

Anyway, Onions and Kirby are certainly not two of the best seam-bowlers in the country. Yes, they are indeed better than Sajid Mahmood and Liam Plunkett, but that's not very difficult. Onions could very easily be the next Plunkett in fact.

Kirby is not even young any more, either. Don't know what they're playing at picking him.

Spot on about these bowlers.
Davies at Durham is better than all of them.