*Official** New Zealand in England

[tooextracool]

Too early to write Anderson off just yet - he's still not yet 22 and is learning (I hope). Many fast bowlers in the past were still plying their trade in county seconds at 21.

yea thats why i said he should start ahead of saggers for the third test.......but i dont think hes good enough ATM to be a regular in the side. he does need to improve that pace though

 

[MoxPearl]

maybe theres something wrong with their nutrition that makes their bones weaker?

lol

 

[tooextracool]

beating a new zealand team with about 75% of the team injured

we did beat a fairly fit NZ side in the first test though

 

[luckyeddie]

well i said at the start of the series that cairns was past his prime with the ball......there were many people saying he's improving and others saying that he is still the best all rounder in the world.
just looking at some of NZ's bowlers over the last 10 years it seems that almost everyone has had an injury plagued career.cairns,nash,doull,vettori,o'connor,allott,drum.....pity though some of them had real talent and couldnt quite showcase that. maybe theres something wrong with their nutrition that makes their bones weaker?

Boyks used to sum it up as "Too much bottled milk, lad". People might well just be more wussy nowadays, I don't know - but it's not just New Zealand and it's not just cricket.

Same with footy. 30 odd years ago, people used to 'play through' injuries - the old magic injection, take two aspirin and away they go - 42 games in a season.

Mind you, those same people now walk with two sticks, have knees like garden rockeries and the attention span of oh look. New Zealand have won the toss and are batting.

 

[tooextracool]

If he carries on in the vein he's in, he might force himself in, but no way would he replace Flintoff - more complement him.

and replace whom? we already have collingwood struggling to find a place in the side...add key and now bell

 

[Craig]

Substandard? Well, maybe. But he's certainly doing a bloody better job than anyone else I've been looking at. If you can find someone who's got better stats, let me know and I'll be happy. Some people say Adams is just lucky because his wickets come from poor shots - but I'd rather a lucky bowler who gets the batsmen playing poor shots than an out of form bowler who gets the batsmen driving them down the wicket for a few boundaries an over. Or do you rather international reputation over true form? I'd bring in Butler and Adams for Martin and Tuffey if it was my choice. And I don't like Butler because he's, er, substandard. Butler being called up is a sign of desperation, but then again, desperate times call for desperate measures.

I consider Butler to be of substand too, but he did take 6 against Pakistan in Wellington.

Butler would not have been called up if it weren't for this injury crisis and the NZC being tight and only taking 14 players.

 

[tooextracool]

I'm not so sure - the batting in the West Indies was clearly a man light

largely because clarke was part of it

 

[luckyeddie]

largely because clarke was part of it

Already done that joke

 

[Pedro Delgado]

How bad is his injury?

From what I remember he was left out as a precautionary measure, he's not actually injured. But he was going to be if he played. Or summat.

 

[Pedro Delgado]

Could be a veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery long day for the English bowlers today.......

 

[MoxPearl]

Could be a veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery long day for the English bowlers today.......

lets hope so :P

 

[luckyeddie]

lets hope so :P

I think there's going to be an awful lot of leather-chasing in the next day and a half - and probably a huge number of overs from Giles (sleeping caps on, guys). The outfield is like lightning square of the wicket too.

Saying that, there could easily have been wickets falling at almost any time up until half an hour before lunch. An interesting morning.

 

[Loony BoB]

The real question is can the NZ bowling improve - no matter how good the batting can be, it's useless with nothing to back it up.

Still, so long as I have something to smile about I'm happy.

 

[anzac]

NZ Team named this morning...

1. Mark Richardson
2. Stephen Fleming
3. Nathan Astle
4. Scott Styris
5. Craig McMillan
6. Jake Oram
7. Brendon McCullum
8. Chris Cairns
9. Jimmy Franklin
10. Kyle Mills
11. Chris Martin

I just hope to christ that Astle, McMillan & Oram are 100% fit..............in the last 2 series Tuffey has shown the danger of keeping a player who is not 100% & it's about time they stopped doing the same with some of the batsmen IMO..............

as I said b4 Martin gets to keep his place as he is fit & the only other bowler they have is Butler who arrived today..............

if Fleming is not going to stay for the ODIs then I think it is a mistake to not play the likes of Sinclair & Hopkins..................

for a team so soundly beaten 2 days ago we have only 3 changes & all forced by injuries - makes you wonder a bit..................

I'm not surprised considering the conservative nature of the selectors, but in a dead rubber I would have expected them to show a bit of immagination looking towards the future...........

maybe the 'best' available team on paper, but not necessarily the best available team regarding fitness etc...............

 

[Pedro Delgado]

I think you're due a bit of luck Moxpearl vis the toss, and from what's been said about the NZ batting stength 600-odd should be on the cards.

This is where I'd like to see Harmo doing what Curtly would've done on this kind of wicket; just short of a length on a "tea towel" metronomic.

(before you start NO I'm NOT comparing Harmo with Ambey!)

 

[anzac]

From what I remember he was left out as a precautionary measure, he's not actually injured. But he was going to be if he played. Or summat.

now there's a piece of logic, man management and pro-active planning that the NZL selectors could have done with over the years regarding my rant about selecting players carrying injuries (and not just this tour).............

 

[Neil Pickup]

600 plays 600 coming up...

 

[MoxPearl]

this is the one pitch where we really need a spinner and our one is on crutches lol

 

[Craig]

82-0 at lunch, not a bad start by the New Zealand openers.

I'm disappointed to see Michael Papps ruled out with his hand injury after his good comeback at Headingly (well in his lead up form it was), it doesn't help his confidence one bit.

IIRC Kyle Mills becomes the 226th Black Cap?

 

[Craig]

this is the one pitch where we really need a spinner and our one is on crutches lol

This is the first time we haven't played a spinner in a Test, in well years in fact.

In NZ if the pitches doesn't the spinners (ie green tops), then I do not see much point in playing a spinner since he won't bowl much (Vettori).