For people who have posted 10,000+ times on a cricket site you would think there would be some level of logic within their arguments. Hopkins IS the best full time Wicketkeeper running around our domestic game. As said in earlier posts Watling has a history with the gloves and has had recent exposure to the international stage with the odd success (Granted a few fails) but potential is there. He is 25 so do not even try and throw out names like Sinclair and Papps that is ten times dumber than the stupidity you claim is in this idea.
Haha, for ****s sake.
Okay then, since our most proven keeper batsman hasn't done the job, instead of going to the second most proven, lets pick a guy who hasn't kept wicket full time in yonks because, after watching a couple of 20/20 matches, you think an opening batsman who used to keep wicket but hasn't for quite a while is better than all the domestic keepers, it's sure to work.
**** me dead, it's getting too easy to get selected for New Zealand these days. Players are getting picked on what they
might do instead of what they have shown they
can do. It's relatively easy enough as it is for the very talented players to score runs and take wickets domestically, and when some of these players are elevated and don't do well enough, instead of working with them to squeeze out every ounce of success they might possess we turn to guys who
look good and
might do well because they're
young which obviously means they're
talented.
I actually think the pressure on the shoulders of the likes of Watling, Guptill, Fynn etc is very unfair because they've barely done anything domestically. And if they can't do much domestically while James Franklin, Peter Ingram, Peter Fulton and Matthew Sinclair bend over their opposition for fun (only to be horribly exposed when they're elevated to test cricket), how in ****ing Christ's green backside can we expect young players just starting out to come in against ****ing good test players? Guys like Sinclair deserve the criticism they get, but these young blokes cop it and it's not their fault. They haven't done much at lower levels.
Reece Young and Kruger van Wyk kept wicket just the other day. Watling last kept wicket probably covering for McCullum in some random one off ODI. Watling will be keeping wicket under more pressure, on a bigger stage where millions will be watching, against better bowlers and the chances are worth more because international class batsmen won't give as many chances as domestic batsmen. It will be
hard. Contrary to your opinion, throwing in a keeper who last kept wicket for his province further back than I can remember because he
looks like he
might be good rather than has shown he
deserves the gig is the complete opposite of logic, it is stupidity personified.
If you were a domestic keeper who had a good catching record and did well with the bat, and some batsman was given the gloves because he
might be good rather than has
shown he's good, would you agree with it? I highly doubt it.
All six domestic keepers might turn out to be utter ****, but Watling should not even come into consideration until they're tried unless he goes and proves he can keep game after game after game after game to a high enough standard. He might be capable, in which case good on him and give him the test cap he
deserves.
. He doesn't put the icing on the cake with our totals. We should have a first innings lead but he gets out for ten or whatever and we end up short of what we should have had. He is like Ryan Harris at number 8 except in our team.
