**Official** New Zealand in West Indies

[vandem]

Needed 50 off 7 overs, got 25 off 6.3. Surely some of the most dire death batting ever.

Lower order batting has sometimes been a relative strength for the NZers. But today:

WI batsman #7, #8, #9 = 92 of 81 balls = 6.8 RPO

NZ batsman #7, #8, #9 = 22 off 46 balls = 2.9 RPO

12 of the 46 balls were from Narine, but Russell and Best also bowled very well to Oram in particular.

 

[SteveNZ]

Yeah, a bit of googling convinces me that it's definitely first contact, and therefore that was a legit delivery.

Anybody who couldn't see the heel behind the line needs to invest in HD.

I own HD, and I saw it as a no-ball. But if people see it the other way, then there's doubt and fair enough.

A few things to pick through. Oram's innings was obviously not good enough. Our fielding wasn't that flash - it's what won us the 3rd match. And it's little things too...like Doug trying to pow wow Narine for six first ball of the over. Can't see the logic in that.

 

[straw man]

This is going to be an unbelievably frustrating loss

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuu@#$@!%#@!!

Don't have the stomach right now to write stuff so will just quote some good quotes:

Mills out for Bracewell too. Yet to be convinced about Bracewell as a one-day bowler tbh, pretty harsh on Mills who's been our best ODI seamer for the last few years.

Superb from Southee. Outstanding.

(to get Gayle)

The NZ bowling is starting to get a bit loose.

Southee trips over his own feet. Not such a good job in the field for NZ. Dropping catches is becoming a bit of a habit.
A ridiculous number of wides, also. Latham missed a few down leg side, too.

McCullum in his usual self; the way he gets out is really depressing.

Tom Latham's batting might force a run-out here.. He is unable to rotate strike

Dammit Latham..

Oram undoing all of Taylor's good work.

FFS ORAM

It's like watching an old, blind sheepdog.
Complete with lethal injection. Not sure that WI actually needed to get rid of him.

Just turn the strike over ffs.

**** it. How did we lose this? 6 (18) from Oram probably the crucial innings.

No-one, not even Ross, could play Narine

Jesus, choke job or what.

Just so dire. WI should never have got 264 after that start either.
****ing hell.

And only one batsman in the top 5 getting over 35.
And 20 wides and multiple dropped catches in the field.
Lots of room for improvement.

Congrats to the WI on the series victory.

 

[straw man]

Saw good observation on cricinfo - other than Taylor and Nicol, the highest strike rate anyone from NZ managed was 58 from NcCullum. Makes it tough...

or put another way, other than Taylor and Nicol and extras we scored 95 (150).

Think the latter half of the fielding effort was where we mostly lost it though.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

Well done WI, the better team the whole way through that series.

WW I do not miss you at all.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

Saw good observation on cricinfo - other than Taylor and Nicol, the highest strike rate anyone from NZ managed was 58 from NcCullum. Makes it tough...

or put another way, other than Taylor and Nicol and extras we scored 95 (150).

Think the latter half of the fielding effort was where we mostly lost it though.

Telling stat, that. Just get the guy with four sixes back on strike ASAP ffs, watching the tail slogging out for themselves was so so dire.

 

[straw man]

Oh wait I actually forget to take the runs contributed by extras off. The real figure was:

71 (151)

 

[NZTailender]

I don't read the newspapers; how many of them are begging for Dan's return?

 

[BackFootPunch]

The WICB Presidents XI side to play the warm up is fairly decent. Only a three day match but should give us a good test.

Barath
Powell
Edwards
Chanderpaul
Deonarine
Fudadin
Thomas
Permaul
Shillingford
Roach
Johnson
McClean

 

[Briony]

Good win for the Windies. Narine seems to be tying the kiwis in knots.

 

[Howsie]

Somebody really has to explain to me what Nathan McCullum's role is in this New Zealand team is. Bats 7/8 averaging 20 whilst supposedly being our lead spinner even though he averages 45 with the ball and on average only managing to get through six overs a game. Infact in 36 ODI's he's only bowled 10 overs eight times.

Surely we could get much better value out of someone else, preferably a genuine batsmen. McCullum's bowling this series has just been total puss, Samuels has put him to shame ffs. Get more overs out of Nicol and Williamson and bring in a proper bat.

 

[Raghav]

Somebody really has to explain to me what Nathan McCullum's role is in this New Zealand team is. Bats 7/8 averaging 20 whilst supposedly being our lead spinner even though he averages 45 with the ball and on average only managing to get through six overs a game. Infact in 36 ODI's he's only bowled 10 overs eight times.

Surely we could get much better value out of someone else, preferably a genuine batsmen. McCullum's bowling this series has just been total puss, Samuels has put him to shame ffs. Get more overs out of Nicol and Williamson and bring in a proper bat.

Jimmy can replace N. McCullum ... whenever selectors includes Jimmy to the squad. May be for the next Indian T20 tour, we will see Franklin be added to squad.

He has developed in to a good batsman and can be a useful handy bowler too ..

 

[SteveNZ]

Somebody really has to explain to me what Nathan McCullum's role is in this New Zealand team is. Bats 7/8 averaging 20 whilst supposedly being our lead spinner even though he averages 45 with the ball and on average only managing to get through six overs a game. Infact in 36 ODI's he's only bowled 10 overs eight times.

Surely we could get much better value out of someone else, preferably a genuine batsmen. McCullum's bowling this series has just been total puss, Samuels has put him to shame ffs. Get more overs out of Nicol and Williamson and bring in a proper bat.

If I look up his ODI performances over the past 12 months, I see plenty to suggest he's a fixture in this side. 3-24 v South Africa in a World Cup quarter. 2-48 v Sri Lanka the match before that, 2-28 v Pakistan before that. Two very good spells, economically wise, against South Africa at home. He probably hasn't delivered with the bat like he should have, but again there was a run at the start of 2011 when he was Mr Dependable. Plus he's an outstanding fieldsman.

Perhaps the issue is in the use of him. And who is this genuine batsman we should select? I can't see many justifying their selection that are over there, let alone at home.

Nicol is not an international class off-spinner and Williamson hasn't bowled at all. Samuels is a chucker, so whatever on that front.

I'm all for questioning people's places in sides, but not with career averages - why are numbers he produced 2 years ago relevant? - and without worthy alternatives.

 

[Athlai]

S.O.S JAMES FRANKLIN z

 

[BackFootPunch]

Since the World Cup, Rob Nicol is our second highest run scorer AND our second highest wicket taker.

Perhaps I was too quick to suggest we chuck him on the scrap heap. But still, Rob Nicol FFS!

 

[Mike5181]

Since Jan 2011 against non-minnows:

Batsmen
BJ Watling: 172 @ 86
Ross Taylor: 467 @ 51.88
Jesse Ryder: 314 @ 34.88
MJ Guptill: 464 @ 29.00
KS Williamson: 306 @ 27.81
NL McCullum: 309 @ 25.75
RJ Nicol: 176 @ 25.14
BB McCullum: 321 @ 24.69
JEC Franklin: 181 @ 20.11
DR Flynn: 61 @ 20.11
JDP Oram: 141 @ 15.66
TWM Latham: 46 @ 15.33

Bowlers:
HK Bennett: 13 @ 23.76
TG Southee: 28 @ 28.26
JDP Oram: 16 @ 30.18
TA Boult: 3 @ 30.66
KD Mills: 12 @ 32.00
NL McCullum: 11 @ 37.63
JEC Franklin: 3 @ 60.66
DL Vettori: 3 @ 60.00
DAJ Bracewell: 2 @ 59.50

 

[M0rphin3]

S.O.S JAMES FRANKLIN z

This really.
And Oram sucks arse - WTF was he doing? 7 RPO was easily gettable, ate up a lot of deliveries in the end.
And, oh - played, Rossco.

 

[BeeGee]

Since Jan 2011 against non-minnows:

Batsmen
BJ Watling: 172 @ 86
Ross Taylor: 467 @ 51.88
Jesse Ryder: 314 @ 34.88
MJ Guptill: 464 @ 29.00
KS Williamson: 306 @ 27.81
BB McCullum: 321 @ 24.69
NL McCullum: 309 @ 25.75
RJ Nicol: 176 @ 25.14
JEC Franklin: 181 @ 20.11
DR Flynn: 61 @ 20.11
JDP Oram: 141 @ 15.66
TWM Latham: 46 @ 15.33

FYI, if the order is descending batting average then B McCullum is out of order.

 

[SteveNZ]

Brendon averages 24 against major sides in the last two years. Magic. In fairness, he did have a decent series v South Africa last summer.

Those numbers on the whole make for awful reading.

 

[BeeGee]

And Oram sucks arse - WTF was he doing? 7 RPO was easily gettable, ate up a lot of deliveries in the end.

I agree, it was a pathetic effort.... but, Oram is in the team for his bowling, not his batting. He took 3 for 42 with the ball.
Williamson, Guptill and B McCullum are in the team for their batting only and they all failed. They made no contribution to the NZ effort. A fifty from any one of them and NZ would almost certainly have won.