***Official*** New Zealand tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa 2016

[RxGM]

of course they'll beat us at home. they always do.

i can't really be bothered hanging myself from the rafters over it though. go have a fap or something. you'll feel better.

Based on our last two tours there, probably an acceptable result would be to make South Africa bat twice in both matches.

 

[CM Punk]

???????

I hope this is a troll.

From #1 in the world to #7? They've lost home series to Aus and England, and were beaten comprehensively in India.

They're definitely in decline with Smith and Kallis gone, Steyn on the way out and Philander no longer effective as he use to be.

Rabada has been a great find for them, but they've lost that aura they had and are no longer one of the top 3-4 teams in the world.

 

[straw man]

No, but Hesson talked of Anderson not being fit to bowl, iirc. Ronchi edges him on crude FC tonnage.

Didn't know there'd been a reason given for Anderson's omission, though assumed it was injury. I'd prefer to stick with Santner as the all-rounder, though would be handy to have Anderson in the squad. There's always the option of playing both too.

 

[Hurricane]

From #1 in the world to #7? They've lost home series to Aus and England, and were beaten comprehensively in India.

They're definitely in decline with Smith and Kallis gone, Steyn on the way out and Philander no longer effective as he use to be.

Rabada has been a great find though.

I think my point is that they are better than their ranking - and they fell so quickly because they were ranked so high. Weird scoring system.

I still fear them - I think the only thing that gives us any type of shot at it is ABDV being missing potentially.

 

[RxGM]

Terrible decision again, but guptill bowled a few good deliveries there.

 

[straw man]

Guptill, what a weapon.

Sodhi by comparison...

Wicket!

 

[Flem274*]

I'd forgotten just how glorious Guptill's bowling was.

yessss and a wicket guptill WAG

 

[CM Punk]

I think my point is that they are better than their ranking - and they fell so quickly because they were ranked so high. Weird scoring system.

I still fear them - I think the only thing that gives us any type of shot at it is ABDV being missing potentially.

Swear I read somewhere AB and Morkel were ruled out.

They definitely aren't 7th, but I was illustrating that they're no longer really a top of the table team. IMO they're behind Aus, Eng, India and Pakistan now.

 

[straw man]

Wow that is a shocker.

And I didn't see the Tiripano dismissal but that sounds bad too.

 

[Howe_zat]

FMD Zimbabwe have been sawn off here. Could have got through the whole session wicketless but they've lost the nightwatchman and the best batsman.

Need another wicketless session with new starters now.

 

[hendrix]

this is absolute bullshit for zimbabwe.

One bad decision is bad enough but this is crazy.

 

[Flem274*]

Reiffel wants one last test 5fer

 

[Zinzan]

I expect us to get hammered in SA. It was a good few years, but I expect us to fall back into mediocrity in Tests.

.

Even though we have all the same bowlers that delivered us those few good years?

You actually have a point that we seem to struggle more than some attacks on flat decks, but huge overreaction.

 

[Shady Slim]

i know there's no DRS but surely they could have it and just replay the ****ing footage like they're doing in sl, it'd avoid that shocker

 

[Gnske]

As if being a Zimbo supporter couldn't be suffering enough

 

[Zinzan]

FDM that's brutal on Zimmers. Gotta feel for them.

 

[Meridio]

Yeah Zim can rightly feel hacked off with those two decisions. Gone a long way towards losing the game.

Meanwhile, Guptill coming on and looking more threatening than Sodhi/Santner is a bit of an indictment. On this kind of pitch, I reckon the extra overspin the 'proper' spinners put on the ball is actually counting against them a bit - Guptill by comparison won't get over the top of the ball so much, it will be more sidespin, which is probably more dangerous on a pitch that isn't bouncing.

 

[straw man]

The worst part about about Sodhi's bowling is that at times he seems to completely lose all ability to land the ball. Maybe an exaggeration but it feels like this spell has been 50% full tosses and 30% half-trackers.

 

[Zinzan]

Yeah Zim can rightly feel hacked off with those two decisions. Gone a long way towards losing the game.

Meanwhile, Guptill coming on and looking more threatening than Sodhi/Santner is a bit of an indictment. On this kind of pitch, I reckon the extra overspin the 'proper' spinners put on the ball is actually counting against them a bit - Guptill by comparison won't get over the top of the ball so much, it will be more sidespin, which is probably more dangerous on a pitch that isn't bouncing.

Guptill has always been able to turn it, just struggles to land it.

 

[CM Punk]

Even though we have all the same bowlers that delivered us those few good years?

You actually have a point that we seem to struggle more than some attacks on flat decks, but huge overreaction.

Compare what Southee and Boult were doing a few years back to what they've been doing the last 12 months.