**Official** New Zealand v Australia

[twctopcat]

D'oh, my kiss of death working well then.

 

[Scallywag]

4/145 after33

 

[MoxPearl]

Mcmillan has two 5's already lol

157/4 36.2

 

[Mister Wright]

Maybe this will kick the Lee supporters in the teeth. Lee 0-24 (6), Kasprowicz 1-17 (6)

 

[Scallywag]

Mcmillan has gone 165/4 37.4overs

 

[Scallywag]

Maybe this will kick the Lee supporters in the teeth. Lee 0-24 (6), Kasprowicz 1-17 (6)

Clutching at straws there Mister Wright.

 

[Mister Wright]

Clutching at straws there Mister Wright.

How about Kasprowicz's recent test form & that he doesn't deserve to get dropped. Or the fact that Gillespie is a protected species and nobody has even talked about him making way.

 

[Scallywag]

How about Kasprowicz's recent test form & that he doesn't deserve to get dropped. Or the fact that Gillespie is a protected species and nobody has even talked about him making way.

I dont deny that Kaspa has and is a fantastic bowler that has played brilliantly for Australia but Australia has four top line bowlers and yes Kaspa has played second fiddle to Gillespie but I think Gillespie has been the better player over a longer period.

Lee is the future of Australias pace attack and will be given more leeway and deservedly so, but I agree that Kaspa has been hard done by like a few other Aussie cricketers over the past 5-6 years.

Its players like him and Bichel that have given Australia the edge by having such good bowlers waiying in the wings.

 

[Mister Wright]

I dont deny that Kaspa has and is a fantastic bowler that has played brilliantly for Australia but Australia has four top line bowlers and yes Kaspa has played second fiddle to Gillespie but I think Gillespie has been the better player over a longer period.

Lee is the future of Australias pace attack and will be given more leeway and deservedly so, but I agree that Kaspa has been hard done by like a few other Aussie cricketers over the past 5-6 years.

Its players like him and Bichel that have given Australia the edge by having such good bowlers waiying in the wings.

But the thing is - he isn't in the wings anymore, he is a frontliner. When there were heaps of injuries he came in and did a good job and should be rewarded for that. He should only be dropped if he hits a terrible form slump, and he is too good to do that. Brett Lee should be thankful he has the support of the N.S.W. media.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Great performance by Australia after a good start from New Zealand. The big standouts were the bowling of Hopes and the captaincy of Gilchrist. I thought his bowling changes and his field placing were flawless and had a big hand in bringing Australia from a poor position to leading comfortably.

edit: I should say that Hopes stood out because he was so great on debut, he hardly bowled a bad delivery and came on at a time when New Zealand could still have got a big score and had a big hand in preventing that. All the other bowlers were good as well.

 

[social]

But the thing is - he isn't in the wings anymore, he is a frontliner. When there were heaps of injuries he came in and did a good job and should be rewarded for that. He should only be dropped if he hits a terrible form slump, and he is too good to do that. Brett Lee should be thankful he has the support of the N.S.W. media.

That, and the fact that he bowls at 150 ks, is young, and has been Australia's best bowler for the past 6 weeks or so.

 

[Blaze]

I really hope NZ win. It would make my week

 

[Crazy Sam]

personally i think australia's first test xi should look like:

langer
hayden
ponting
martyn
clarke
gilchrist
warne
gillespie
lee
kasper
mcgrath

we would run a risk with only 6 batsmen however we did essentially did the same in the 3rd test against pakistan. I just think that kasper's form is too good to see him dropped. the top 6 are in good enough form to post decent enough totals that the 5 bowlers could comfortably defend.

 

[Crazy Sam]

btw i reckon the other squad members should be symonds, lehmann and hopes, and perhaps katich if they go for 15. although watson is back from injury, I don't think we should use him before the england tour.

 

[Blaze]

personally i think australia's first test xi should look like:

langer
hayden
ponting
martyn
clarke
gilchrist
warne
gillespie
lee
kasper
mcgrath

we would run a risk with only 6 batsmen however we did essentially did the same in the 3rd test against pakistan. I just think that kasper's form is too good to see him dropped. the top 6 are in good enough form to post decent enough totals that the 5 bowlers could comfortably defend.

You would be running no risk even if you player your second XI agianst us. NZ are a terrible test side

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

personally i think australia's first test xi should look like:

langer
hayden
ponting
martyn
clarke
gilchrist
warne
gillespie
lee
kasper
mcgrath

we would run a risk with only 6 batsmen however we did essentially did the same in the 3rd test against pakistan. I just think that kasper's form is too good to see him dropped. the top 6 are in good enough form to post decent enough totals that the 5 bowlers could comfortably defend.

I think there's a fair chance they will do this, at least in the first test. Australia doesn't pick five bowlers very often, but with the New Zealand pitches likely to seam a bit and not offer a great deal for the spinners it's something they will definately consider. If they do go with four bowlers, the team will look like yours but without Kasprowicz and with Katich at 5.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

btw i reckon the other squad members should be symonds, lehmann and hopes, and perhaps katich if they go for 15. although watson is back from injury, I don't think we should use him before the england tour.

I don't see Hopes being anywhere near penetrative enough with the ball at test level. He's got the potential to be a very good ODI number 7, but unlike Watson he wouldn't be very successful in he longer form in my view.

 

[Burpey]

I think there's a fair chance they will do this, at least in the first test. Australia doesn't pick five bowlers very often, but with the New Zealand pitches likely to seam a bit and not offer a great deal for the spinners it's something they will definately consider. If they do go with four bowlers, the team will look like yours but without Kasprowicz and with Katich at 5.

If the pitches are seam firendly, doesn't that mean you need more batsman because less bowlers will do the job?

 

[Burpey]

and you need more bowlers on good batting pitches?

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

If the pitches are seam firendly, doesn't that mean you need more batsman because less bowlers will do the job?

Yeah, but the selectors might be attracted to including Lee because of the seaming nature of the pitches, and hesistant at leaving out Kasprowicz because of his great performances over the last year. I think Lee will play, one way or the other.