**Official** New Zealand v Australia

[shaka]

Yeh but your opening bowler(s) should be strike bowlers, Mills has not gotten many wickets against Australia

 

[Retox]

i don't think nz needs major changes ... when they're in form they're awesome

however, i think macmillan needs to go

37 off 44
12 off 20
26 off 43
35 off 36
Where as the others have done the same or worse do we drop them to?

Not bad really No need to be dropped.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Yeh but your opening bowler(s) should be strike bowlers, Mills has not gotten many wickets against Australia

Right now I don't really think New Zealand HAVE strike bowlers available. I wouldn't mind seeing Cairns be one of the opening bowlers though. Having him bat at seven and be second change is just bizarre. He's their best bowler (aside from Vettori) and close to their best batsman as well.

 

[shaka]

I was thinking about having Adams and Cairns to open the bowling, maybe Mills first change. Adams to get the extra pace we need, hopefully he can behave himself and bowl a good line and length instead of always trying to bounce the ball.

 

[Fiery]

Right now I don't really think New Zealand HAVE strike bowlers available. I wouldn't mind seeing Cairns be one of the opening bowlers though. Having him bat at seven and be second change is just bizarre. He's their best bowler (aside from Vettori) and close to their best batsman as well.

Have to agree with ya. I've always thought he's batted too low in the order and would do a good job with the new ball until we can find someone who doesn't spray it round like Ron Jeremy on rollerskates (Voltman 2005)

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

I was thinking about having Adams and Cairns to open the bowling, maybe Mills first change. Adams to get the extra pace we need, hopefully he can behave himself and bowl a good line and length instead of always trying to bounce the ball.

I thought Adams was injured?

 

[shaka]

I heard he was sick, maybe i am wrong.

 

[Mister Wright]

Lehmann ruled out of New Zealand series

Lehmann ruled out of New Zealand series

Hodge & Symonds in the running for the reserve batting position with the selectors unlikely to choose Watson if he can't play as an allrounder.

 

[shaka]

That could be the true end of his international career.

 

[shaka]

Rodney Hogg says Lee's beam balls are no accident:
http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,12408577-23212,00.html

 

[Fiery]

Rodney Hogg says Lee's beam balls are no accident:
http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,12408577-23212,00.html

Good on him. I totally agree. All this PC "Brett Lee would never do that. He's too nice a bloke" made me laugh.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

What an utter load of rubbish. On what planet is it only possible to bowl a high full toss on purpose, because "you have to release the ball earlier"? How does he think people bowl normal accidental full tosses, or does he think that for example Kabir Ali's waist high full-tosses that got smashes for six against South Africa were deliberate as well?

It is extremely easy to bowl an accidental full toss, especially if you are attempting to bowl as fast as you can. To suggest that every bowler who bowls a beamer does it on purpose is ridiculous. And furthermore, he admitted that he hadn't even seen the bloody ball!

 

[Fiery]

What an utter load of rubbish. On what planet is it only possible to bowl a high full toss on purpose, because "you have to release the ball earlier"? How does he think people bowl normal accidental full tosses, or does he think that for example Kabir Ali's waist high full-tosses that got smashes for six against South Africa were deliberate as well?

It is extremely easy to bowl an accidental full toss, especially if you are attempting to bowl as fast as you can. To suggest that every bowler who bowls a beamer does it on purpose is ridiculous. And furthermore, he admitted that he hadn't even seen the bloody ball!

He's allowed to state his opinion and many others agree with him. The PC brigade giving Lee the benefit of the doubt each time he bowls one (and it's nearly one a game now) need to start asking the question "why is he bowling so many?". The simple answer is, he's trying to.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

He's allowed to state his opinion and many others agree with him. The PC brigade giving Lee the benefit of the doubt each time he bowls one (and it's nearly one a game now) need to start asking the question "why is he bowling so many?". The simple answer is, he's trying to.

One a game? He has bowled one in four games in this series, and bowled one in eight games in the VB series.

Razzaq bowled the same amount in one over, as did Chris Cairns and Kabir Ali. Funnily enough, I don't see anybody complaining about them. Why could that be?

 

[Fiery]

One a game? He has bowled one in four games in this series, and bowled one in eight games in the VB series.

Razzaq bowled the same amount in one over, as did Chris Cairns and Kabir Ali. Funnily enough, I don't see anybody complaining about them. Why could that be?

Lee has bowled 4 to kiwi batsmen this summer. 2 to McCullum, one to Wiseman and to Harris (when Harris had a busted shoulder might I add). Were Razzaq's deliberate too? Of course. I don't remember the Cairns one and haven't seen the Ali one's to comment.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Lee has bowled 4 to kiwi batsmen this summer. 2 to McCullum, one to Wiseman and to Harris (when Harris had a busted shoulder might I add). Were Razzaq's deliberate too? Of course. I don't remember the Cairns one and haven't seen the Ali one's to comment.

He bowled three in two games in the chappell-hadlee series then. I don't recall them, but I'll take your word for it. Regardless, since then he has bowled two in twelve games, and Razzaq bowled two (to Lee) in the same over. Cairns bowled two of them at the death to Hussey and Clarke in game three, and Ali bowled about half a dozen over a couple of games at the death in South Africa. When you are trying to bowl yorkers sometimes you wind up bowling full-tosses, it's just part of the game. The difference between the Razzaq, Cairns and Ali situations compared to Lee is that nobody complained about the former because they weren't bowled by bowlers who were dominating proceedings and putting batsmen on the back foot.

For what it's worth, match referee Clive Lloyd and John Buchanan have responded to Bracewell's allegations.

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2005/MAR/191774_NZAUS2004-05_01MAR2005.html

 

[Fiery]

He bowled three in two games in the chappell-hadlee series then. I don't recall them, but I'll take your word for it. Regardless, since then he has bowled two in twelve games, and Razzaq bowled two (to Lee) in the same over. Cairns bowled two of them at the death to Hussey and Clarke in game three, and Ali bowled about half a dozen over a couple of games at the death in South Africa. When you are trying to bowl yorkers sometimes you wind up bowling full-tosses, it's just part of the game. The difference between the Razzaq, Cairns and Ali situations compared to Lee is that nobody complained about the former because they weren't bowled by bowlers who were dominating proceedings and putting batsmen on the back foot.

For what it's worth, match referee Clive Lloyd and John Buchanan have responded to Bracewell's allegations.

http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/CRICKET_NEWS/2005/MAR/191774_NZAUS2004-05_01MAR2005.html

Cairns balls to Hussey and Clarke weren't beamers they were just rank full-tosses. Lee's beamers are aimed with intent to hit or unsettle the batsmen and are aimed at the head region. I don't know whether he actually wants to hurt players but they are no accident.
Of course John Buchanan will defend his player. I think Brett Lee wouldn't even be man enough to admit to his own players that he's bowling them deliberately so that's why Ponting's come out and defended him too. It's hard to prove without Lee himself admitting it but the weight of evidence is damning in my opinion.

 

[Top_Cat]

Brett Lee's full-toss to McCallum was nowhere near his head. McCallum is a short guy but it was marginally above waist high at best. Still a nasty ball to have to face but when you're busting a gut to bowl as fast as you possibly can, sacrifices have to be made and in Lee's case, I think he's lost a bit of control. I would bet that if he pulled in his effort just a little, we'd forget he even bowled any beamers.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Cairns balls to Hussey and Clarke weren't beamers they were just rank full-tosses. Lee's beamers are aimed with intent to hit unsettle the batsmen and are aimed at the head region. I don't know whether he actually wants to hurt players but they are no accident.

Lee's beamer to McCullum was a touch above waist height and hit him on the hand. It was at least a foot lower than his head. Lee's beamer to Razzaq was chest height. The only beamer I've seen recently that was head height was Razzaq's to Lee, which would have hit him flush in the face if he hasn't moved to leg and deflected it away.

Of course John Buchanan will defend his player. I think Brett Lee wouldn't even be man enough to admit to his own players that he's bowling them deliberately so that's why Ponting's come out and defended him too. It's hard to prove without Lee himself admitting it but the weight of evidence is damning in my opinion.

What evidence? He bowled a couple of beamers so you decide he does it on purpose. That is not "evidence". Cairns bowled waist high full-tosses, which is exactly what Lee has done. Ali bowled one in particular to Kemp which was throat height after bowling another earlier in the over. The only reason he wasn't sent out of the attack was because it was smashed over the midwicket fence and thus nobody complained. Lee, you may have noticed, hasn't been smashed over any fences in recent times, hence the complaints.

And, whatever your biased view on the matter (or Bracewell's), both the field umpires AND the match referee have stated categorically that there was no way it was intentional. Unless you think these guys are in the pay of the Australian team or something, why exactly do you think they didn't notice this "damning evidence"?

 

[Arjun]

Is New Zealand ever going to get a world-class opening partnership if they pick and drop openers so often and still open with misfits at the top of the order? What, I ask, WHAT, was Craig Cumming doing at number 3?