*Official* NZ Domestic Season

[southern man]

Otago 11 is
Cumming
Gaffney
Hopkins
Redmond
Wasim
Wilson
Todd
McCullum
McSkimming
Scott
McMillan

SOme interesting selections espically Wasim batting in the middle order. Im glad to see Brad Scott back his bowling form was very good last season, and he adds some variety to the Otago attack.

 

[Kent]

I might head down to the Basin this afternoon. Unfortunately one of the players I wanted to see (Watling) is already out.

I suppose I shouldn't really be hoping any ND players score runs, although as I'm going to be a late arrival I'd like to at least see Ryder bat in a decent run chase.

Wellington v. ND
Otago v. Canterbury
CD v. Auckland - no scoreboard as yet.

 

[bryce]

spoke too soon mate (yes i don't believe it either )

 

[bryce]

two interesting players doing well(so far) today, mcmillan currently 24* after taking 2/20 and ian butler has 2/8 against wellington ATM

 

[shaka]

two interesting players doing well(so far) today, mcmillan currently 24* after taking 2/20 and ian butler has 2/8 against wellington ATM

McMillan got 114* to go with his good bowling, I have always maintained that he is underused as a bowler in the national squad. He must be proving a point to the selectors.

ND beat Wellington by 11 odd runs. Butler ended with 3 wickets
Auckland lost by 5 wickets to Central Districts
Canterbury won by 5 wickets against Otago

 

[bryce]

actually john bracewell said publicy when he first took over as NZ coach that he thought mcmillan was underused as a bowler, great effort by him though to come back like that, someone above said that they thought it was strange mcmillan was captaining - he has captained NZ in 6 ODI's you know.
sounded like a pretty good round of cricket, pity i couldn't see a bit of it

 

[Richard Rash]

I just watched the best of the natwest series on sky and saw Craig McMillan batting superbly and following that i heard about his century today. I am honestly dumbfounded as to why he has been dropped from the NZ ODI team. I just went on cricinfo and found some info on his form leading up to his demise from the team. In the Natwest Series and the ICC knockout he averaged 58. In the Bangladesh series on batting wickets that all the NZers struggled to adapt to he averaged 21 and in the 2003/2004 season averaged 37.30 which is pretty respectable in One Dayers. He is a talent that NZ cannot afford to let go of and i hope that when an opening comes in either the form of an injury or someones deteriation in form that he is seriously considered for a recall because he can be punishing with the bat and pretty handy with the ball i might add..lol and i am not even a big fan of Macca. I will certainly not be supporting him for a recall to the test team any time soon

 

[bryce]

i also think that he could have a big role to play in NZ's future, but saying that i did support his omission from the national squad, he just needed to get some runs under his belt and rediscover his natural game IMO, him throwing away his wicket all the time was just frustrating the hell out of me

 

[Richard Rash]

i also think that he could have a big role to play in NZ's future, but saying that i did support his omission from the national squad, he just needed to get some runs under his belt and rediscover his natural game IMO, him throwing away his wicket all the time was just frustrating the hell out of me

Yeah i agree. At the time i wasn't unhappy at him being dropped but he might feel a bit hard done by.. anyway looks like he played well today. Lets hope he continues this positive start

 

[Kent]

When McMillan's relaxed, he's often able to take the p*ss out of provincial sides like few others can. I had to laugh when I heard the comments from Steve Davie on my walkman because I could just picture what Macca was batting like -

http://www.radiosport.co.nz/ThisWeek/21730.wma (I'm guessing about 10 minutes in)

I heard an interview with McMillan a while back, which left me hoping he won't start to relax for the wrong reasons. It was along the lines of "I don't agree with him but Bracewell's philosophy wants guys who nudge it around, hitters like Ross Taylor might be fast-tracked ahead of me, and I've got a business outside the game now so I'm not too worried."

%%%%%%

I was impressed by how motivated Butler was at the Basin today, even if it was same old story in terms of bowling pretty short and a few too many no-balls.

I imagine he has the exact opposite view of Bracewell and Styris' comments last summer, and is damn happy the Basin pitches have got some pace and carry in them these days. He got Ryder ("gee thanks, Pea-heart!" I muttered) attempting a hook, and eventually got Nevin caught at long leg.

Not sure about which way the Sri Lankans are leaning or the injury status of Kyle Mills, but I imagine Butler will still remain the BC's 12th man. Bracewell came up with something about the short square boundaries for not playing Butler in Napier last summer, and as I said earlier his love for getting batsmen on the back foot hasn't changed.

 

[bryce]

yeah unless mills is injured i find it hard to see butler force his way into the starting 11

 

[anzac]

well I guess I have to put my hand up and say I got it wrong re Macca...........but I won't just yet...........

on his current form I still don't think he deserved the Captaincy...........yes his ODI averages in ENG were good, but his intnl career average is not, but I do acknowledge that he has been averaging above his career average in ODIs, unlike his Test form.............

actualy I was calling for his retention in the ODI squad as opposed to his being dropped from the Test side................

I hope that he continues this form thru the summer, and does not revert to form re those brain implosions & that bloody reverse sweep!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[bryce]

captaincy shouldn't be decided on how good a form a player is in, first the player should be a guaranteed starter(which mcmillan is) and then out of the guaranteed starters you pick the person who you think would do the best job, i think the canterbury management made the right choice regardless of what happens in the future.

 

[Tim]

Auckland deserve to struggle in the State Shield when they're mucking around with Paul Hitchcock at 6.

 

[Richard Rash]

Auckland deserve to struggle in the State Shield when they're mucking around with Paul Hitchcock at 6.

Agreed..there are too many of these so called allrounders in our domestic cricket. The types that bat a bit and bowl a bit. We need specialists!!!

 

[Tim]

Auckland sometimes seem to get away with it but against quality sides like C.D & Canterbury who have a specialist side...they will struggle when they're trying to use Hitchcock & the like in their middle order.

 

[bryce]

auckland normally has made up their state shield side with 5 specialist bats and the rest(bar the keeper) bowling allrounders/bowlers, last year they used kyle mills at six, paul hitchcock isn't the worst bat but he's no number 6

 

[bryce]

just checked and he was actually batting at seven - canning was at six, i think they should bat reece young at 7 instead, he hasn't done much on the domestic front but he is a much better batsman than his record suggests

 

[bryce]

interesting round of state shield coming up with nine of the eleven players who participated in sundays ODI to turn out for their provinces following the postponement(sp?) of the napier ODI, cairns, mills & mccullum will sit the round out with minor injuries

 

[anzac]

captaincy shouldn't be decided on how good a form a player is in, first the player should be a guaranteed starter(which mcmillan is) and then out of the guaranteed starters you pick the person who you think would do the best job, i think the canterbury management made the right choice regardless of what happens in the future.

I'd like to agree with you but seeing as how Macca's attitude / application has been the subject of prolonged questioning since about the time of the WC - I'm afraid I can't support any player being given Captaincy of a State side in those circumstances.............

bottom line IMO Macca's issues are as much a part of his attitude to the game as it is to do with his form.............& consequently I'd not have him as Captaining anything above a club side atm...............