**Official** Pakistan in New Zealand (3 tests)

[Bahnz]

Watling plays a non-descript forward defensive to an unthreatening delivery.

"That's fine play there from Watling!" - Crowe

at the state of New Zealand Cricket.

 

[Days of Grace]

All relative of course.

 

[straw man]

Man I love Statsguru. Top 5 worst opening combinations over 10 innings.

Edit: Forgot Watling is opening. lol.

Edit edit: Watling the X-factor, WAG.

Incredibly surprised to see Hayden and Taylor there

 

[Howsie]

Watling V Kaneria should be interesting.

Edit: Someone tell Macca he's played against Kaneria before.

 

[nz0003]

Watling gets his first look at a quality leg spinner.

 

[Bahnz]

Watling gets his first look at a quality leg spinner.

Probably be the last time for a while considering Kaneria is pretty much the only leggy with a semi-permanent position in test cricket at the moment.

 

[straw man]

Good stuff McIntosh - you can be in the side for the next year

6th highest partnership now on NZT's list.

 

[slugger]

This is oour best combo..

TJ Franklin, JG Wright (NZ)based on best avg. 55.1

 

[slugger]

Because Martin Crowe didn't like him.

why is everything he says is treated like gold.

 

[Athlai]

I like the look of Watling, very compact player and defends the ball nicely. McIntosh has started to get his eye in, definitely a player who becomes more dangerous by time spent at the wicket. Which would be useful if he wasn't a walking wicket for the first half hour.

Good days play for NZ.

 

[Craig]

Well good stuff there. Bowled out Pakistan on the first day on a belter of a pitch, and just as important is that both openers are still there and no wickets are lost. That will make a huge difference to the middle order that they will have a platform or base to start on.

 

[Hurricane]

Impressed by Watling's technique - except he is a little too attacking outside off stump and likes to have a fiddle every now and then.
But unlike Guptil he actually has a nice back foot defence.

Well done O Brien and Tuffey. Judging by the replays it looks like there was a bit in it for the bowlers after all.

Now that we picked Southee I hope he comes good. I made posts about the limitations of Southee 1.0 but this is Southee 2.0.

 

[Craig]

Oh yeah, well done to Farhat as well. Well played, never knew he had such an innings in him.

 

[slugger]

Oh yeah, well done to Farhat as well. Well played, never knew he had such an innings in him.

CGW said he hung around like a bad smell... awesome line..

 

[BC_fan_abored]

unfortunate that o'brien didn't get his 5-fer but its really the story of his career always good but never great

 

[Craig]

unfortunate that o'brien didn't get his 5-fer but its really the story of his career always good but never great

Where on the Gold Coast are you? I live in Runaway Bay.

 

[Howsie]

Had a look on Stats Guru just to see how good Iain O'Brien's been since the start of 2008, his record is:

66 wickets at 29 with a strike-rate of 54.

Dale Styen is by far and away the best seamer with 94 wickets at 22 with a strike-rate of 39 and Mitchell Johnson is second with 115 wickets at 28 with a strike-rate of 52.

Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | Cricinfo.com

You could make a case he's been the 3rd best seamer in the world since 2008.

 

[Flem274*]

Especially considering he does all the unpopular jobs.

Well played to the openers. If McItosh scores a century I'll still have reservations but at least he's scoring runs.

 

[nz0003]

Interesting to hear that Pakistan were most worried about McIntosh at the start of the series.

 

[Flem274*]