Good on him for a good debut but he averages 26 with the bat and 47 with the ball domestically in this format. Hard to say he's been unlucky not to get a gig before now.Cole McConchie huh? 10/46/1 & 64*(45)
Really nice debut but where has he been ffs the guys almost 31.5 years old.
NZ ODI spin bowling allrounders is hardly a weakness eitherGood on him for a good debut but he averages 26 with the bat and 47 with the ball domestically in this format. Hard to say he's been unlucky not to get a gig before now.
Yeah I was ripping into his selection on a group chat prior to the game … thanks Cole. Also - well played.Good on him for a good debut but he averages 26 with the bat and 47 with the ball domestically in this format. Hard to say he's been unlucky not to get a gig before now.
@trundlerNZ ODI spin bowling allrounders is hardly a weakness either
One thing I don't get with NZ's selections in both T20I and ODIs is that we have a bottleneck in positions 1-5 where lots of batsmen are competing and the positions are sewn up, and often a shortfall in our finishers at 6/7/8 ... and yet we mostly seem to audition for even more top order players.Oh yep, so Blundell is there, so they drop Bowes who's scoring runs and continue to play Nicholls. Got it.
Not much Gary s can do during Overseas int'L matches. Many hidden issue's during overseas tour.One thing I don't get with NZ's selections in both T20I and ODIs is that we have a bottleneck in positions 1-5 where lots of batsmen are competing and the positions are sewn up, and often a shortfall in our finishers at 6/7/8 ... and yet we mostly seem to audition for even more top order players.
(I do not count putting Rachin at 7 as a genuine audition as he's so obviously unsuited to the role. Nicholls obviously isn't a 6 or 7 either and although kudos in order for his debut today, I would not have thought that was Muckonkey's ideal role either.)
From this squad I would've tried Blundell down the order instead of opening as I think he might have the shots for it. Other batters that bat at 5-7 domestically and so have experience as high-SR finishers include Fletcher, Clarkson and maybe even Dacewell.
In the top 5 we already have Allen, Conway, Williamson (though injured), Phillips, Mitchell, Latham, Young, Chapman (though he might need to slip to 6 whether that's ideal for him or not). There's no more room. Whereas our finishers have been a problem for a decade - Neesham will swing but is one dimensional, Macewell has worked occasionally but has a lot more to prove, Santner has improved but isn't an answer by himself. The finishing is the gap in NZ's batting in both ODIs and T20Is and we don't seem to be addressing it.
Hard to argue with all that. What have we learned on this tour? To me, we've learned that Chapman can bat (but isn't a first choice ODI player), Matt Henry has come on in leaps and bounds and is a genuine international bowler in all forms, Daryl Mitchell is what we thought he was, and what else? We don't know what the **** Henry Nicholls is, whether Blundell should be in our ODI/T20 XI, what the hell Rachin is, why Jimmy Neesham is still a thing, whether Chad Bowes would've kept scoring runs, and a whole bunch of guys like Adam Milne, Shipley haven't pushed their case, Will Young pushed around the order and played in wrong formats etc.One thing I don't get with NZ's selections in both T20I and ODIs is that we have a bottleneck in positions 1-5 where lots of batsmen are competing and the positions are sewn up, and often a shortfall in our finishers at 6/7/8 ... and yet we mostly seem to audition for even more top order players.
(I do not count putting Rachin at 7 as a genuine audition as he's so obviously unsuited to the role. Nicholls obviously isn't a 6 or 7 either and although kudos in order for his debut today, I would not have thought that was Muckonkey's strength either.)
From this squad I would've tried Blundell down the order instead of opening as I think he might have the shots for it. Other batters that bat at 5-7 domestically and so have experience as high-SR finishers include Fletcher, Clarkson and maybe even Dacewell.
In the top 5 we already have Allen, Conway, Williamson (though injured), Phillips, Mitchell, Latham, Young, Chapman (though he might need to slip to 6 whether that's ideal for him or not). There's no more room. Whereas our finishers have been a problem for a decade - Neesham will swing but is one dimensional, Macewell has worked occasionally but has a lot more to prove, Santner has improved but isn't an answer by himself. The finishing is the gap in NZ's batting in both ODIs and T20Is and we don't seem to be addressing it.