***Official*** South Africa in New Zealand 2017

[Bahnz]

This is still a disappointment to me. If we'd held even just the straightforward chances that came our way, we might well have been in a position to push for a win on day 4. A real opportunity missed.

 

[veganbob]

The fielding really has been unacceptable this season. They need to practise/work on concentration because we have dropped very basic catches that you would be disappointed dropping in a under 12s game

 

[Fuller Pilch]

With taylor ruled out of the next test, we have problems at 4,5, 6 and 8.

For that reason I'd like to see Watling at 6. Despite his terrible keeping and DRS work in Dunedin, he batted well and has a great record at the Basin.

 

[SteveNZ]

This is absolutely ridiculous! Why promote cricket to young families then?

Pram ban at Black Caps' Dunedin test match sparks calls of foul play | Stuff.co.nz

This makes me absolutely furious as a parent, of young children too. I'm sick of this over-officious **** going on at sporting events. It's clearly an edict from HQ, who I'm sure will shake their heads and wonder why no one turns up in 10 years time when they've stripped all the fun, the convenience and the affordability of attending a cricket match.

Don't give me this 'safety' horse **** either. I cross a road with a stroller, I can park it at the cricket and ensure my child is not hit. No different than if I'm holding them in my lap.

 

[SteveNZ]

Eleven degrees and pizzling rain just after the end of summer. Well done Dunedin.

Every year Dunedin gets a bum rap. Auckland/Hamilton wouldve had zero play (and Napier, if they got a few mm down there). Yeah it's cold, it's near the North Pole. I like that we subject our tourists to the cold, just as they subject us to extreme heat. Test had've started one day earlier, we would've got five days.

 

[veganbob]

For that reason I'd like to see Watling at 6. Despite his terrible keeping and DRS work in Dunedin, he batted well and has a great record at the Basin.

Yeah, id be happier with watling at 6 too.

 

[S.Kennedy]

It looks a lovely ground, Dunedin, but they are definitely over officious with the health n' safety crap - or as I call it in the UK, ''elf n' saef' tee'' (impersonating a London jobsworth).

 

[Immenso]

They've had a real massacre of the trees down there to build up that new embankment.

Im in favour, assuming they replant now they built it.

On radio on day 1, commentator was saying he sat next to woman on flight down who had travelled from England to attend. As she had seen the ground on tv previously and like the look of that.

I wonder if she new 50% of the tress are gone since she last saw it?

Quite like the view of the city in the mean time while it grows back. Still a pretty ground.

 

[S.Kennedy]

Most of the Kiwi grounds look great from where I am sitting which is admittedly in front of the telly. Bit run down maybe - or lacking facilities should I say - but very scenic conditions and plenty of character. The grassy slope natural amphitheater seems to be a Kiwi trait.

 

[Zinzan]

This is still a disappointment to me. If we'd held even just the straightforward chances that came our way, we might well have been in a position to push for a win on day 4. A real opportunity missed.

I highly doubt we'd have got close to wrapping it up on day 4 even if we'd taken 3-4 of those chances... On another day de Kock might have gone berzerk.

As I said early, in many ways it would have been both more frustrating and annoying had we bowled them out last night, needing around 180 to win on the last, only to be rained out. At least we can't genuinely say the weather on day 5 cost us a great chance of a rare victory over SA

 

[Gnske]

This is absolutely ridiculous! Why promote cricket to young families then?

Pram ban at Black Caps' Dunedin test match sparks calls of foul play | Stuff.co.nz

Let's be honest though, kids and toddlers shouldn't even be going to cricket, especially tests.

If you aren't intelligent enough to count to 10 there's no way you should be watching a sport catered to the most advanced minds.

 

[S.Kennedy]

Let's be honest though, kids and toddlers shouldn't even be going to cricket, especially tests.

If you aren't intelligent enough to count to 10 there's no way you should be watching a sport catered to the most advanced minds.

Kids are more liable to understand the nuances of the game than the Barmy Army.

 

[Gnske]

Kids are more liable to understand the nuances of the game than the Barmy Army.

It's easy to deride them, but from an anthropological point of view you have to understand that there are deeper themes to their hooliganism, which is arguably the greatest sign of understanding of a sport. When you understand so much, in fact beyond all that is the sport as a whole and all its parts, that you choose to neglect that and enjoy it in the most vulgar way imaginable in deliberate ironic fashion.

tl:dr: they're too intelligent for cricket

 

[Zinzan]

Probably a futile exercise rating NZ players after just 1 Test impacted by rain on the last day, but here goes for what it's worth;


KW - 8 - Outstanding with the bat, really looked a class above any batsman from either side for me. Scored runs more freely than anyone else, except for that quiet spell on the 3rd morning. Still questions around his captaincy though. Really basic things like not bowling Santa until the last session yesterday, and it must be said that the fielding under his leadership has dropped significantly since he's taken over which is becoming a worry. Not sure how much of the blame falls on him, but the correlation between him taking the reigns and the drop in fielding standard is pretty strong,

Wagner -7- Excellent once again. We just expect it from him these days, match figures of 5-130 odd, and continues to perform against all-comers, weak or strong teams, it's no different for Waggers. Surely the best 1 change in the world currently, if not one of the top 5 pacers period.

Boult - 7 - Really good 1st innings return. Liking both his speeds and his rhythm, close to his very best. Let's just hope the injury is minor. I see unlike Taylor he hasn't been ruled out and is travelling with the team to Wellington. Fingers crossed.

Raval 6, Very impressive in his innings of 52 before throwing it away. Best he's looked since his debut & looked like a proper Test opener again, before the brain-fade which is a slight concern. Lot's to like about that knock though.

Patel - 5, Handy contribution with bat, toiled away courageously with ball on a wicket that gave him assistance & that his opposition spinner took a 5-fer on. While he was a little unlucky at times, he's still essentially the bowler he was prior to his recall. Does seem to have de Kock's number though which probably means he's worth persevering with for that reason only if the wicket in Wellington is especially dry.

Watling - 5 - Good return with the bat. His 50 was crucial in getting us a lead, but his keeping is a concern. No other legit options though, so we just need to hope his keeping is sharper for the rest of the series.

Neesham - 3- Looked pretty suspect with the bat in his 30 ball 7, but bowled a little better than I thought he would first innings, Still not sure he offers much more than CDG, but clearly has more batting talent.

Santner -3- Disappointing test with bat and ball, although it was bizarre KW took so long to give him a bowl yesterday. His first innings 4 off 42 balls seemed a bit of a waste of time though, although some may claim he was seeing off the new ball. Would like to see more intent from him with bat.

Nicholls - 2 - Played some really nice strokes in his 12, but 12 is 12.

Latham 1. 10 with bat, soft-ass dismissal and dropped a sitter. Not a great time of late Tommy. Perhaps the whole keeping in ODIs is to blame for the slump in form and confidence.



Taylor - Unfair to score - looked solid enough before the injury and showed some ticker batting at 11 with the injury

 

[Chewie]

Neil Broom called up for injured Ross Taylor | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo

Broom is Taylor's replacement for the next test

 

[straw man]

It's been raining for like 4 days straight in Auckland. Cut the city a ****ing break.

A rather agitated post, though it's understandable as it's been an agitating day... due to the ****y Dunedin weather .

Every year Dunedin gets a bum rap. Auckland/Hamilton wouldve had zero play (and Napier, if they got a few mm down there). Yeah it's cold, it's near the North Pole. I like that we subject our tourists to the cold, just as they subject us to extreme heat. Test had've started one day earlier, we would've got five days.

Petition to move all future test matches to Abu Dhabi imo.

 

[straw man]

Neil Broom called up for injured Ross Taylor | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo

Broom is Taylor's replacement for the next test

Much of a muchness between him and Brownlie - I see Brownlie as the more limited of the two, though he's also had minor success at this level whereas Broom has had none. Batting looks fragile as anything now.

 

[straw man]

So assuming that Boult's injury isn't serious (fingers crossed) I'm thinking well likely return to three seamers and a spinner for Welly. The question is now, which spinner. On the face of it, Santner offers more with the bat, but his form of late hasn't been great and he's also a liability in the field. In terms of bowling, there hasn't been a while lot to choose between these two. Both have bowled tightly, created chances and had bad luck. But one thing in Patel's favour is that, for the moment at least, he appears to have de Kock's number, a very valuable number to have.

Pretty much this. Patel hasn't batted any worse than Santner, Santner hasn't really bowled any worse than Patel (though he's been given less responsibility). Reckon they'll stick with Patel for the reason here i.e. de Kock is his bunny so far this series.

 

[straw man]

Brownlie apparently injured anyway:

Hesson said Dean Brownlie wasn't considered due to injury, having been Taylor's designated replacement against Pakistan last November. Colin Munro wasn't required, either, after he returned from his ODI axing to blast 146 and 142 for Auckland against Central Districts and boost his first-class average to 51.85.

"We were after an experienced middle order player who provides some solidity. It's fair to say Colin is a little bit different type of player to that. He's very destructive on his day but we're after that player who's able to control an innings through the middle and show that experience," Hesson said.

 

[Zinzan]

Great to see Hesson looking to the future. Such a promising young Test prospect Broom, might not come off in his first season, but one for the future....