** Official ** Sri Lanka in New Zealand tour

[marc71178]

Having already mistakenly given Hamish Marshall not out on the fourth evening, the genial Bucknor gave Lou Vincent and Kyle Mills scarcely-believable reprieves yesterday afternoon, allowing New Zealand to stumble through to safety.

Vincent was on 37 when he struck a ball into the covers, where Tillakaratne Dilshan dived forward to take what looked like a catch in full view of Bucknor.

What an over-reaction by the author.

Supposedly a scarcely believable decision, yet the TV umpire decided it was inconclusive as to whether it was caught or not!

 

[chaminda_00]

They won't need one for 10 years or so will they, Vettori is still only 25!

You need a second one for the sub continent

 

[dinu23]

They won't need one for 10 years or so will they, Vettori is still only 25!

yeah, well he's not a machine. he can't always be there for NZ. If he gets injured there must be someone else to fill his place.

 

[shaka]

he has been injured enough in the past hopefully

 

[psxpro]

Ed, Really, cumming has only played 1 good innings, even then he gave a few chances and has never really looked settled.
I would stick with cumming at the moment becuase i beleive we need to put up some consisant selections. I like what I have seen from how and if it was my choice he would have been slected ahead of cumming in the first place.

The squad is unchanged for wellington anyway. I feel O' Brein deserves a go, he bolwed better vs Aus than figures show, I thought he was quite impressive at times but followed it up with poor spells. He showed he has potential though.

 

[Kippax]

1 Fleming
2 Cumming
3 Marshall J
4 Marshall H
5 Astle
6 Vincent
7 Oram
8 McCullum
9 Vettori
10 Franklin
11 Bond
12 Sinclair
13 Styris
14 tba
15 tba

the assumption is that Styris, Oram & Bond are sufficiently recovered from injury to make the squad...........if not then replace Styris with Fulton, and 2 more tba.............

the tba's are because I don't know how long the itinary is as to whether or not I'd take a 2nd specialist 'keeper, as opposed to having part timer options in Vincent & Sinclair.........who also provide opening options so I haven't included Papps (not that I would atm) or How...........

likewise I'm not sure as to how much turn will be on offer for spin so I'm holding 1 berth for a potential 2nd spin option (Wiseman by default atm unfortunately - so it would have to be a spin friendly wicket/s for me to 'sacrifice' a squad berth).............

currently neither Butler, Tuffey nor Mills would make my squad - Butler because he has not shown anything different this season other than his standard back of a length, Tuffey because his action is stuffed as much as he is injured, Mills because he is too one dimensional regarding his 'swing'...........and C Martin is also doubtful.............

I'd prefer to see more of O'Brien b4 committing one way or the other regarding his selection but I'd probably have him penciled in atm.........

I'm also miffed that both Sherlock & Davis have been out for most of the season as I'd want to have one of them in the squad, much like Tait will be for The Ashes..............but I'm not aware of any other young bowling alternatives who have put their hand up as of yet........

so far as other seam options go I'd look at the likes of Adams, Walmsley & Gillespie as other options who have had reasonable domestic records, but I'm looking for attacking seamers with reasonable pace bowling genuine wicket taking deliveries, as opposed to containment bowlers to 'strangle' wickets out..........

finally I'd look to play a 6-4 split with the 11 as 1st pick...............

Thanks, Anzac. A comprehensive opinion as always - rugby gets the Re:Union TV analysis show and various others over here, but sadly cricket gets nothing remotely like it.

The itinerary isn't out yet AFAIK, but I'd be surprised if Hopkins (or as much as I wouldn't agree with the choice, Papps) was still a 'TBD' rather than pencilled in as a definite traveller, and likewise a second spinner (even on SA wickets, I doubt they'll risk another enforced Trent Bridge situation). It's an interesting point you raise though because if they did deem Vincent or Sinclair as adequate, by coincidence they're probably two hovering right around the 15th/16th cut-line for their batting alone.

Something we're hearing a lot in NZ is, "wait till the 7 or 8 missing players come back" - almost as if seeing our current test side so outclassed by AUS has put a rose-coloured lens on the likes of Papps, Tuffey, Butler etc.

I've heard all of those players referred to as "front-line" or "first-choice" recently - I'd like to know the last time anyone was recalled as a test batsman after averaging 12 or less in a domestic comp!

I think you'll be correct about Tuffey also - he could well be entering the same technical pariah status Sinclair did as a batsman. Perhaps the work he did with R. Hadlee to try and fix his scrambled seam issues started his whole crisis of confidence in a 'paralysis by analysis' fashion, and now he can't even be trusted to be accurate.

Meanwhile Butler should probably have moved past the 'promising' age (it's ironic how overseas critics are often impressed by Butler's action and attitude on their first look at him, yet it's unorthodox young quicks like Malinga and Tait who seem to be surging ahead results-wise.). Despite his tantrum about Bracewell denying him a chance on harder surfaces in AUS, I'd agree that he's no guarantee to make the African squad. At best he'd make my 15 to call his bluff - if he doesn't take wickets in SA, he may finally leave the ego-driven tactics behind.

I see the "Chris Martin's taken 29 SA wickets @ 20" argument doesn't impress you a great deal Anzac, which is fair enough I suppose given he's taken 17 test wickets @ 66 since he last played the Proteas.

I'd probably still take him ahead of O'Brien though, who I think might be even more limited skills-wise. One thing I liked about Martin's performance in Napier was the reverse-swing he started getting away from RH's - something I hadn't seen him do before.

 

[Zinzan]

Anyone heard anything as to what we can expect from the wellington wicket?

 

[dinu23]

the weather doesn't look good at all for the next couple of days in Wellington.

http://www.metservice.co.nz/default/index.php?alias=wellington

 

[JASON]

the weather doesn't look good at all for the next couple of days in Wellington.

http://www.metservice.co.nz/default/index.php?alias=wellington

My prediction for next Test is for a rain interrupted draw or a NZ win. Home advantage will come to pay at Wellington IMO.
In seamy conditions, NZ bowlers generally capable of exploiting them better !!

Unfortunately, If NZ wins, it will be quite Ironic given the controversy of last Test.

But Every Test is a new entity and NZ are better able to exploit the conditions than SL.

 

[Blaze]

My prediction for next Test is for a rain interrupted draw or a NZ win. Home advantage will come to pay at Wellington IMO.
In seamy conditions, NZ bowlers generally capable of exploiting them better !!

Unfortunately, If NZ wins, it will be quite Ironic given the controversy of last Test.

But Every Test is a new entity and NZ are better able to exploit the conditions than SL.

There was no controversy..

Storm in a tea cup

 

[JASON]

There was no controversy..

Storm in a tea cup

* Ignore*

 

[chaminda_00]

My prediction for next Test is for a rain interrupted draw or a NZ win. Home advantage will come to pay at Wellington IMO.
In seamy conditions, NZ bowlers generally capable of exploiting them better !!

Unfortunately, If NZ wins, it will be quite Ironic given the controversy of last Test.

But Every Test is a new entity and NZ are better able to exploit the conditions than SL.

I don't know about that, the Kiwi struggles with Malinga on a flat pitch, i given them next to no hope on seamy conditions aganist him

 

[JASON]

I think Martin Crowe, Mark Richardson, Gavin Larsen and Ian Smith whom I heard on TV were talking about the Tea Cup - storm or was it the Dilmah Tea Party ?

 

[anzac]

so you were at the darwin test eh anzac

unfortunately no I was working - just referring from what little coverage I saw on tv...............but I must confess I may be doing him an injustice as a result...........

 

[anzac]

Ed, Really, cumming has only played 1 good innings, even then he gave a few chances and has never really looked settled.
I would stick with cumming at the moment becuase i beleive we need to put up some consisant selections. I like what I have seen from how and if it was my choice he would have been slected ahead of cumming in the first place.

all things being equal it probably would have happened that way had How not made that comment about not being ready to face the likes of Lee & Co......................hence he will not get a berth to ZIM / RSA & will have to score well nest domestic season & hope for further injuries & loss of form..................

 

[psxpro]

My prediction for next Test is for a rain interrupted draw or a NZ win. Home advantage will come to pay at Wellington IMO.
In seamy conditions, NZ bowlers generally capable of exploiting them better !!

Unfortunately, If NZ wins, it will be quite Ironic given the controversy of last Test.

But Every Test is a new entity and NZ are better able to exploit the conditions than SL.

What Controversy?
In every test there are 1 or 2 decisions that can go either way, it wasn't that bad at all.
You keep referring to the vincent dismissal yet that went to 3rd umpire and was inconclusive, kyle mills was given not out after the match was already saved.

 

[JASON]

That was an uncontroversial Test at Napier and I hope Welligton Test will be really and genuinely be uncontroversial.

 

[anzac]

The squad is unchanged for wellington anyway. I feel O' Brein deserves a go, he bolwed better vs Aus than figures show, I thought he was quite impressive at times but followed it up with poor spells. He showed he has potential though.

agreed - IMO he showed more skills than C Martin so far & just needs a bit of luck to get a run on..................slower balls, movement both ways & able to bowl around the wicket...........

I think I've said it b4 that the NZL seam attack is lacking a true leader & O'Brien is certainly suffering as a result - IMO he needs to have more work otherwise he will probably be a 1 summer intnl & they will let Tuffey back in for ZIM / RSA & blame it all in his injury.............does this mean that Tuffey is becoming the bowling equivalent of Macca????

 

[JASON]

You keep referring to the vincent dismissal yet that went to 3rd umpire and was inconclusive, kyle mills was given not out after the match was already saved.

I hope you will be equally generous in judging decisions that go against your Team .

 

[psxpro]

I hope you will be equally generous in judging decisions that go against your Team .

No, Decisions always only go against srilanka, if it hadn't been for bad decisons they would have won every cricket match in history, I have to apologise for my rediculous comment.
Oh lord Boojamoojahoneheke, forgive me for saying rh match was not controvesial