** Official ** Sri Lanka in New Zealand tour

[JASON]

Don Brash for Primeminister

What about Winston Peters ?

 

[Blaze]

What about Winston Peters ?

Winston Peters would struggle to lead a line let alone a country

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Back to accusing Hair of racism are we? The most unfairly treated official in any sport in the world, without question.

 

[psxpro]

definetly

 

[_Ed_]

Winston Peters would struggle to lead a line let alone a country

Don't hassle Winston! Sure I hate the guy but he's so funny, cracks me up every time with his jokes in Parliament.

 

[Smudge]

Don't know how I missed him !! He is the King !!

That's better.

 

[chaminda_00]

Hmm i don't recall calling Hair racist but i guess i most of somewhere . Oh well i guess some people must have miss read my posts. It was quite funny reading some of ur replies i had to laugh

 

[shaka]

Fleming is seeming to bat better when he is carrying an injury, hmmmm, hopefully this form will continue for a while.

 

[chaminda_00]

Just had a look at Shane Bond's stats
for his FC comeback games this season. One thing that really surprised me is that he scored a hundred, is this an indicatation of his improved batting or the standard of bowling in State Cricket in NZ.

His bowling wasn't too bad either 9 wts @ 28.7, he bowled 83 overs in 3 games not a bad workload, but the hundred blew me away

Also interesting was Matthew Papps stats with the bat 7 Mts, 137 runs @ 12.45. There was a 74 in there so i wonder how bad it would have been without that, is he still in contention for the squad to Africa after that bad season. I would say Bond would be a better reserve opening batsmen then Papps looking at those stats.

 

[anzac]

For mine Cumming isn't quite up to test level. Surely we can find a better opening option once everyone is fit come the african/zim tour.

the only other specialist opener that could possibly come into consideration would be Gaffaney - based on form this past season, unless you want to revisit Jones after finally getting on the score sheet in the final..............

and once everyone is fit for ZIM/RSA who'd you use - Papps / Vincent / ???????
Papps has serious technical probs & Vincent is proving that he should have been in the middle order from the start.................

 

[anzac]

Im still concerned about the fact that nearly every NZ player is making a good score or taking wickets, and then in the next innings...taking no wickets or getting out below 10. There is a huge amount of inconsistency, and while we're getting away with it now..it's not going to be like that all the time.

yeah the bowling continues to be a lucky dip as to who will turn up & do anything on the day, but IMO the signs are there from the batting lineup - I just think that in some ways they are still recovering some confidence after AUS, and are a bit preoccupied by potential selection for ZIM/RSA - with so many 'regulars' out for 1 reason or another, and NZL using a 6-4 split for an extended run means that there are big chances for some of these guys..................

usually only about 2 of the batsmen consistantly contribute at best in a series in a 5-5 split - usually Rigor & Flem, this season we have seen Hamish, Astle & Vincent with more consistant contributions, while Cumming, James & Flem have now all managed to post 50s.................

 

[anzac]

Yeah but Tim if we can hold out till the end of this test and get away with it we shuld be alright assuming the other players regain fitness

The likes of Vettori Oram and Bond are all consistant players and we only really need the others to work around them and make sure they contirbute at least in one out of every two innings

AUS seems to have at least 2 batsmen scoring tons (or close to it) and 2 bowlers taking wickets (with the others contributing) in every innings....................

IMO in the past NZL have relied too heavily on the likes of Rigor, Flem, Vettori etc to make the running for the team while the rest just make up the numbers.........

the problem with the 3 players you named is that they are bowlers & lower order bats - we want to get away from the situation where we have the lower order posting more runs than the top & middle batting..................

 

[anzac]

Dead right IMO.

Although scoring slowly Cumming has lasted plenty of balls in most of his innings's to date and therefore takes the shine off the new ball quite well.

If they can work with him and stop him playing round his front pad and getting caught in front then he could be very handy

I'm actually more concerned for James M than Cumming....................not that I don't think he's doing badly or anything - just that he's not a specialist opener - he's another convert like Vincent, Sinclair, Fleming, Fulton etc.................for too long IMO NZL has monkeyed around trying to convert middle order batsmen into openers instead of persuing specialists.....

and don't give me the old arguement that there hasn't been anyone suitable, I refuse to believe that Rigor & Bell in 2002 were the last specialist pairing that we could come up with..............apart from Jones' brief stint v PAK.............

 

[anzac]

Vincent i'd suggest has done enough against Aus & S.L to book a flight to Zim/S.A ahead of Craig McMillan in August.
Vincent looks much more suited to around #5 or #6. He definately looks more solid than the last time he was playing for NZ last year.

agreed - he's been more consistant in his contributions and proved that he is NOT an opener........

 

[chaminda_00]

I'm actually more concerned for James M than Cumming....................not that I don't think he's doing badly or anything - just that he's not a specialist opener - he's another convert like Vincent, Sinclair, Fleming, Fulton etc.................for too long IMO NZL has monkeyed around trying to convert middle order batsmen into openers instead of persuing specialists.....

and don't give me the old arguement that there hasn't been anyone suitable, I refuse to believe that Rigor & Bell in 2002 were the last specialist pairing that we could come up with..............apart from Jones' brief stint v PAK.............

Anzac you have to remember that they have been many middle order batsmen around the world that have been converted to openers and had success at it Atapattu, Jaysuriya, Langer, Shewag, Gayle to name a few current ones.

 

[anzac]

Maybe he isn't any opening batsmen, he never really looked comfortable there. It a lot different batting aganist the new ball compared to the old ball.

he was a converted middle order batsman - I don't think he opened for AUCK until after his intnl debut..............this season he's been in the middle order at State level & done well - hence the recall..........

 

[anzac]

Can't see Fulton making the tour to Zimbabwe if Styris & Oram return.
Vincent will almost certainly go to Zimbabwe & McMillan has an outside chance if Styris fails to recover from his injury.

Im also concerned that the selectors are eyeing Fulton as an opener after he opened for the NZ Divisional side against Sri Lanka a few weeks back.

I'd really like to see them take some newbies rather than Macca if Styris doesn't recover - Fulton, and I agree with your concerns re the selectors looking at him as an opener - can't be doing any confidence for either Fulton nor the likes of Cumming or James M...............and Vincent..............

 

[anzac]

I think Fulton is just going to miss out completly. The only way he will play for NZ this year is through injury IMO. I would have to say that our batting depth is starting to look promising with some good players in and around the mix such as

Taylor, How, Fulton, Papps, Ryder, McMillan, Both Marshalls, Styris and Cumming

it looks promising but IMO the selectors tend to sit back until it's crisis time b4 looking at improving their depth & exposure...............of those listed only Styris & McMillan have played any more than 1 season at Test level, and it's unlikely that Taylor, How, Fulton & Ryder are going to get any exposure anytime soon..............

a couple of seasons ago McIntosh was being talked of as a replacement for Rigor - now he's changed states to get into a stronger position & he's gone to the pack this season.......Papps has also fallen apart & I wouldn't touch Macca with a barge pole...........

 

[anzac]

I think the NZ 'A' side to Sri Lanka will feature the likes of: Jamie How, Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder, Peter Fulton, Graeme Aldridge, Gareth Hopkins, Jeff Wilson, Daryl Tuffey, Ian Butler etc.

Im not sure what the status is of Jeff Wilsons injury but I don't think he should be written off by NZ after nearly all the NZ players struggled against Australia.

add into that mix Sinclair, B Martin, Redmond & possibly Patel & Todd..........Macca, Mills,

I thought Wilson's domestic form suggested that he was better suited to the longer game than to limited overs..................

 

[anzac]

I wouldn't play him in Test aganist Zimbabwe but, give O'Brien or Mills a run at them.

O'Brien is unlikely to go only having played the series v AUS - he couldn't keep Mills out of the team.............and I'd not take Mills - rather have Adams................

IMO the only way O'Brien & Mills could make the squad for ZIM/RSA is because the likes of Bond, Oram & Tuffey are not fit or recovered any form................