***Official West Indies in New Zealand***

[Matt52]

Will Franklin really bat at 6 ?

He's been in fine form with the bat of late. Its entirely possible, though I suspect they may just move everyone up one and then Oram fits back into the side next time. We have a bit of a tail now.

 

[freckleslol]

The tail's not too bad compared to when they were thinking of going Vettori - Mills - Southee - O'Brien - Martin which scared the living hell out of me; Mills is more than respectable at 9

 

[Matt52]

Bit of a strange switch really, a number six batsman goes out and a bolwer comes in. I would have thought another batsman would have come in and our attack had 3 seamers and a spinner rather than 4 seamers and a spinner. The team seems a bit out of balance now. Maybe they were worried how much bowling Franklin could do.

 

[Bahnz]

Maybe they were worried how much bowling Franklin could do.

Think you're right there. With both players just coming back from injury, I don't think the Vettori would've expected Franklin and Oram to do that much more work than one fully fit seamer. And you're also right, it does throw the balance of the team out of whack.

 

[Woodster]

He's been in fine form with the bat of late. Its entirely possible, though I suspect they may just move everyone up one and then Oram fits back into the side next time. We have a bit of a tail now.

I don't doubt he's done very well domestically, and perhaps he deserves a chance further up the order and with Oram missing out now maybe the time. Unless I'm doing him dis-service, he's re-invented himself very quickly as top 6 batsman. I would be very surprised if Franklin makes any great impression as a Test number 6 over a length of time. I may be wrong.

 

[S.P. Fleming]

The tail's not too bad compared to when they were thinking of going Vettori - Mills - Southee - O'Brien - Martin which scared the living hell out of me; Mills is more than respectable at 9

yea its not too bad, better than the Windies tail. Cant wait to see some legendary French cuts from Gillespie.

People in Dunedin, weather still ok?

 

[_Ed_]

Gutted about Oram. Pleased for Mills though, he was unlucky to be dropped in Australia and I'm confident he'll do well here.

 

[S.P. Fleming]

I'm sure Martin will be feeling a bit filthy if he wasnt already. He wouldve hoped he was atleast next in line after Oram's injury. I really hope Jimmy gets a go at 6 but i think McCullam is more likely.

 

[pskov]

Quite looking forward to this series. I don't think the quality on show will be much to shout about but it should be close and competitive. Can't see any boring draws anyway as neither side has the batting for that imho.

 

[Somerset]

Fantastic to see the weather's fine this morning. At first I was questioning the late start but then remembered how ridiculously late the sun sets in the south at this time of year, so its really quite a smart move so that workers can catch the final session or so.

Disappointing to hear that Oram's out, though the tail was so long that with Franklin back, we still have quite a strong middle-lower order. Mills will hardly weaken the bowling line up either.

 

[Matt52]

Gutted about Oram.

you've gotta feel sorry for the poor guy don't you. I wonder if he goes out on the field now constantly thinking about injuries. Must be hard to focus 100%.

Chasing the ball to the boundary, thinks, should I dive?, or shouldnt I?, could be 6 months out with a knee if it goes wrong, while he's thinking and looking down at the ball, the ball crosses the boundary and he smacks head on into the sight screen and is out for a year.

thats my call for the next game he plays.

 

[Jigga988]

you've gotta feel sorry for the poor guy don't you. I wonder if he goes out on the field now constantly thinking about injuries. Must be hard to focus 100%.

Chasing the ball to the boundary, thinks, should I dive?, or shouldnt I?, could be 6 months out with a knee if it goes wrong, while he's thinking and looking down at the ball, the ball crosses the boundary and he smacks head on into the sight screen and is out for a year.

thats my call for the next game he plays.

optimism has never been a strong suit of yours has it

 

[Matt52]

optimism has never been a strong suit of yours has it

thats probably true. I was thinking about a career as an air traffic controller but I think I might give that away now.

 

[Matt52]

Is the weather still alright down there in Dunedin?

 

[_Ed_]

Looks fine.

Franklin at 7.

 

[Langeveldt]

Is the weather still alright down there in Dunedin?

Looks beautiful on TV

 

[_Ed_]

12 degrees though! Goodness me.

 

[Jigga988]

dunno if any of you have sky sports coverege but Colin Croft is speaking out his bum

 

[NZTailender]

Absolutely glorious outside. Did my washing, hung it out. Who wants to take bets on whether my clothes will dry before we're bowled out?

 

[Athlai]

Well this will at least give Franklin a chance up the order a bit.