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*Unofficial* New Zealand Black Caps Thread

Flem274*

123/5
nerd stuff

first class bowling records for past 3 seasons in NZ (no division 2 county cricket allowed). world bowling has dominated since 2018ish and it continues at FC tbh. some tests will be included here. for reference, the duo records for ND are below;

Tim Southee - 33 matches, 142 @ 21.09
Trent Boult - 30 matches, 107 @ 23.97

and so

Kyle Jamieson - 17 matches, 72 @ 17.87 (averages 13 for Auckland since moving in late 2019)
Fraser Sheat - 13 matches, 50 @ 22.26
Lockie Ferguson - 6 matches, 19 @ 22.36 (spent a lot of time in white ball squads)
Hamish Bennett - 11 matches, 40 @ 22.72 (heavily carried by 3 seasons ago, like Ferguson he's missed FC for 2 seasons but when he has played he hasn't had results)
Will Williams - 20 matches, 61 @ 23.31
Seth Rance - 16 matches, 54 @ 23.59
Neil Wagner - 12 matches, 51 @ 24.86 (this is his ND record, he moved on the cut off)
Doug Bracewell - 17 matches, 56 @ 25.64 (has really lifted his game)
Matt Henry - 15 matches, 64 @ 25.79 (there will be a test here and there)
Ben Sears - 10 matches, 28 @ 27.28
Jacob Duffy - 21 matches, 69 @ 27.52 (average goes down to 20-21 if only past 2 seasons)
Blair Tickner - 22 matches, 70 @ 28.07
Scott Kuggeleijn - 19 matches, 55 @ 30.72

good times to be a bowler in nz.
 

Immenso

International Vice-Captain
nerd stuff

first class bowling records for past 3 seasons in NZ (no division 2 county cricket allowed). world bowling has dominated since 2018ish and it continues at FC tbh. some tests will be included here. for reference, the duo records for ND are below;

Tim Southee - 33 matches, 142 @ 21.09
Trent Boult - 30 matches, 107 @ 23.97

and so

Kyle Jamieson - 17 matches, 72 @ 17.87 (averages 13 for Auckland since moving in late 2019)
Fraser Sheat - 13 matches, 50 @ 22.26
Lockie Ferguson - 6 matches, 19 @ 22.36 (spent a lot of time in white ball squads)
Hamish Bennett - 11 matches, 40 @ 22.72 (heavily carried by 3 seasons ago, like Ferguson he's missed FC for 2 seasons but when he has played he hasn't had results)
Will Williams - 20 matches, 61 @ 23.31
Seth Rance - 16 matches, 54 @ 23.59
Neil Wagner - 12 matches, 51 @ 24.86 (this is his ND record, he moved on the cut off)
Doug Bracewell - 17 matches, 56 @ 25.64 (has really lifted his game)
Matt Henry - 15 matches, 64 @ 25.79 (there will be a test here and there)
Ben Sears - 10 matches, 28 @ 27.28
Jacob Duffy - 21 matches, 69 @ 27.52 (average goes down to 20-21 if only past 2 seasons)
Blair Tickner - 22 matches, 70 @ 28.07
Scott Kuggeleijn - 19 matches, 55 @ 30.72

good times to be a bowler in nz.
This worries me.

A big part of the recent success of NZ cricket, particularly test cricket, (which has resulted eventually in an WTC win no less) has been the transformation of NZ pitches at domestic level into roads, about a decade ago.

Anecdotally / visually. We have noticed the last two years NZC have moved away from this in Plunket Shield. In fact, I think I recall an article announcing an official move to more sporting wickets, but I'll never find it on the internet, it's too full.

Anyway. here are the bowling averages for Plunket Shield for the last decade.

MatchesRunsWicketsAverage
2020/21
8​
19318​
640​
30.18​
2019/20
6​
15457​
511​
30.25​
2018/19
8​
20303​
674​
30.12​
2017/18
10​
25642​
949​
27.02​
2016/17
10​
27266​
835​
32.65​
2015/16
10​
32476​
971​
33.45​
2014/15
10​
30413​
940​
32.35​
2013/14
10​
30146​
839​
35.93​
2012/13
10​
32164​
943​
34.11​
2011/12
10​
27279​
835​
32.67​

We've dropped about an average of 2 or 3 runs since mid-decade.

Those tough pitches must have factored in better bowling cream raising to the top. Milne, Fergusson, Bennett, McClenaghan etc. Not your Aaron Gales or Alex Tait's of the 90s.

In the mid 2010 we had 50% of the teams picking wrist spinners every week. Unheard of in previous decades.

I mean, the model domestic journeyman NZ bowler is now probably Seth Rance. A guy who bowls at a surprisingly good pace and hoops it big both directions. That is the standard we should be aiming for.
 
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Immenso

International Vice-Captain
^^ This mistake also further compounded, IMO, by the shortening of the season from 10 to 8 games.

Now we get 4 games in sporting Spring and 4 in flat Autumn. Before we used to get 6 rounds in flat late summer/Autumn. A time for Ajaz Patel to learn his craft flattering his stats a bit taking 'declaration wickets'. A time when Tickner's height and bounce is actually worth something etc etc.
 
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Flem274*

123/5
hmm that isnt as stark a difference as i thought it would be. tbh its a good thing domestic batsmen cant just hand eye it now, but the dukeaburra can **** off. we dont want to become county cricket.

i guess the standard now depends on how good you think sheat and williams are.
 

kaetor

U19 Cricketer
I'd genuinely enjoy if Will Williams got a shot for the BC's, if only to watch everyone lose their minds when he rolls up bowling 120kph.
 

Immenso

International Vice-Captain
6 kiwis currently involved in county championship matches at the moment. Looks like end of day 3.

CdG:
4/31
0

Phillips:
47, 16*
2/67

Sodhi:
13
6/89

Mitchell:
38, 23
2/43

Conway:
21

Neesham:
10*
2/15
 

Immenso

International Vice-Captain
All but ND have named their 16th contracted player now, for next season.

Ashok is Auckland's 15th / 16th, but he is one of 3 contracted spinners.

The 16th for ND is pretty much redundant though, really, with an extra 7 players in the NZC central contracts to dip in and out.

Here's the squads in an attempted roughly positional order.

central contracts.PNG
 
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Immenso

International Vice-Captain
CD look pretty confident Will Young will play a fair amount of domestics, judging by their balance.

Otago thin in the spin behind Rippon.
Finnie and Muller got the 15th and 16th spot. Named at same time, one of them the Foxcroft replacement. Assume Finnie based on 'position'. Personally a bit disappointed that Wheeler-Greenall not got a spot, not that I follow Dunedin cricket or anything.

James Baker, ND stalwart, has retired.

New, and big, opportunity for McLachlan as only keeper in Wellington squad.

Worker has moved to Auckland.
 

Immenso

International Vice-Captain
The other late Auckland contract along with Ashok is a left arm seamer called Matthew Gibson.

No record at all of him the archive having played 'A's or U17's or U19's.
 

Immenso

International Vice-Captain
hmm that isnt as stark a difference as i thought it would be. tbh its a good thing domestic batsmen cant just hand eye it now, but the dukeaburra can **** off. we dont want to become county cricket.

i guess the standard now depends on how good you think sheat and williams are.
The big bulge was the 3 to 5 years prior to the start of that table. When the pitches had improved but the bowling and the type of bowlers selected hadn't adapted yet. Going back 20 seasons:

YearMatchesRunsWicketsAverage
2020/2181931864030.18
2019/2061545751130.25
2018/1982030367430.12
2017/18102564294927.02
2016/17102726683532.65
2015/16103247697133.45
2014/15103041394032.35
2013/14103014683935.93
2012/13103216494334.11
2011/12102727983532.67
2010/11102623680932.43
2009/10103200884837.75
2008/098 (+ final)2541669736.46
2007/088 (+ final)2260869732.44
2006/078 (+ final)2484266537.36
2005/068 (+ final)2263472131.39
2004/058 (+ final)2207876428.90
2003/048 (+ final)1963968928.50
2002/03102457278831.18
2001/02102381691626.00
 

Immenso

International Vice-Captain
This article on cricinfo, showing in feed. Is actually from 1 month ago during WTC coverage, but is showing in 'Editors Picks' for me. Not seen it before


Not particularly anything new for most here on this thread. But interesting break down of the numbers.
 

Immenso

International Vice-Captain
Author has used 2014 as his cutoff and broken it down into a 7 year period to compare with the previous 7 years.

But, it is actually the 2013/14 season rather than 2014 as a hard date - actually one month before this 7 year cutoff that NZ's fortunes started this trend, and it is actually also that series that this current style of play started to emerge. This was the 2013 December series v the West Indies.

Remember this? NZ won 3 match series 2-0, coulda, shoulda won 3-0 but in Dunedin- Bravo double ton, then Shillingford causing just enough wobble in the 5th afternoon chase before rain came.

Why I say this was the start of the 'style'. This was when Ross and Kane started to boss it. So NZ had the runs to add to the bowling of Boult and Southee which had already been good for 18 months to 2 years. This was when Wagner became a permanent feature in team. Remember Bravo's double having a controversial DRS not out call for a Wagner bouncer that touched his glove wrist band? This was when (I think) we started the Wagner short ball method and could add old-ball wickets to Boult/Southee new ball wickets.

Edit. Although I may be mis-remembering Wagner being permanent form then on? and his short ball being so prominent from then on? Maybe the Bravo short ball non-wicket is 'romanticising' this in my head. I now recall a bit more Doug Bracewell and Wagner interchanging for a year or 2.

Double Edit. That was the series where Boult took over from Southee as the big cheese of the opening duo.
 
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The Hutt Rec

International Vice-Captain
Yeah Wagner was definitely dropped for most of the Aus home and away test series in 15/16 for Bracewell, which really made no sense at the time given he’d been performing well and bowled us to the home win over India the previous season. He came back for the third test at home vs Aus and took seven wickets with what I remember being the start of Wagnerball.
 

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