*Unofficial* New Zealand Black Caps Thread

[NZTailender]

I think the selectors have painted themselves into a corner by thinking that all four seamers are undroppable. Because of this, Ajaz will hardly get a game and Ravindra will be shoehorned into batting at no.6/no.7 and bowling 20 overs in a test, neither of which he should be doing long-term.

Yup, we've got 4 good seamers who all put in similar performances in terms of the wicket column which kind of makes them hard to separate. I think as supporters we've upped Jamieson into an undroppable freak due to what he offers through height etc. but maybe he's just starting to find test cricket isn't so easy after all. And for all talk of him being the worst of the 4, Boult bounced back with 4fer in the first dig. Funny game this.

 

[NZTailender]

With Ravindra, you've got to wonder what the benefit of batting him at 7 is. At best, he's going to bat with 1 specialist bat, but even then, it could be Blundell. Once his specialist partner gets out he's then tasked with shepherding the tail. It's a bit of a hiding to nothing, and one can only assume that they thought he'd be walking in at 6/450 and he'd get some nice downhill skiing to start his career. If this is going to be persisted with just swap him with the keeper. If he's going to open the batting one day I don't see how any other time than a home series vs Bangladesh and a relatively weakened SA isn't the best time, unless NZC are planning on him being the spin option for the entire tour of England, which does seem like a very NZC thing to do now that I think of it.

 

[honestbharani]

NZ needed a fresh injection of talent and they just parachuted in performing at world class level like kiwi Sundar's and Thakur's.

Good from this ****.

 

[NZTailender]

So who's your top 6/7 in the SA series, genuinely curious?

The standard NZ blueprint of 5 bat, 1 AR and 1 WK would suggest:

1. Latham
2. Young
3. Williamson
4. Conway
5. Nicholls
6. Mitchell/Ravindra
7. WK

Personally I'd be quite intrigued by
1. Latham
2. Ravindra
3. Conway
4. Williamson
5. Young
6. Nicholls
7. Cleaver/Fletcher

 

[honestbharani]

Yep, he gets the South African serious

Wagner or Conway?

 

[Bahnz]

The middle order could do with a bit of tweaking for sure. For three consecutive tests the combination of Taylor, Nicholls, Blundell and Ravindra hasn’t really worked and they’ve tended to fall in a heap, or bat themselves into a hole. Barring Taylor’s retirement none of them are going to be dropped, but it’s quite clear that Latham, Conway, KW and Young are the four best test bats at the moment and NZ need all of them in the XI regularly.

Also feel the Rachin at no.7 should not be a thing beyond this series.

Nicholls getting bowled thru the gate is surely entering meme territory now. Had never really thought too much about why it keeps happening. I’m guessing that low crouched stance with a tendancy to try and close the face to work the ball away leg side with his head well outside the line of the ball’s flight path is the main issue.

 

[Prince EWS]

Nicholls getting bowled thru the gate is surely entering meme territory now. Had never really thought too much about why it keeps happening. I’m guessing that low crouched stance with a tendancy to try and close the face to work the ball away leg side with his head well outside the line of the ball’s flight path is the main issue.

B E N T S H O V EL
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[NZTailender]

Nicholls getting bowled thru the gate is surely entering meme territory now. Had never really thought too much about why it keeps happening. I’m guessing that low crouched stance with a tendancy to try and close the face to work the ball away leg side with his head well outside the line of the ball’s flight path is the main issue.

Nicholls has a habit of pulling an innings out to save him from the chopping block (75 here, on the back of 44 vs India after a series of **** scores).

By rights, if you looka t his record, an average of <25 away and <20 vs India and Australia suggests someone who isn't good with top quality bowling. Even his average vs England is inflated by his 145 vs them.

 

[NZTailender]

Personally I'd be quite intrigued by
1. Latham
2. Ravindra
3. Conway
4. Williamson
5. Young
6. Mitchell/Carter
7. Cleaver/Fletcher+

Revised this in light of some spud digging

 

[Prince EWS]

I think if NZ want Rachin to be an opener at home they probably need to leave him in domestic cricket for a while. As it stands I think he could be a reasonable 6 who bowls a bit if that's what they want, but if they see him as a long-term opener he needs to tighten up outside off. I don't think making him open right now in Tests is going to work.

 

[James]

I'm not anti-Ravindra, but I'm curious as to why people are putting him in their teams. He's hardily knocking down the door with an incredible first-class record that demands selection. Is it all based on promise?

 

[ataraxia]

Revised this in light of some spud digging

Is that Leo or Joe Carter? Would prefer a Phillips there.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

I'm not anti-Ravindra, but I'm curious as to why people are putting him in their teams. He's hardily knocking down the door with an incredible first-class record that demands selection. Is it all based on promise?

I blame Erv McSweeney

 

[honestbharani]

I'm not anti-Ravindra, but I'm curious as to why people are putting him in their teams. He's hardily knocking down the door with an incredible first-class record that demands selection. Is it all based on promise?

I put him there on promise. Sometimes these early investments are good and rest of your team is good enough to afford it.

 

[Days of Grace]

Ravindra is making the team because he ticks the bat top bowl some tidy offspin box which means we can play 4 seamers. It’s da four-man pace attack myth that we are now slaves to.

 

[Flem274*]

I'm a Cleaver fan, but in Blundells defence we don't want to do what England have since 2012 with players who show great promise early then have a dry run.

I think if NZ want Rachin to be an opener at home they probably need to leave him in domestic cricket for a while. As it stands I think he could be a reasonable 6 who bowls a bit if that's what they want, but if they see him as a long-term opener he needs to tighten up outside off. I don't think making him open right now in Tests is going to work.

That wide prod in the first innings is a symptom of playing in a competition with that stupid dookaburra and stupid pre xmas pitches.

We'll be 2021 england by 2030 if we dont correct it.

 

[Days of Grace]

I get the feeling that Wagner may choose to retire at the end of the South Africa series. It would be almost poetic in some minds for him to sign off (and bowl NZ to a win) against the country of his birth.

 

[James]

I get the feeling that Wagner may choose to retire at the end of the South Africa series. It would be almost poetic in some minds for him to sign off (and bowl NZ to a win) against the country of his birth.

God I hope not - although as you say, it would be poetic. He seems to be the fittest of all our bowlers - not many pace bowlers could get through 40 overs in an innings.
I hope, although foolishly perhaps, that we get another 2-3 years out of him. But regardless, I think he walks into the all-time NZ Test team.

 

[Moss]

If he's going to open the batting one day I don't see how any other time than a home series vs Bangladesh and a relatively weakened SA isn't the best time, unless NZC are planning on him being the spin option for the entire tour of England, which does seem like a very NZC thing to do now that I think of it.

I get the feeling they're viewing him at the moment as a sort of batting allrounder version of Santner, which was probably justified for the India series but not beyond that. While no doubt the exposure has been good for him, he's probably better off going back to domestic cricket and push for a top order slot.

 

[Ghost]

Just caught the end of some commentary on the Ashes about how Australia’s tail (bats 8-11) has been contributing runs. Ours seems to be collapsing in a heap at the moment so had a look at the numbers over the last three tests. Batters in those positions have scored 199 runs at an average of 8.65. Only three double figure scores and 10 ducks. Jamieson 51 @ 8.5, Southee 15 @ 2.5 (3 ducks), Sommerville 7 @2.33, Patel 7 runs not dismissed in 4 inn, Ravindra 18 runs not dismissed in 1 inn, Wagner 0 @ 0, Boult 17 @ 17. Possible another huge hole in not having Watling's cool head to bat with the tail anymore. Southee's numbers are dire.