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*Unofficial* New Zealand Black Caps Thread
- Thread starter NZTailender
- Start date
thundaboult
International Debutant
Good squad, pretty settled, picks itself really...which is always good and comfy. A bit of pace and excitement in there as well. I like our t20 squads the most these days out of all formats. Entertaining and recently our most positive source of news as well. And it forces the cowards to be dropped, or play at a somewhat fast tempo so that's always good.
ataraxia
International Coach
Full time wk IIRC, I helped change that recently lol because he was anything but that
Zinzan
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I'm reasonably happy with it except for KW who doesn't deserve to get close to our best T20 side, and surely wouldn't unless he was the skipper. That said, pleased to see Milne & Sodhi (our only spinner that while expensive takes wickets) make the side.
Just fearful in advance of the tournament that KW will dot-up, realize there's no easy 3rd-man single available with sides employing that deep gully position, then tying himself into knots, and then getting out hitting out in frustrating for 11 off 22 balls.
Zinzan
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Why in the world would you consider opening with Williamson? Did you not watch any of the IPL in which he opened and couldn't hit the ball off the square, ending up with (I believe) the lowest SR in the IPL for a specialist bat? Bizarre.
Zinzan
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They should, but I share in your pessimism that they likely won't
RossTaylorsBox
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Hopefully KW stinks up the joint enough that he just retires from T20 afterwards.
Mike5181
International Captain
Gary Stead did list Kane as an opening option literally today on the 6pm news.
Williamson can open or bat 3 if he plays, I don't really care. The key point I was making was that Guptill/Williamson should be competing for one spot regardless, and I listed him next to Guptill in the opener's spot because out of the two Martin probably edges it for me. Mainly because he scored white ball runs against Australia early last year.
ashley bach
Cricketer Of The Year
Never sell out on a champion too easily. We all know only too well what atrocious form he's in, but I'm standing firm and saying despite that form
we should still have him in the team. There's a few of reasons for this, none more so than for the benefit of the other players.
It was still less than a year ago he played that gem of an innings in the final, which in itself could have won the cup, just not on this occasion.
Have a look at the highlights package of the game, and you'll be reminded just how good he can be.
Zinzan
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No selling out of a champion here simply because KW has never been a champion T20 batsman.
One good IPL season with the bat 5 years ago & one good T20I innings once every 15-20 innings like the WC final innings do not make up for all the times in between when he dots up, with no urgency & wastes deliveries for the team. I know Stead will argue that it's fine if KW is 6 off 11 balls, because he'll make it up later but of course the problem is when he does get out, we don't get those wasted deliveries back.
Yeah, I don't think he's in our best XI by a long shot. The problem is, when he plays you can't play Guptill/Allen/Conway which you probably should be doing. That should probably be our top 3. It feels like heresy, but most think it's true in terms of Kane not being in our best XI. There's no chance Gary Stead can make that call though. Kane would have to be part of the thought process around not being in the XI, and with domestic leagues still existing (even if this year's IPL will be a significant black mark) it isn't that likely to happen.
thundaboult
International Debutant
Ahoy Lads, question for you....always wanted to ask but keeps dropping off my mind. Who are the best 10 players of fast short pitched bowling (136kmph and preferably, above, into the high 140's or low 150's even, the top end of pace today for most bowlers) in all of NZ cricket today? (intl, domestics) (players who are currently repping intl level or about to, or just making their way in domestics)
Moss
International Captain
Can’t comment on domestics as I don’t watch them apart from the clips posted here. Blundell and Mitchell are probably the two best in the side at the moment. Young looks like he has the game for it, would have liked to see him in Australia. Conway has issues with short stuff aimed into the body but seems to find ways to score. Kane obviously though I guess recent results don’t especially bear this out.
Dean Brownlie would have probably been top of the list or close when he was still playing. Too bad he wasn’t successful outside of Aus/SA (or maybe didn’t get enough opportunity to prove otherwise).
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Kippax
Cricketer Of The Year
Young actually skies his pull shots a lot when the pitch and bowling is quick enough. All the weight gets stuck on his front foot.
Foxcroft...quite a brave handler of very quick bowling. He was getting hit in the stomach and forearm as often as he was actually connecting with his pull shots, mind you. Facing Sears at the fastest and bounciest he's ever been, kept going for his pull shots after little injury breaks.
Thundaboult may need to adopt a new team though tbh. He's not going to find all that much joy in the 'supreme gentlemen' batch of cricketers coming down the pike.
Foxcroft...quite a brave handler of very quick bowling. He was getting hit in the stomach and forearm as often as he was actually connecting with his pull shots, mind you. Facing Sears at the fastest and bounciest he's ever been, kept going for his pull shots after little injury breaks.
Thundaboult may need to adopt a new team though tbh. He's not going to find all that much joy in the 'supreme gentlemen' batch of cricketers coming down the pike.
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Fuller Pilch
Hall of Fame Member
What's the latest on Foxcroft's qualifying/eligibility etc.?
Of all the potential top 7 players who bowl some spin (Ravindra, Phillips, Macewell, Chapman) he's perhaps the closest to a genuine allrounder.
Kippax
Cricketer Of The Year
Oh Foxcroft's 21 first-class wickets @ 18 weren't exactly making the offspinners of the world fall off their seats at the sheer artistry involved in them though tbh.
New Zealand men almost have to do something beyond our shores, these days. It's become a lot like the 'controlled opposition' concept in political debates, with these cruisy Josh Clarkson figures who never have to refine their games into export quality. On that basis, Rachin is perhaps the closest to being a genuine allrounder. The clearly elegant look to his action also suggests as much.
www.odt.co.nz
Foxcroft is unsure whether the clock has been reset in terms of his qualification to play for New Zealand. None of that will matter if he cannot score runs, so that is his focus.
"To be honest, I’ve been hitting it nicely. I’ve worked a lot with [former Black Cap] Kruger van Wyk.
"It has been two years with him just training and training. He played a lot of domestic cricket in New Zealand, so he was a big help.
"Obviously red-ball cricket is not my strongest, but I definitely want to start dominating that and score hundreds and win trophies with Otago."
New Zealand men almost have to do something beyond our shores, these days. It's become a lot like the 'controlled opposition' concept in political debates, with these cruisy Josh Clarkson figures who never have to refine their games into export quality. On that basis, Rachin is perhaps the closest to being a genuine allrounder. The clearly elegant look to his action also suggests as much.
Foxcroft back after long wait
Covid cost Dean Foxcroft one season of cricket. Loyalty cost him the other. But rather than focus on the lost years, the 24-year-old all-rounder is...
Foxcroft is unsure whether the clock has been reset in terms of his qualification to play for New Zealand. None of that will matter if he cannot score runs, so that is his focus.
"To be honest, I’ve been hitting it nicely. I’ve worked a lot with [former Black Cap] Kruger van Wyk.
"It has been two years with him just training and training. He played a lot of domestic cricket in New Zealand, so he was a big help.
"Obviously red-ball cricket is not my strongest, but I definitely want to start dominating that and score hundreds and win trophies with Otago."
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Fuller Pilch
Hall of Fame Member
I'd prefer if he becomes a less aggressive Jayasuriya.
NZTailender
I can't believe I ate the whole thing
I want him to be a 50+ opening bat, which would put him in the echelon of ATG opening bats. His bowling would be a bonus.
I would settle for a 40+ opening bat average and a 35-50 (golden arm) bowling average as a part timer. If we settle for some 25-30 bat 35 bowler we'll have wasted a talent.