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*Unofficial* New Zealand Black Caps Thread

Bahnz

Hall of Fame Member
IIRC someone on here who played grade cricket against Kuggs (or knew people who did) said he gets angry if anyone brings it up on the field, and cranks up the speed if they face him.
There's a big difference between a bit of lip from an opposition player in club cricket played in front of 3 men and a dog and a wall of silence punctuated by periodic boos from what should be a supportive home crowd.
 

Chubb

International Regular
There's a big difference between a bit of lip from an opposition player in club cricket played in front of 3 men and a dog and a wall of silence punctuated by periodic boos from what should be a supportive home crowd.
I just mention it because AFAIK that’s the only info we have about how he reacts to people giving him well deserved **** for being a scumbag.
 

RossTaylorsBox

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
IIRC someone on here who played grade cricket against Kuggs (or knew people who did) said he gets angry if anyone brings it up on the field, and cranks up the speed if they face him.
Lol why can't he just crank up the speed without needing to get mad.
 

Flem274*

123/5
IIRC someone on here who played grade cricket against Kuggs (or knew people who did) said he gets angry if anyone brings it up on the field, and cranks up the speed if they face him.
That was me. Know a couple of club guys, and SP established this rep very quickly because club cricket always has that one guy.
 

Bahnz

Hall of Fame Member
Anyway, we're all pretty frustrated with the team selection at the moment. Let's just imagine for a moment that the new NZC management calls for a review of NZ's performance this series, and on the back of that decides to buy out Stead's contract and go in a completely different direction. Who do you want to see as coach and who do you want to see in the XI for next summer.

The coach I'll admit is hard. There's no obvious candidates. Someone like Fleming would never give up their cozy IPL gig for such an intensive and poorly paid role. Heinrich Malan is available starting next year, maybe NZ could agree to another ODI tour to Ireland in exchange for them releasing him from his contract after the IPL world cup... For bowling coach Bond would be ideal, but I have my doubts about whether he'd come back. Iain O'Brien I think would also make a great bowling coach, he worked wonders with Nathan Smith during his brief stint with Wellington and always seemed to have a great bowling brain - if his missus would let him. Fielding coach - literally anyone, as when I look at the NZ Black Caps wiki page, it currently shows a blank.

Ideal team: Latham (sigh, I guess he earnt it on Saturday), Conway, KW, Rachin, Mitchell, Phillips, Blundell (good record v England and no great alternatives), Santner, Smith, Henry, KJ (if fit, probably O'Rourke first choice, then Sears then Fisher - man, it's so frustrating that we're playing Southee and SP, when even with KJ, O'Rourke and now seemingly Smith out injured I reckon we could still field a much better bowling attack than the one that took the field in this test. Like even with an all-seam attack, if we play Duffy, Henry, Sears, Fisher and I reckon NZ probably gets the job done in this game). Looking to the longer term, start investing in real A tours and give guys like Heaphy, Mariu, Severin, Abbas and Chu every chance to develop their games, because **** me are we gonna need them to come good in about 3 years time.
 
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jcas0167

International Regular
Btw, does anyone else think that the ongoing audible resentment of Kugz's place in the side by NZ crowds has played a not insignificant part in how poorly he bowled this series. Especially given that he bowled kinda not-terribly on day 1 and then just got progressively worse and worse as the series progressed. He must be aware of a lot of the chat about him on social media, and he must've heard the boos when he came out to bat/bowl throughout this series. I really hope so, anyway.
Maybe, although just watching the replay of today it seems like it was the strategy as much as anything that was never going to work. No slips, guys out on the leg side boundary, just bowl short and hope a mistake would come. I think they got Henry to do the same thing to Bairstow in England and it didn't work then either. Brendon Julian thought it was totally misguided and he was probably right.
 

Flem274*

123/5
Bouncers on a Day 4 motorway are a proven tactic with the right guy, but you need the guy who can execute. O'Rourke and Sears have some nice attributes but not the miles to do it at this level. Honestly if they want to pull that stunt again then the obvious candidate is Lockie Ferguson. He has the speed and the ODI experience of deceiving batsmen who are having a crack at him.

Kyle Mills spoke pretty well today about their plans to Smith. He was fair enough I thought. Head coach should be Malan. Love what he did for KJ, love what he did for CD and Auckland.

Latham as ever has done just enough, but is worth a 12 month run as captain. He gets 6 tests in his favourite part of the world to bat then probably a nice Hagley test at home too.

We have raw bowling talent to partner Henry and KJ coming out our ears atm, but let's be honest, the 6 test Asia run will be brutal on these young boys. Hopefully they're all working on an offcutter or some sort of variation they can nail so they're not just hopelessly banging it in on decks that won't help for their spells. Santner and Ajaz really need to step the **** up and lead this attack over the winter, because you can't rely on marathon 9 over spells from Henry or youthful magic from whoever takes the new ball with him. It is going to be hard. The experienced batsmen in the team need to post scores to help as well.

We could well lose 6 from 6 and certainly will lose 3 from 3 in India but hopefully the trial by fire will be well worth it for the team.

It is a shame most of our coaching talent is wasted on a competition no one will think about in a century teaching little domestic middlers and Suresh Raina how to not die against a 135kph Boult bouncer.
 

SteveNZ

Cricketer Of The Year
I do trust that Scott Weenink has the best interests and the sort of intelligence to move the organisation forward. He has the knowledge, the passion as a cricket guy and a lot of business acumen from all I read.

I don't think he'd be the sort of guy to let the grass grow under his feet if he thinks we need a new direction coach-wise, and it's pretty clear we do. I hope there's movement on that soon, or Stead decides to fall on his sword.
 

Fuller Pilch

Hall of Fame Member
I do trust that Scott Weenink has the best interests and the sort of intelligence to move the organisation forward. He has the knowledge, the passion as a cricket guy and a lot of business acumen from all I read.

I don't think he'd be the sort of guy to let the grass grow under his feet if he thinks we need a new direction coach-wise, and it's pretty clear we do. I hope there's movement on that soon, or Stead decides to fall on his sword.
I was talking to someone earlier this summer who knows SW who said that he'd be excellent.
 

Ghost75

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
Thought I'd have a go at rating the home test performances

M.Henry 9.5: 23 wkts(1st) @ 16.95 & 138 runs (5th) @ 23 - Great season
R.Ravindra 8.5: 446 runs (2nd) @ 55.75 & 7 wkts(4th) @ 20.42 - Needs to tighten up outside off and improve fielding but starting to look at home
K.Williamson 8: 480 runs (1st) @ 68.57 - Smashed SA C but then only scored 77 form 4 innings when we really needed him against Aust
Phillips 7.5 133 runs (7th) & 9 wkts(3rd) @ 18.44 - Not as productive with the bat but bowling is proving to be a real bonus, great fielding
O'Rourke 7: 11 wkts (2nd) @ 17.36, 0 runs (15th) - Encouraging start
Sears 7: 5 wkts (8th) @ 32.2, 0 runs (16th) - See O'Rourke
Jamieson 7: 6 wkts (5th=) @ 15.5, 8 runs (13th) - Such a shame this guy is not going to have a full carrier due to injuries
Santner 7: 6 wkts (5th=) @ 15.5, 2 runs (14th) @ 2 - Likely now our first choice specialist spinner
Latham 5: 217 runs (3rd) @ 27.12 - Good last innings against Australia but other than that not much
Mitchell 5: 156 runs @ 31.2, 0 wkts - Always looked likely but then didn't go on, dropped catches
Young 5: 135 runs @ 27 - Feel sorry for the bloke, he's not an opener which everyone except those who matter can see
Wagner 4: 2 wkts (10th) @ 37 and 33 runs (12th) @ 33 - Sad to see the big fella go but time was up
Blundell 3.5: 84 runs @ 14 - Needed more from #6, probably safe in the no other keepers are beating the door down
Kuggeleijn 3: 2 wkts (9th) & 70 runs (9th) @ 17.5 - Shouldn't have been selected and proved it with his performances
Conway 1.5: 47 @11.75 - Sad to see his decline hopefully a break will do him good
Southee 1: 6 wkts (7th) at 71.33, 39 runs @ 6.5 (11th) Ineffective with the ball and even less responsible than usual with the bat. Not leading by example. Time to go.
 

jcas0167

International Regular
I do trust that Scott Weenink has the best interests and the sort of intelligence to move the organisation forward. He has the knowledge, the passion as a cricket guy and a lot of business acumen from all I read.

I don't think he'd be the sort of guy to let the grass grow under his feet if he thinks we need a new direction coach-wise, and it's pretty clear we do. I hope there's movement on that soon, or Stead decides to fall on his sword.
One of the crazy episodes in Black Caps history is Warren Lees was sacked as coach at the end of the 92/93 season after squaring the test series against Australia 1 all and losing the ODI series 3-2 with the final match being decided in the last over.
 

jcas0167

International Regular
I mean it was also because he returned from Sri Lanka after the bomb blast in '92 and the Board and Peter McDermott never forgave him but it looks extra ridiculous given how we have fared against Australia since.

Heinrich Malan is hopefully being sounded out.
 

HeathDavisSpeed

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Kuggeleijn 3: 2 wkts (9th) & 70 runs (9th) @ 17.5 - Shouldn't have been selected and proved it with his performances
Southee 1: 6 wkts (7th) at 71.33, 39 runs @ 6.5 (11th) Ineffective with the ball and even less responsible than usual with the bat. Not leading by example. Time to go.
A bowler whose mate didn't even want to bowl him in 3 out of 4 bowling innings warrants a lower score than 3, methinks. Even though he scored some runs with the bat, he didn't contribute enough to his primary role which meant his successful colleagues were overbowled. That's more of a failure than Southee.
 

Bahnz

Hall of Fame Member
We really should've been creamed. That team was a McGrath short of being an ATG side. I tend to think in the same way we have a bit of a mental frailty v Australia now, the core of that Australian team had a bit more respect for NZ than we deserved. Call it Hadlee derangement syndrome, and it persisted until Crowe's knee shattered at Perth.
 

_Ed_

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A bowler whose mate didn't even want to bowl him in 3 out of 4 bowling innings warrants a lower score than 3, methinks. Even though he scored some runs with the bat, he didn't contribute enough to his primary role which meant his successful colleagues were overbowled. That's more of a failure than Southee.
Not wanting to sound too much like Richard, but he probably should have been out for 2 instead of the 44 he ended up with the other day.
 

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