Your New Zealand World Cup Squad if selected today...

[thierry henry]

I just think Southee became a better bowler than Mills a fair while back.

When and what made you think that?

 

[wellAlbidarned]

I've played cricket my whole life and I think that you thinking that Boult or Southee are emotionally affected by not having their mate at the other end is completely nutty. Agree to disagree.

Nah emotion plays a huge part in sport. Two blokes enjoy playing together = two blokes who play better together.

fite me irl br0

 

[thierry henry]

I'm not really interested in getting into a statsguru war but just as a pretty arbitrary example of Southee not really making a compelling case for having "overtaken" Mills, in the 24 months from the start of 2013 to the start of 2015 Mills averaged 32 and Southee averaged 36.

Now if someone wants to start chopping up the stats in such a way as to make a case for Southee (pre-WC) then go nuts, but my suspicion is such a case doesn't exist. It's primarily a matter of "Southee is a really good bowler now and we're just waiting and hoping for that to materialise consistently in ODIs". Not a philosophy I'd adhere to but at least be honest about what you're saying.

 

[hendrix]

When and what made you think that?

In terms of new ball bowling, I've thought it since the series vs India last year. Mills bowled well there but he was clearly feeding off the pressure Southee was building (actually, McCleneghan et al were the chief beneficiaries). There's also the fact that Southee has been a decent death bowler for a number of years.

 

[kiwiviktor81]

Surely Mills is going to retire at the end of this CWC. If he's not getting picked now he never will again with Milne improving, Henry in the frame and McClenaghan also unable to make the side.

 

[Flem274*]

I just did a statsguru query and if cricket didn't exist in traditionally spin friendly countries Grant Elliott's career would be quite different.

1259 @ 43, SR 84 from 49 matches in NZ, SA, Australia and England.

 

[Hurricane]

I just did a statsguru query and if cricket didn't exist in traditionally spin friendly countries Grant Elliott's career would be quite different.

1259 @ 43, SR 84 from 49 matches in NZ, SA, Australia and England.

yeah I started to think I was a better batsman than him during one tour of Bangladesh so bad did he look.

 

[Furball]

so cricinfo apparently have "world cup" as a profile category now. i clicked on oram and the man has 36 world cup wickets @ 21 from 23 games. wag

IIRC they did this last time.

 

[straw man]

Doing well for predictions so far this world cup:
- Henry should be in squad ahead of Boult.
- Elliott lacks quality
- Didn't disagree that we should investigate opening options to replace Guptill.
- fifth bowler would be a massive liability, especially if Anderson has to bowl close to 10 overs

... Need to dig up some other mildly negative comment to ensure success.

 

[Prince EWS]

I should be fair and qualify that I was still pretty 50/50 on Elliott when the squad was named, but I was thinking about this post today:

I wouldn't be that against it. Whenever Elliott makes a random comeback and we all think he's finished, he tends to prove us wrong to an extent by starting really well and scoring some runs on the bouncier pitches. Inevitably he gets owned in Asia and then dropped, but with World Cup in Australia and New Zealand the side balanced the way it is, he wouldn't be a terrible pick providing he hadn't declined. I'd take Neesham or Watling ahead of him but he combines the middle overs accumulator role of Watling with the sixth bowling option of Neesham if that's what they're looking for. I'd definitely pick him before I picked Brownlie, Munro, Franklin or Devcich who have the been the other names put forward.

And it happened yet again!

 

[Flem274*]

we should take 40 year old elliott to england in 2019

 

[Hurricane]

On hindsight, NMac should have played ahead of Dan due to batting