BASIN TEST MAY SELL OUT

By the same token add 5 runs to the bowling average then.

theprof2008-03-18 17:44:46

Our problem is we play teams like Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and score huge scores and then get complacent about it. Now when we play teams like Australia & England we get a true indication of our level. We need to play these sides and South Africa on a regular basis to get the best out of our players and improve their consistencey.

i agree with lg. lets let this team gel for a series or two. we havnt been playing enough test cricket of late but this year and into next year we are so lets give this team a decent go

Sadly, NZ Cricket seem intent on that stupid 20/20 and  play more one dayers than true test cricket. Hence in the last 5 years look how many tests have lasted as long as 3 days?? Lonegunmen2008-03-18 19:29:30

LG - has brought a wise head to the discussion and i agree, the more test cricket guys like bell, fulton, Sinclair, Taylor play the better!!!

I'm simply pointing out the reason why Bell has been picked to BII, he has simply scored the most runs in our conditions this summer.

why would you want to bring reason to a discussion theprof? its much better to say someone is crap without any backup and no alternatives bopman2008-03-18 19:23:50

So just cause there's no one better it makes their consistent faliures alright?

Well, despite your bluster, it's you who's failed to prove that Richardson was a good player for NZ. Just name one important test series we've won with him in the side.



Oh, that's right, there aren't any.

the drawn series against aussie in aussie, who was opening oh umm richardson. that was the last time aussie didnt win a series in australia so a pretty good effort. a draw with india in india and a win in a series against the west indies there. both i think you should agree unless you lack any reason good acheivments. a drawn series in sri lanka another good effort. a drawn series with south africa in new zealand who at the time were ranked 2 in the world im pretty sure.

jesssus you guys were talking this team up a week ago now look at you finding anyway to bag the team its one friggin loss. stop being cut throat supporters yes john bracwell is a muppet, nd yes richardson was quality in his day... but theres still a deciding match to play stop finding excuses and support the friggin team

you are lazy. very very lazy. I doubt you would have enough concentration to bat an over let alone a day. as I entered below:


seeing you can't be bothered following a link and reading, I will post the whole lot here tomorrow when I can access cricinfo again. So the goldfish bowl concentration spans with mouths don't have to go all the way to another site to find an argument.

I have yet to see any detail in this post to suppoort your claims Richardson was poor. as I said before you are lazy.

Southee.

I could pull all the stats from Richardsons last test batting scores if you'd like BuffII I'm pretty sure they read rather better than what your saying. And anyway why are wew arguing about Richardson, he's not in the team isn't likely to be in the future therefore weather he was good bad or otherwise is completely redundant.

Any of you Hawkes Bay punters be going along at Weekend?

I believe the argument started with me bagging Sinclair, then martinb suggesting that by my logic Richardson was also crap. I'll end it here by saying Richardson was always a better player than Sinclair, far better, and that says a lot.

Richardson was poor, and no amount of bluster you can muster will change that. I'm very familiar with the Rajesh's article - you can also read his latest one on Dan Vetorri if you want - but you keep missing the point.

Most international cricketers can block and leave and end up with 80 runs in a day - I've seen Richardson do this on a number of occasions. The challenge is to bat for that length of time and score runs consistently, and Richardson was rubbish at that, since by his own admission he only had three shots, and forward defense was one of them. Richardson's approach to battingreally set us back, since our scoring rate was eiher too slow, or required our other players to speed up the scoring and end up getting out as the product. Richardson was a product of a by-gone era, and that style of play will take us nowhere fast in modern test-cricket, and we need to realise that sooner rather than later.

1. The drwan series in Aussie - exceptionally poor for Richardson, only one 50 in six digs. We were lucky in the first two tests as weather intervened and Waugh gave us a very genereous declaration to chase at the Gabba, but in reality we were outplayed in the first two tests. Definitely deserved to win the third test in Perth, but some dodgy umpiring robbed us. Excellent series achievement, but realistically it could have been different had it not rained in Brisbane and Hobart.

2. Drawn series against South Africa - good achievement too, but Richardson contribution again minimal.

3. Drawn series in the sub-continent - good results, but on very flat wickets. Our batsmen prospered - Fleming's 274no was in that Sri Lankan series, wasn't it? - and the bowlers found it difficult.

4. The win in the Caribbean - altough historic, given the strength of the respective teams, we ought to have won that. But a good feeling nonetheless, Styris' debut was memorable and Fleming also scored a good 100 in the first test.

5. The only series of note against good opposition where I remember Richardson doing very well was in England in 2004, and we lost 3-0. Now, it clearly wasn't Richardson's fault, our middle-order just couldn't cope with reverse-swing from Simon Jones, but I find it a bit ironic.

i can see your poine El, but like i said earlier, richardson isn't playing for us now, he's history. We need to be focussing on the fact that our current batsmen have neither the staying paying to bat long periods nor the ability to score runs period!

I talked to him in person once.....

It was Feb last year, from memory it was something to do with the support of teams and whatnot. He said he supports all NZ teams but isn't into the club or domestic stuff so much because it was of different quality.

classic!

Mate i also take my cricket seriously. I've been to every match at Eden Park since my mum took me to my first test there in 96. I watch it whenever i can on TV as well. Only thing i don't do right now is play because i was too slack to join up at the start of the season.

I have no words...

martinb2008-03-23 15:05:01

We've still got another 3 months of this.  Then the Aussies later this year.  49 for 7.  Predictable.  Yet I still have no words.

I'm sorry, but 'Footloose' Sinclair and Duck Bell must be legally barred from entering a NZ cricket ground.  Finally, they might get the message.