Its Summer! - the Fever Cricket Thread. (Part 1)

Just been looking at the home draw for this summer. Why do Wellington never seem to play the international sides in the warmup fixtures? Usually ND or Otago for some reason. I'm guessing it just has something to do with domestic fixtures already scheduled. This year its Auckland and an NZ XI. I'd either like Wellington to have a game (the more cricket the better) or else NZ U-19 or U-21 to play. It would be good development for the young guns to play against Test players.

The Canterbury Cricket Club Twenty20 Tournament is being held this weekend at Hagley Oval. The tournament will be run over Saturday and Sunday with the finals held Sunday afternoon and will showcase some of the local competition�s big hitters. This is the second year this tournament has been run after receiving rave reviews from both players and spectators last year.

This morning it was confirmed that former Black Cap Shane Bond will be taking the field for his club side, Old Boys Collegians, on both Saturday and Sunday as well as nine of the State Canterbury Wizards from this weeks State Championship opener will rejoin their club sides for the tournament. Those not involved are Michael Davidson, Corey Anderson, Hamish Bennett and Kruger Van Wyk who are being rested ahead of next weeks match against the State Wellington Firebirds.

The Premier Women�s teams have also been included this year which should be a huge draw card as world class women�s players such as White Ferns Haidee Tiffen and Sarah McGlashen will be turning out for their respective clubs Lancaster Park Woolston/ Sydenham and East Christchurch Shirley.

The Premier Men�s grade has been split into two pools based on last year�s results and sees last years winners St Albans looking to defend their title taking on Marist Harewood first up.

The pool games are scheduled for 10:30am and 2:00pm starts for the Premier Men�s games and 11:00am and 2:15pm for the Premier Women�s. The finals for both grades will be held at 2:00pm on Sunday afternoon.

Worth it just for bond.

Ryder lower down the order would be better though...and Taylor hasn't really graduated to a test standard number 4 considering the fragility around him...

Fulton, and a Parlane or two?

any other suggestions for 3, 5 and 6 or alternatively 1 (2 Redmond so far hasn't been the goods), 5 and 6?

drawing far too many blanks.

would love Franklin and Oram in the side.

NSW 118/3. O'Brien 2 wickets, Martin 1.

India showing why they are the team to beat. 276/4 off 42 overs against England. Sehwag 85, Y Singh 62*, Raina 43.

India finish with huge 387/5. Yuvraj 138* off 78. 16 fours, 6 sixes.

They scored 111 off 8 overs? Where are they playing, on a postage stamp?

Top effort of shoddy bowling tbf.

I dunno chief. Certainly young and talented but he's gotta get some runs at some point.

Englad got 229 all out. Hammered.

And Pakistan beat West Indies by 24 runs to win their series 2-0 with a game to play. Chanderpaul got a ton but apart from that it must have been a pretty dull game.

NZ 95/4. Scores tied. We were 35/4. Flynn 32, Vettori 30.

Last time I heard it 153/5 with rain stopping play. Flynn 55, Vettori 59 n/o.

We finished up with 157/5. Vettori on 61, McCullum on 5. Good that McCullum is batting after that injury scare, we'll need him in the first test.

NZ 196/7. Vettori got 73. Ryder got 10 bat at least he's back. McCullum and Southee out there now.

NZ skittled for 256, McCullum 54. NSW need 162 in two sessions so about 2.8 an over.

NSW 72/2 at tea. 90 needed in 35 overs. If we lose to NSW without its Aus players (and theres quite a few) then what will happen against Australia...

You cant take anything from Trial matches. Players try things and are experimental.

Ended up losing by 6 wickets. Martin grabbed three wickets.

In the State Championship today:

Williamson scoring runs early in the season is a good sign. Very promising player that kid.

State Championship roundup Day 2:

I don't know - his last summer wasn't as bad as it's been made out to be. There's very few other players (especially specialist openers) who score runs as consistently at the first class level.

I think he's still in with a shout, as much as I dislike his technique.

Bell is by far the best opening bat in NZ. His 146 yesterday confirmed it. Highest run scorer in the country last year, a test hundred and a thrashing 69 in his final test against the poms in Napier, smacking Jimmy Anderson for Four 4's (hows that?) in a row.

yeh man. More or less than Ryder, Redmond and Flynn?

Runs you mean? way more, average 90.8 last year, high scores of 265 and 180 not out.

Royal2008-11-19 11:59:18

Bell has been consitantly in the runs for the last few seasons, I think we discussed this last season too, before he was picked. I can't see him in the first test, maybe number two after Flynn fails again, or Redmond makes a pityful 25...............Bell certainly deserves to be in the mix, especially if he carry's on scoring like he has, he broke the record for most 100's in NZ First class cricket with this one.

If Flynn fails Bell won't be in as he's a specialist opener. If Redmond makes 25 in two tests I'll be surprised. He's going to be the whipping boy for all the quick bowlers and probably play Brett Lee back in to form. Royal2008-11-19 12:10:01

hmmmm, Bell's played at 3 and 4 before, and to be honest I'd drop flynn put Bell to open and move everyone else down one.

So How at 3 and Ryder at 4?

sounds better. selection panel won't change anything for a while though, they're a grumpy lot

No like this:

I like Flynn at 5 or 6, I think he has a grittyness that our middle order seriously lacks. As for Bell, i can't see them going back even though he is our most consistent First Class batsman. If McIntosh continues to score runs I wouldn't be disappointed if they gave him a run

Leave Redmond out. He's not good at this level and he's been shown up badly - Aussie will crucify him.

For this test:

If Redmond's not opening, he shouldn't be in the team. And O'Brien at 8? He's a pretty useless bat (though not as bad as Martin), so both Mills and Southee would have to come in ahead of him. But that batting line up overall is too thin, one of the bowlers would have to drop out and be replaced with another batsman, hopefully batting all-rounder (obviously Oram would be in there, but in his absence I'd rather go with a specialist batsman than someone like Elliott).