Its Summer! - the Fever Cricket Thread. (Part 2)

It's a perfectly good plan if your name is Brendan McCullum. For everyone else it sucks 

I was being genuine though. (We're talking Bmac now right? Not Craig Mac?) He had the ability to batter and demoralise the way no other batsman in New Zealand history has. He could do things that others couldn't, and it would have been silly for him to try to play like Boycott- though he did start to make bigger hundreds once he figured out a better way to apply the approach.

For the rest of the mortals you can't attack the bowling and just continue doing it for 5-6 sessions! Something- timing, courage, strength, application- will let you down well before then

Though I also think too that Taylor should be as feared as McCullum became and he has failed to have the impact that his talent suggests is possible, for what ever reason. 

I loved watching Craig McMillan play cricket- he was damn entertaining. But all those stroke makers came in on Richardson's starts and we need something similar at the top of the order to unleash our potential. Or our attack plan to come off on occasion. As well as some games!

Bit of a teeter on the Hesson era.

Well, the odds of Raval shifting Guppy to one side have been knocked down a point or two.....he's not even in the squad to India

New Zealand team to India: Kane Williamson (c), Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Mark Craig, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Neil Wagner, Doug Bracewell, Luke Ronchi.

Just hold Rosco on a pedestal, mate! Want to see Stein afraid of him.

Hmmm, I'm looking on Player Oracle and it looks like Raval hasn't ever played in India, aside from when he was growing up. When NZ 'A' toured there in 2013, the openers were Lathan and Neil Broom - neither of whom set the world alight.

Raval's FC matches;

https://cricketarchive.com/Players/159/159050/First-Class_Matches.html

I really hope Guptill goes well over there, but even if he does, it's not gonna hide the fact that whatever the technical flaw he has that causes him to play well away from his body to the swinging delivery and get caught in the cordon won't have gone away.  Against SA, Aus, Eng and Pakistan he will continue to struggle until he can leave or play inside the line of the swinging ball.  It's a shame as he seems like a great team guy, and is fantastic in the field, but he just is not a test opening batsman.  I would have said try him at 5 for Nicholls, but then remembered that playing spin gives him a whole 'nother set of issues.

I may be off the mark with this but thinking about how Guptill plays, he tends to want to put everything straight down the ground or through the covers. Those are great if the ball is pitched up and with limited movement but once that ball starts moving, if you can't adjust and play off your legs or cut the cricket ball, you're stuffed. I feel like he faces every delivery thinking "down the ground" rather than playing he ball on it's merits. 

Sort of, Leighbo - he does have a proclivity to hit down the line, but I have also seen him hit big shots over deep mid-wicket and through point. I think his biggest downfall is that he sees the ball really early, and plays it halfway down the track - instead of following the line of the ball and playing it late, which is why he gets caught in the slips/by the keeper a lot.

I don't think that will ever change now, but if he could just learn to hold off with his shot and wait that half second more then he'd be able to be at the crease longer. Easier said than done......

When the ball is short he plays those shots but you don't see many along the ground in those areas from him from fuller balls I guess is my point. 

Yeah it's those fuller balls where he plays the line too early and *snick* enjoy the walk back.

Guptill c slip

Playing 'under your eyes' isn't something he knows much about

He goes so hard at the ball that his nicks always carry too. Softer hands and he might get away with a few more edges.

I don't even know where to begin with this.......the idea that Ronchi is a Test match opener, or that our main concern for our opening batsman is facing spin.......

"New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has said that wicketkeeper-batsman Luke Ronchi could be one of the contenders for a place in the Test XI as the side looks for an opening batsman who can combat spin on the tour of India"

And so. it was ever thus;

"But Guptill can't blame the pitch for his dismissal. In Dabholkar's first over, the batsman edged a half-volley, seemingly playing inside the line of the ball and giving the slip fielder an easy catch"

Good day 1 for the BCs - probably would have like to have skittled India for under 280-285, but if Williamson was offered 291/9 at the end of the day he'd bite your hand off. Interesting that our spinners bowled 59 of the 90 overs in the day - we'll have to bat last, so expect the ball to move sideways, sometimes pop and sometimes keep low.

Highlights here (and elsewhere)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdKaaHYV5_w

Surprised by how loose our spinners bowled, though you cant tell from highlights really. The Indian spinners would be more accurate I think

Screw India and there anti-DRS stance.  How are we supposed to compete when we get two honking LBW calls like Taylor and Ronchi.  Absolutely appalling.

Edit: Make that three.  How can you give two LBW's to a spinner bowling Left arm round to a right hander that hits the batsman in front of leg stump on the front foot.  Unless it turns square, there is absolutely zero chance of it hitting leg stump as the angle is going to keep taking it further down.  So poor.

The bookies would tend to disagree with you even if you are quite correct.

RT got his revenge in the 2nd innings, given not out to a plumb LBW....now make it count!!

Basically lost the test in one sharkhouse over in our first innings.

The momentum of the game swung away from us with the rain ending Day 2 early. At 150 odd for one, we were in a strong position and could have put the Indians (who are notoriously disinterested fielders) out in the sun for a long, long time. But the rain came, and the Indians regrouped better than us.

Then our spin bowling attack didn't put the Indian batsmen under any pressure at all - couldn't land the ball on the same spot twice in a row......lots of half trackers and what have you. When your foots on their throat, you don't take it off. We did.

I'd understood Jeets hadn't been interested before

heh, how'd that work out?

There should be sanctions against the Indians for over appealing. We don't see this constant appealing in countries with the DRS. For balls that pitch outside leg and hit outside leg. For balls that pitch outside off and hit outside off when playing a shot. That's intimidation of the umpire and shouldn't be allowed.

Great to see him back in the side. Will be a different player from the one who last played for the Blackcaps. 

Gonna be interesting to see how he goes. That wicket was green as on the first day.

or scapegoated for a weak batting effort IIRC? There's plenty who have turned in poor lower order batting efforts for NZ, some who do it consistently

Is there anyone in here who plays in the Cricket Wellington One Day grades?

Team Dave!

I'm onboard!