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

441 for 2

scoring at 5 an over. Outrageous. 

1000 runs declared?

It's all this arrogant T20 rubbish....

Same old Black Craps, smashing records all over the show. They really are garbage aren't they.

Like my golf, all I desire Bopman, is BC consistency.

It's amazing given what's occurred and the general BC apathy - how well they are actually playing.

I might well do the same for golf.  And be completely apathetic.  Might finally shut up the 'demons'...

They aren't going to score 600+ every week pal. Get some perspective.

For buffy.

in with a chance here..

BCs getting closer to the consistency I require.

Great bowling this evening. Already picked up five in just under thirty overs. Craig with great drift and some turn, Southee getting it to reverse, and the odd ball is staying very low.

Wow 690 NZ's highest ever score eclipsing the 680/8 dec. vs India this year.  6 players scoring 50 +.  Mc Cullum fastest ever century by a kiwi, also first kiwi to score 4 double-hundreds.  Joins Sir Donald Bradman, Ricky Ponting & Michael Clarke as only players to score 3 double-hundreds in one calender year. Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, Jimmy Neesham and Mark Craig (batting @ no.8) all average over 40. Boult is developing into a world class bowler and Mark Craig looks set to take over from Vettori in the all-rounders role..

In their last 10 tests NZ has won 5 with only 2 losses...going for 6/11

If only they were consistent!

Sodhi is such an unlucky bowler. The number of chances that get missed off him is amazing.

Consistently having the tougher catches not falling our way.

What is it with the wickets over there? Easy to score runs and hard to get anyone out. Well done NZ though.

I have to take credit for Sodis 2 wickets -as soon as I change channel......

Three more channel changes after tea please.

Jeff Vader has been suspiciously quiet.

Well done.  Never doubted.

Subdued celebrations but that was a brilliant test win.

Awesome win !! This side has the potential to be one of NZ's greatest. Last 11 matches : 6 Wins, 3 Draws and 2 Losses ...

So from the end of 2011 we've done the following: drawn a series in Australia, drawn a series in Sri Lanka, beaten the West Indies in the West Indies, drawn a series with England, drawn a series in Pakistan and had comprehensive home wins over India and the West Indies. most of those series results, especially the away ones have contained at least one very special performance bouncing back from a big defeat.

In that time we've lost to South Africa both home and away and lost to England in England. I feel like I'm missing a series in there somewhere?

My point is, We keep saying we are on the verge of something special. Is it time to say we are in the midst of something special with this test team? A result in England next year would top it off nicely but even then, winning series away in test cricket these days is very very tough.

As it seems like South Africa are coming back to the pack a bit, it feels to me like we're in an era of a number of pretty good sides all capable of pushing each other without one stand out side that we will all still talk about in 20 years.

I think it is totally fair to say that this team is special.
Isn't it also about time to admit that McCullum is a pretty special batsman after his third double of the year? Nah... we'll probably write it off as a T20 innings and yearn for a solid grafter to replace him.

Million percent agree. Question now is where does he bat? Do they leave him as an opener in NZ conditions (and English conditions in May) or do they push him back down to five to bring together that Willaimson/Taylor/McCullum Middle order. Probably all depends what they think re any other options at 5.

And whether they try to squeeze both Neesham and Anderson in? In NZ I'd drop him back to 5 and have:

Latham
Opener (really not sure who though - I guess whoever is in form domestically)
Williamson
Taylor
McCullum
Neesham
Watling
Craig
Southee
Boult
Wagner

And so it proved to be correct.

Proud of you Black Caps! Hats off to McCullum in particular.

Was the disasterous Bangladesh tour in there somewhere?

Like everyone, I just want consistency. That's what pisses me off the most about this team - they are very Warriors like in that the next day/game, you have the potential to get something completely different, or more of the same. Yeah that smacked 690 and that's bloody great but then the previous innings we are getting 68-9 and mid 200s with tail enders having to give us some 'respectability' about the total. Give me consistency and I'll shut up and disappear. Its the same thing I've asked for from McCullums batting.

McCullum is a match winner. I have absolutely no desire to see him radically change his game to someone who unnaturally grinds out reasonable scores on a regular basis. In the past 12 months he has scored two double centuries and one triple century*, all three innings being telling factors in us beating esteemed opposition, both home and away.

The likes of Williamson and Taylor, possibly Latham now too, are there to provide some solidity and a platform to our innings. McCullum is there to win us tests. Because he can make the difference in any innings, in any format too. That is why he is world class.

*I realise the 300 did not win us the test but it is possibly the greatest match saving innings of all time and did secure us a series win over a top 4 test side.

So you are saying that essentially, rather than be a world class batsman, he is more a world class match winner? If he is not winning the game, he is in the toilet? Bust and boom cycle?

Not really. (Though I will admit that there is some truth in that argument.)

Scores for the series = 18, 39, 43, 45, 202 ave = 69.4. Pretty solid really.

Test average = 38.19 over more than a hundred tests. That's respectable for any NZ batman (Fleming only squeaked above 40). Much more so one that spent half his career as a wicketkeeper.

I think McCullum will be a truly great batsman for us when he learns one thing - when to go and when to woah! 

If a team is bowling well and a wicket or two has fallen then slow the truck down (which for him would still be a S/R of about 75 to 80) and if the bowling is there to be hit or you've seen the shine of the ball with a minimum of fuss, become Conan the Destroyer.

I do think he's matured as a batsman in the last 18 months and shows the ability to take this approach more than he ever has, just needs to remember have one eye on the ball and one on the scoreboard at times (not literally).

I wouldn't play around with the batting order at all. Leave it alone and let them get settled.

Daniel Luca Vettori - thanks for your efforts... 113 Tests, 277 ODI's, some T20I's and 683 wickets when wearing the fern. Legend.

You reckon that's it? Don't disagree but Vettori seems from the same cloth as Chris Harris - I'm available if you need me.

From Stuff

I can't see him playing another test... unless we put out a couple of artificials to play the 'Lankans lol

Great victory. Boult and Southee could really be something special if they can remain injury free over the next 5 years. 

Absolutely- but also recognise this as horses for courses and tactics. It's silly for him to open where the ball is seaming or swinging a lot. Probably. Here where there is mostly consistent bounce and little or no sideways movement it was a masterstroke.

Though I think it was interesting watching a player like Mark Craig simply accumulate runs. We have a lot of players who are block bashers or block basherish. Williamson and Latham can get becalmed. Anderson and McCullum sometimes go into a leave or smash game plan.

For them to be top drawer players and I'm looking at Latham, Williamson, McCullum, Taylor and Anderson they need to have a game where they can score quickly by working singles. 

Anyway, great test. Vettori coming back helped the bowling attack too I think. 

Open with Craig?? Is it worth bringing back someone like Papps? They did well out of bringing back Fulton. That line up seems tough on Sodhi too. Though Wagner has bowled very well in the past.