For me, watling is the best all around of the 6 I have watched a fair bit of: Wadsworth, Lees, Smith, Parore, BMac and BJ. (Forget germon, Jock Edwards or young, all break glass situation or in Germon's case, regional parochialism run riot - the reuben thorne of NZ cricket

Of the 6, I actually rate Parore as the most technically proficient and smoothest of them all.

Wadsworth, Lees and Smith are pretty much all in a group - they had different strengths depending on the attack and conditions.

But in terms of all around contribution and glue, I'll take Watling everytime.

Lees, Parore and Smithy to some extent with his decision making while batting were loud personalities and could be a distraction. Wadsworth could be untidy although that may be more a case that he looked like he was perpetually just arisen from a 5 day bender. Bmac, a very good keeper but once he gave up the gloves he became a much much better player.

@tewaio said in Cricket 2021: NZ in England and WTC Final:

Anyone else have success in the ballot? Got 6 gold tickets for Day 1, so Southampton bound with @Small-Flightless-Bird and others.

Hope for better luck than the last final...

A mate of mine in London didn't have any luck in the final ballot and nor did anyone he knows. Plus he got the boot from one of the England tests.

@bovidae Cheers.
Wish I knew many years ago that all you needed to do to get residency fast tracked was play for the Black Caps. My wife might have been good enough to make the team at the time too (a reflection on the cricket team not my wife's cricketing ability).

@rapido No doubt. "Best of the rest" i.e non cartel, should get us some improvements in tours and opposition, hopefully. Not that that would be hard to improve on.

Those three are going to have a circle jerk anyway. Got to wonder if they are going to overdo it and lose appeal to the their audience due to repetition.

@mn5 said in T20 Internationals. Nz v Aus:

@kiwipie said in T20 Internationals. Nz v Aus:

I don't get the calls to drop Kane from the T20s. I agree if he is feeling fatigued but he has been one of the key players until the last 3 games, not to mention his performances in the IPL where he is one of the few Kiwi batsmen to have success.

But then the Fern has always been the place to call for people's heads due to only being able to remember the previous game.

Well not in his case. He’s universally adored.....but to reiterate my point if he forgoes 20/20 to help his career in the other two formats then so be it.

Yep, you're right, with the integral part being it's his decision alone. I'm up for anything he wants to do. Hell he could insist on batting in black face, wearing a diamond tiara and striding out to " nice tits, shame about the face" at full bore, and I'd back him to the hilt!

I just want to watch him bat as much as possible. Even his golden ducks are classy🙂

@Snowy said in ANZAC Test Cricket XI:

@barbarian Very funny.

If you guys would condescend and actually come and visit us for a test series that might look a little different. Last time was 2015?

You are also using @ACT-Crusader 's selection policy. Nice that the world number one batsman snuck in though.

It’s a tried and true policy.

@siam that graphic above is the current test rankings.

You are right the World Test Championship Points table is slightly different (though the top 5 remain in the same order).

@MN5 Freddie is a funny character. I wouldn't let him get the drinks after that story though

Not sure how right this guy is ...

And am assuming his % probabilities are assuming each of the 2,700 odd outcomes have equal chance of occurring, when of course one team is likely to be more favoured over another in any given game, mesding wuth his actual probabilities ...

Or he MAY be full of shit ...

I am backing the scorchers and hoping they deliver. Go Munro and Mitch Marsh! But Dan Christian is a trophy magnet and the sixers are very talented. Looking forward to it

@mn5 said in Black Caps tour to England:

@rotated said in Black Caps tour to England:

@crucial said in Black Caps tour to England:

@rotated said in Black Caps tour to England:

Historically we have had some pretty good returns from test debutants ......

Ken Rutherford just got a shiver down his spine.

True, but his son got his first and only test ton on debut. 170 odd?

Indeed. I remember when the sons of Ken and Rod batted together actually.

Whatever happened to Hamish ? He appears to have gone the way of the Dodo.

He is still playing domestic for Otago and putting up solid numbers. He did play a T20 in Sri Lanka at the end of 2019 but I don't he'll be playing for the Black Caps again anytime soon.

@MN5 said in Australia v India:

@Snowy said in Australia v India:

@MN5 said in Australia v India:

I hate overrated All Rounders like Watson and Ben Stokes.

How do you feel about Chris Cairns?

I said overrated not underrated

We could just go with rated then.

@dogmeat said in Five Greatest Black Caps of the Past 50 years:

Far from my favourite player but I think it has to be Turner. Average of 47 when there were no muppets.

Absolutely. I was watching an interview with John Wright on Sky earlier in the week and he says Turner and Crowe were far and away the best NZ batsmen he played with.

@African-Monkey Yes to Clive Rice. His first class stats at Notts are phenomenal.

@No-Quarter said in New Zealand v West Indies:

@NTA a true custodian of the game, no Aussie will ever compete

To be fair if there was a Spirit of Cricket award for the previous decade I'm sure Gilchrist would have won it. Top blok.

He could have put the plaque up in the pool room next to the elephant head he shot with McGrath in Africa.

Somehow I'm mates (spent a bit of time) with several high profile coaches in Oz, including the Oz assistant.

The attitude of " how good of a player were you" doesn't seem relevant to their work with the players. Bear in mind that these players have had scores of coaches throughout all their lives so the assessment of said coaches doesn't really rely on their past as players beyond the first week of contact.

Darren Berry one day explained to me the offer he was pursuing from the Auckland Aces. Low low money and with covid standing in the way of getting family to nz for a bit suggests that pretty much nz coaching staff must come from within, I'd suggest

But good luck Luke, like rapido says, he was a selfless player (mostly opened for WA) and our fielding was exemplary when he had the gloves - there's something in that.

Feel sorry for the son, at least it seems he had a good relationship with his dad.

I always put John Drake ( ex ab prop) and JF Reid in a category. Way unsung but incredibly useful, successful and valued by team-mates and those in the know. Retired too early as well

And now I add died too young to the category. Our cricket coming of age in 84/85 etc was in large part due to patient well constructed centuries from John Reid at first drop.

Best NZ player of spin ever

Seems as good a thread as any to post this.....

FF86A63E-14A9-4C36-AEAE-3850DADC78FA.jpeg

Pre virus days.

Even the commentary is good

I dare cricket tragics not to watch this (again)

Late 2017, watching TB pick up his dog's business while chatting to couple on terrace of overlooking flat with that happy smile of his certainly came across as the behaviour of a top bloke. Living the dream I s'pose?!

Black Caps contracted players for 2020-21:
Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Jimmy Neesham, Ajaz Patel, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson, Will Young.

In: Conway, Jamieson, Patel

Out: Todd Astle, Colin Munro, Jeet Raval

So who gets player of the decade - Kohli or ABdV?

@LABCAT said in Dream11 Super Smash:

Free entry before 2PM:

that's a cool initiative 🙂

I am glad I was away when the tour was on as the only time I saw any of the series was in a pub in Wellington. That was the quickest beer I've ever drank. 🙂

@booboo said in Aussie Cricket 2019/20:

Ian Gould on the Aussie Cricket team, "pretty average people":

Some think he's a pretty average umpire 😉

https://www.facebook.com/iangouldisadisgrace/

"The cricketing world witnessed how umpire Ian Gould failed in giving unbiased decisions in 2016 T20 semi final between india and West Indies."

Gotta say that page is filled with some bile-spewing gold. @MN5 fill your boots.

Perhaps Archer should think more about taking wickets, instead of what a number says on the TV coverage.

Some of those balls were unplayable.

The one to Ross Taylor in particular swung in the last metre or so of flight. Can't feel bad about missing it.

Probably the best synopsis of Smith's batting I've seen.

'If Smith was Indian, his technique would just be accepted' via ESPNCricinfo app http://es.pn/ciapp

@Virgil said in CWC - The Other Semi Final:

@Donsteppa said in CWC - The Other Semi Final:

Ouch.

https://www.betootaadvocate.com/sports/australias-hopes-for-national-sporting-success-now-pinned-on-wallabies/

Australia’s Hopes For National Sporting Success Now Pinned On Wallabies

WENDELL HUSSEY | Cadet |CONTACT

In a frightening prospect for our country, national hopes for sporting success are now pinned on the national Rugby Union team.

Following months of expectation, excitement and positivity, the country’s women’s soccer team and now men’s cricket team have had their hopes for glory dashed.

This comes after the old foe knocked us out of the World Cup in the Semi-Final overnight after a commanding display with the ball.

The 8 wicket victory for the English leaves Australia now looking to the last remaining notable World Cup this year for glory.

“Fuck,” said a spokesperson for the nation out the front of the Lord Kidman Hotel in the Old City District this morning.

“This is not good. Pinning anything other than disappointment on the Wallabies is a bad, bad idea.”

“And now we are pinning our hopes for national glory on them.”

“Jesus this is bad. Let’s hope New Zealand’s first three strings of teams all go down injured and the Fijian’s have a bad day when we come up against them in the group.”

The spokesperson explained how after an Origin defeat on Wednesday night and the impending bottom of the ladder finish for his baby Broncos he’s feeling desperate.

“Let’s go you Wallabies I guess”

“At least we’ve got Ash Barty.”

Netball?

World championships start just as cricket finishes but worryingly for oz the diamonds are not expected to win especially after losing the final of the comm games at home to the poms. Jamaica are also a shot at the title

Silver Ferns will rely on a favourable draw to make the semis - sound familiar- but then will crash and burn

@Cyclops they were doing that when England claimed the wicket too.

yeah yeah, brand new approach amazing attacking mindset - did the poms invent it? or should the credit go to mccullum?
gilchrist?
or romesh kaluwitharana?
paddy greatbatch going down the pitch to the WI quicks in '92?
viv richards?

same old, same old.

@MN5 said in CWC Game #9 Black Caps v England:

@Godder said in CWC Game #9 Black Caps v England:

Paddles, M Crowe and Bond would be my pool to choose from, but at this point, any one of Astle, Harris, C Cairns, Smith/Parore/McCullum, Greatbatch and Dipak Patel would be a starter.

Your specs are tinted with a shitload of rose in some cases here.

For sure, current world cup form compared to the 1992 World Cup is playing a part...

@mariner4life said in CWC Game #8 Black Caps v Australia:

Smithy's mates "smithy put the fork down champ, you're starting to look like a party balloon"
Smithy "haha yea probably right mate, I'll skip breakfast tomorrow and wank on about how i am "intermittent fasting""

some yappy aussie fuckwit "haw haw smithy you fat fluffybunny"
Smithy "fuck right off Slats you giant douchebag"

Slats is such a throwback.

I heard on Newstalk ZB ( only station I can get in the work car ) that Doctors aren't allowed to tell someone they're obese anymore cos it might hurt their feelings.

Maybe Smithy can take Slats for a PG ?

753799b2-d249-4e83-b399-99b0a677fbb2-image.png

@Number-10 said in CWC Game #6 Black Caps v West Indies:

NZ ODI batting record achieved by Kane Williamson in this match.

With consecutive innings of 79* (v Afghanistan), 106* (v SA), and 148 (v WI) he scored 333 runs before being dismissed.

This beats the NZ record held by Chris Harris of 320 ODI runs before being dismissed, achieved over nine matches May 1997-January 1998 with consecutive scores of:
26*, 77*, 29*, 18*, 52*, 9*, 37*, 62*, 10

Wow, and we wank on about Michael Bevan.....fantastic effort that.

Sorry for ever laughing at your hair, thinking you were a poor mans Cairnsy and ever doubting you "Harry"

@Siam

"The other impressive part of the chase was the way Williamson and company played Imran Tahir. For the premier legspinner to go wicketless showed a clear, smart gameplan in terms of identifying where the main risk was".

Tahir should have had a wicket or two, we were certainly helped by a dropped catch or two and Williamson could have easily been out a few times. Hopefully we have the middle order and tail to deal with this outcome if it occurs at the pointy end of the comp

@TeWaio said in CWC Game #4 Black Caps v India:

India breathe a sigh of relief

We'll let em off with a warning.... this time.

@MN5 said in CWC Game #3 Black Caps vs Afghanistan:

@Baron-Silas-Greenback said in CWC Game #3 Black Caps vs Afghanistan:

@MN5 said in CWC Game #3 Black Caps vs Afghanistan:

@Baron-Silas-Greenback said in CWC Game #3 Black Caps vs Afghanistan:

@MN5 said in CWC Game #3 Black Caps vs Afghanistan:

@Baron-Silas-Greenback said in CWC Game #3 Black Caps vs Afghanistan:

@MN5 said in CWC Game #3 Black Caps vs Afghanistan:

@Baron-Silas-Greenback said in CWC Game #3 Black Caps vs Afghanistan:

Henry at 8 overs for 50. Bowling at the best possible time.
Bloody waste of a bowling spot.

I know, forget the seven wickets he's taken previously. He's shit.

Neesham took 5 in this game alone you must think he is an elite world class bowler..

Definitely not although it's still a wonderful achievement.

Henry has a spot in the team. Like it or not.

Great argument. He has a spot in team so should not be dropped... genius.

Well certainly not on the back of one lackluster performance, no. Otherwise we'll be getting rid of Boult too.

But you can always console yourself with the thought that Southee may have done better.

One lacklustre. He is nearly always lacklustre. This game was just more evidence of the point I made about Henry before the game.

He get's a few wickets for someone so lackluster. I guess he's just really, really lucky. A lot of the time.

What current ability? The ability to only bowl at the best times to bowl or the ability to bowl pies?

@LABCAT kind of my point.

An afternoon T20 seems a waste