Black Caps in India
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@Mokey said in Black Caps in India:
@TeWaio said in Black Caps in India:
Guppy's test average is now 29.49
He shouldn't be in the test team. That is not nearly good enough for an opener.
Stats to the rescue!
Last 10 years 3 NZ openers have managed 30+ - Baz, Latham & Bell (30.62). Everyone else sub 30...
So yes, I agree, but its about average for us... maybe above average
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@gt12 said in Black Caps in India:
@gollum Those stats go both ways. Clearly, we haven't had many good openers during the last 10 years. Keeping him opening isn't going to help that?
Yeah I think so too - well I don't think he should be opening or at 5, you can't bat 5 & be rubbish against spin. And he is rubbish v spin.
I think those stats highlight that its going to be incredibly rare for a NZ opener to step up from first class to tests & be ready - only Latham really in 10 years. So whoever steps up will need 15 odd tests at least.
So ideally pick young & give them 20 tests to bed in. The poms have had similar issues since Strauss went & they've now opted for a 19 year old with a very very tight technique (nicknamed Baby Boycott).
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@Mokey said in Black Caps in India:
@TeWaio said in Black Caps in India:
Guppy's test average is now 29.49
He shouldn't be in the test team. That is not nearly good enough for an opener.
And whoever replaces him would bite your hand off for an average of 29.
Have you missed the last 30 years?
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Well done Tommy and Kane
Tom used his sweep to great effect and Kane displays this incredible calm veneer about everything he does. Both of them defended well and actually had the Indian spinners trying too hard and altering their lines.
The appealing for the most ridiculous instances (ball hits thighpad or high up on the leg on the onside with bat nowhere near) and short leg and all those around scream and jump up and down is bloody tiresome - luckily the umps seem impervious to this "spirit of cricket". I'm all for vociferous appealing but for fucks sake pick your moments.
We got bloody lucky when son of Rod swept one onto his foot and short leg bobbled but held onto the catch. However the 3rd ump ruled that he used the grill of his helment to secure the ball. I still can't really work out how this differs from the ball hitting a helmet and ricocheting but fuck it, we're taught to obey the umps decision
Ashwin got his act together and produced a lot of edges but the boys remained stoic.
Then a paltry shower washed out the day simply because despite all the BCCI bluster the fluffybunnies couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery and with all and sundry piston wristed gibbons pissarsing around with the covers the ground got soaked.
Overall a good day for Kane's boys and us. No driving, just sweeping and defending and a few cuts and glides on the offside and very well done too.
I see the Indian batting coach having a whinge at our "timewasting". Well he can get fucked
Hopefully it's dry today and if you can get to watch it you should because it's a bit of a battle of adversity over there and Kane and Tommy are doing us proud.
ps yeah, felt like swearing a bit...
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@gollum said in Black Caps in India:
@gt12 said in Black Caps in India:
@gollum Those stats go both ways. Clearly, we haven't had many good openers during the last 10 years. Keeping him opening isn't going to help that?
Yeah I think so too - well I don't think he should be opening or at 5, you can't bat 5 & be rubbish against spin. And he is rubbish v spin.
I think those stats highlight that its going to be incredibly rare for a NZ opener to step up from first class to tests & be ready - only Latham really in 10 years. So whoever steps up will need 15 odd tests at least.
So ideally pick young & give them 20 tests to bed in. The poms have had similar issues since Strauss went & they've now opted for a 19 year old with a very very tight technique (nicknamed Baby Boycott).
This is why they should have picked Raval against Zimbabwe. Get him into the environment and let him score some early runs. Regardless, I would be fine with Guptill only averaging 30 if he didn't inflate his stats against weak teams and if he lasted a fair amount of balls.
Regardless, great effort from Latham and Williamson yesterday. Both need to push on today because I think we will need a good lead to be safe. I think our batting line up is very prone to a 4th innings collapse.
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It was great to listen to the original Little Master, Sunny Gavaskar, as he talked about Kane and also Tom in terms of their application, subtle batting smarts and footwork. Unlike most of the other "analysts/media twonks", he doesn't blow smoke up the arses of the immediate past generation or current crop of Indian batsmen. When he started mentioning Kane in the same breath as some of the truly great batsmen to tour India (Bert got a mention as well), I really sat up and took notice, particularly given that NZers aren't the prime audience for that comms team.
And yeah I rate Sunny as one of the best batsmen, certainly one of the best openers of all time. He faced Lillee and Thommo at their best, The first and best wave of Lloyd's pace like fire (Roberts, Holding, Croft and Garner , Patterson, Daniels). Did it without a helmet as well, the plucky fluffybunny.
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I was pretty happy when the rain arrived yesterday, because the ball was starting to turn sharply. I hoped it might settle down overnight, but it hasn't. We need to play a few shots wherever we can, because it's very difficult out there.
Can't really see us getting parity from here - need to try to get within 50 runs - bowl them out for bugger all and hope to chase 150 in the final innings.
India in the box seat.
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Hopefully Ronchi can get a few. I've got no doubt Nicholls would already be back in the shed so not a bad decision to play Ronchi as a batsmen. Yup I'm allowed to go completely 360 on what I said earlier in the thread, because the Fern.
The older the ball gets the harder it gets to bat. India will be in no hurry to take the new ball.
It's a great challenge. I do enjoy the different conditions you get around the world. It has to be within reason but I've got no problems with India preparing pitches that turn. The groundsmen in NZ have been fucking me off recently preparing fucking roads instead of green seamers that would benefit our swing attack. Aussie just dined out last summer.
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That's a bugger about the quick wickets - Kane's was a jaffa
As mentioned the ball is turning square. Stick it out boys
It's tough to win in India and that's fine. As No Quarter mentioned countries should prepare pitches as they want so long as they're good enough to pass playable scrutiny. All countries actually behave the same way despite what social cricket warriors postulate (except that time when India threatened not to tour and the financial benefits if we greened things up too much).
The appealing, the noise, the smells are all part of the Indian ride and I'm pleased that we don't whine about these things.
Interesting game situation and we need to fight against the grip India have on us and are getting from the wicket.
Ravi Shastri is a dick of a commentator and the current cricinfo commentator could do with toning down his shit too:
Ashwin to Williamson, OUT, he makes sure it needs a bit of magic to get him out, and Ashwin has produced it. You little beauty! He had to go back, because the length was a touch short. -
That was a delicious drive from my boy Ronchi.
Now off the backfoot for 4, 10 from the over. These two have done well to at least postpone the collapse.
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