1st Test: New Zealand v Australia at Wellington on Feb 12-16, 2016

[Twatface Magee]

Darsh ready to wreak havoc on the Kiwis

 

[ANTiLAG]

The two guys playing the Shield match are the only dudes to ever play any red ball cricket in NZ - seems like a prep issue to me. The kiwis should thrash them.

Well I think that 50 over cricket is fine to get Warner, Khawaja, Smith and Marsh ready for batting here. Warner, Khawaja, and Marsh looked in good touch in the ODI games.

Voges had a Shield game. So did Neville.

Which leaves Joe Burns as the only batsman with a prep excuse.

But if Aus gets walloped, I am sure NZ will welcome them to play prep games in NZ instead of T20 matches at home against India in the future. NZC went out of its way to let Cricket Australia host a shield game in NZ.

CA administrators clearly think that preparation was not needed. Imagine if NZC had not wanted ODI games, and it was straight to a three test series after T20 against India in Australia. Then you may have a complaint.

NZ toured England last year with half the team missing the warmup games to play IPL in India. The IPL players adjusted quickly enough to play well in the first test. Some form of competitive cricket, especially internationals, is better than no real competitive cricket at all I would imagine. For the climate adjustment, it's cooler in NZ than Australia, but not England in May cold. So like the Boks comming down from altitude, that favours your lads. Poms must melt at the Gaba, Waca and even the SCG.

For the record, not that it matters, but Lyon played in that shield game as well. Voges got a big ton and Neville got a 50.

 

[chigurh]

Basically every cricket board leaves their side under prepared for a test tour these days, so it's a level playing field in that sense. But not having played a single test in the host country is a bit extraordinary, and it'd be quite amazing if they can overcome it. Highly unlikely though.

 

[jargan83]

Kiwis should win this easy.

No long form preparation will be costly for Australia.

 

[ANTiLAG]

Kiwis should win this easy.

No long form preparation will be costly for Australia.

And most the NZ team have been in pyjamas for longer than Aus has. Since boxing day iirc. You were playing tests at that time.


Double edged sword on the long form preparation.

 

[ANTiLAG]

"The ball will swing for a lot longer than what it does in Australia," Australia's vice-captain David Warner said on Wednesday. "The wickets were pretty flat, I'd have to say, in Australia. Looking at the wicket here it looks nice and green, but that's irrelevant. I don't think the ball will do much off the wicket. It will swing around a lot, and obviously with two world-class swing bowlers in the attack it's going to be a challenge for us guys at the top of the order."

Who's been spilling the beans to Davey?

http://www.espncricinfo.com/new-zealand-v-australia-2015-16/content/story/971025.html

 

[blaza88z]

For me this test series means everything to NZ cricket, at home against one of the better test sides going around (despite injuries), they'll have conditions to suit.. no excuses if they can't get it done

I still believe it will be 1-1

 

[ANTiLAG]

For me this test series means everything to NZ cricket, at home against one of the better test sides going around (despite injuries), they'll have conditions to suit.. no excuses if they can't get it done

I still believe it will be 1-1

Since when is Starc injuries?

Who else is injured for Australia? Burns, Warner, Khawaja, Smith, Voges, MMarsh, Neville, Pattinson, Lyon, Hazelwood, Siddle... They're all accounted for. Just destroyed the Windies to boot.

Taylor and Santner are injuries (plural), though. Watling to be possibly added to that list.

What Australia lose between Starc and Siddle or Bird, is next to nothing compared to what NZ lose from Taylor (NZ's second best batsman this century and since Crowe who has been an excellent run scorer at home averaging over 50) to Nicolls, or restructuring team balance having lost an allround spin option who seems to chip out runs whereever NZ batsman fail against Australia. Early days of course, but accross test and ODI combined - Santner is averaging a useful 78 with the bat against Straya. I feel comfortably assured that he was a planned feature big in the NZ plans for this test series.

 

[JJ]

Basically every cricket board leaves their side under prepared for a test tour these days, so it's a level playing field in that sense. But not having played a single test in the host country is a bit extraordinary, and it'd be quite amazing if they can overcome it. Highly unlikely though.

Yes, everyone is chasing the $$ and underprepared

But Australian cricket teams have never been banned from touring NZ, it's just Australia that has acted that way - very few Australian cricketers ever would have played more than a handful of tests in NZ, so this is nothing particularly unique - Steve Waugh for example played 10 total

 

[Meth]

If Australia are under prepared, we are doubly unprepared...we haven't been playing anywhere near enough red ball cricket for yeeeeaaaarrrs

 

[hineyrulz]

Good to see both sets of fans getting their excuses in early lol.

 

[JJ]

Good to see both sets of fans getting their excuses in early lol.

Yep, seems it's a cripple fight, neither team really capable of winning

 

[JJ]

One thing that hasn't had much (or enough) attention - this is Baz's 100th consecutive test since his debut - phenomenal really, no injury enforced misses, no dropping, keeping for most of it he's a seriously tough little f**ker

 

[ANTiLAG]

One thing that hasn't had much (or enough) attention - this is Baz's 100th consecutive test since his debut - phenomenal really, no injury enforced misses, no dropping, keeping for most of it he's a seriously tough little f**ker

Strictly correct on the "keeping for most of it" - but it is 52 and 47 games so far.

As a captain he has been tremendous. As a player, he has not impressed the Australian media and former players just yet (bar T20 abilities). Despite Brisbane hiring him for the BBL, Crash Craddock couldn't wait to put the boot into his career. NZ has always been divided on him as a specialist batsman - even with that tripple against India at the Basin. He had the English eating out of his hand last year, but that was more for his approach to captaincy.

I hope he makes the most of these 2 remaining matches and gets some big runs, I do not care if they're tough or easy, first innings second and third day will do me just fine, but he needs some runs to leave his legacy as a player more revered than 'could demolish Asian attacks but struggled against England*, (West Indies), South Africa and Australia'.

* Not too bad against England at 35.89 but no centuries. 1 century against Australia in the second innings of a big loss.

 

[JJ]

Wasn't an argument for his greatness, an argument for his resilience really - keeper or not, he's been pretty impressive staying on the field, and nobody could argue he's taken it easy on himself

 

[ANTiLAG]

Wasn't an argument for his greatness, an argument for his resilience really - keeper or not, he's been pretty impressive staying on the field, and nobody could argue he's taken it easy on himself

I'm pretty sure that was the ill feeling and argument when he gave up the gloves so as to prolong his career from back injury complaints, not that his livelihood and career choices are the business of NZC fans and media, but they weighed in at the time with their disappointment.

Since BJ Watling 2.0 as a keeper for the last couple of years, it has been an anachronistic non-issue.

 

[JJ]

I'm pretty sure that was the ill feeling and argument when he gave up the gloves, not that his livelihood and career choices are the business of NZC fans, but they weighed in at the time with their disappointment.

Since BJ Watling 2.0 as a keeper for the last couple of years, it has been a redundant issue.

Yep, and I was one not happy with how he seemed to pick and choose his spot in the order, "I'm an opener... nek minnut"

But he gives it 100%, always have the feeling he didn't quite do his talent justice, but keeper in my all time NZ team, and possibly captain (although the captain McCullum and the keeper McCullum are different players)

 

[ANTiLAG]

Yep, and I was one not happy with how he seemed to pick and choose his spot in the order, "I'm an opener... nek minnut"

But he gives it 100%, always have the feeling he didn't quite do his talent justice, but keeper in my all time NZ team, and possibly captain (although the captain McCullum and the keeper McCullum are different players)

Yeah, most Kiwis have him as keeper, and I would not criticize anyone for choosing him as captain.* But I hope for NZC's future that BJ Watling wipes him right out of any NZ ATG team discussion altogether.

Not that I dislike Baz, I just want a continued bright future for NZC sooner rather than later.

* But MD Crowe has got to be one of the smartest cricketing brains in the world, not just NZ, with the god given talent to lead from the front, even if not one of the lads. Turner reads as a bright spark too, but I think Crowe would have the team follow him further, even if the media loathed him.

 

[Pete Cash]

100 tests in a row is amazing. Well played to him.

 

[JJ]

100 tests in a row is amazing. Well played to him.

Yeah, from debut is stunning - think Gilchrist is next on that list, or perhaps de Villiers

But think I am correct in saying that the legendary Allan Border played about 150 consecutive tests (not from debut) in his career, and Alistair Cook might be closing in on that record