1st Test: New Zealand v India at Auckland Feb 6-10, 2014

[JJ]

Martin>>>>>> Sodhi atm...

Shame Vetorri's not ready, still the best option, at least he can bowl tightly...

No need for changes with the pace bowlers, but shame if Henry's hurt, I'd like to see him get a run one day.

Rutherford and Fulton are horrific, I prefer Fulton actually, at least his hands are safe. I appreciate consistency of selection, but I don't see how Latham and Flynn couldn't do better

 

[Iafeta]

Not a no ball either fwiw. About 2 millimetres inside the return crease. It's what's on the ground not what's in the air.

 

[vvvrulz]

The big silver lining for me is Wagner delivering on all that promise.

Wickets or not he never fails to give 100% or lower his intensity. He charges in as if expecting a wicket every ball, we needed a hard nosed performer like that.

 

[hineyrulz]

The mighty team India have lost 10 of their last 11 tests away from home.

Tier 1 huh???

 

[JJ]

The mighty team India have lost 10 of their last 11 tests away from home.

Tier 1 huh???

:lol: really? wow

I imagine the other two protected Tier 1 countries also have pretty poor away records recently... perhaps the only team both solid home and away is RSA, but the threat of relegation will hover for them

 

[shiznit]

I hope they seriously persevere with Sodhi.

He certainly has talent... He turns the ball more than any spinner we've had for a long time.

All we seem to produce are these crap spinners who rely more on changes of pace than actual variations off the deck.

Guys like Bruce Martin will never rip through a batting line up... They are more about containment than attack.

Sodhi is very early in his career... I don't mind sending him away to develop... But don't send him back to our rubbish first class scene. We don't produce the type if wickets needed and we don't play the style of cricket where the kid will be encouraged to take his craft to the next level.

Maybe set up a deal where the kid plays FC cricket in India or South Africa.

 

[JJ]

I hope they seriously persevere with Sodhi.

He certainly has talent... He turns the ball more than any spinner we've had for a long time.

All we seem to produce are these crap spinners who rely more on changes of pace than actual variations off the deck.

Guys like Bruce Martin will never rip through a batting line up... They are more about containment than attack.

Sodhi is very early in his career... I don't mind sending him away to develop... But don't send him back to our rubbish first class scene. We don't produce the type if wickets needed and we don't play the style of cricket where the kid will be encouraged to take his craft to the next level.

Maybe set up a deal where the kid plays FC cricket in India or South Africa.

Yep, just don't think he's ready yet, and he certainly didn't trouble this lot.

In our conditions the pace bowlers will get most of the wickets, the spinner needs to bowl a lot of tight overs in support - he can't do that against batsmen accomplished against spin, yet anyway

 

[Twizzle]

He has some good balls but geez he has a few shockers as well.

He needs alot of overs, as many 4 day games as possible.

 

[Timbo]

Sodhi looks like he could be something special but is a ways off.

He'd be best honing his skills in the Plunkett Shield for a couple of seasons coupled with some winters in England. Use Martin until he comes on.

Also, what happened to Todd Astle?

 

[JJ]

Astle's still playing domestically, but just isn't terribly good.

At home, and particularly against the Indians, I think the 4th bowler needs to be someone who can bowl a lot of overs relatively tightly - Southee, Boult and Wagner will get them out...

Sodhi should imo go back to first class cricket and be supported to develop, it is clear the raw material is there for him to be a good test bowler.

In the interim, a Vetorri (not fit obviously), Martin or even Nathan McCullum is a better option against this lot...

 

[HevyDevy]

Well I'm pretty f**king pleased with that result. I'd like to see the Kiwis come along as a cricketing nation and good to see them down the Indians.

I've got to say though, the loss aside, how good is Kohli?

 

[JJ]

Kohli is VERY good- at the end of the day, a very inexperienced top 6 at test level...

WIlliamson is very good too, come on Aussies, show our young fella some love.
Not sure about the "come along" comment - we've always produced some world class cricketers - going way back to Cowie, Dempster, Grimmett (yes, he's ours), Donnelly, Sutcliffe, Reid, Taylor, Howarth, Turner, Crowe, Wright, Hadlee, Cairns, Fleming Vetorri, etc...

The problem has always been depth, and role players not up to it (as with our openers now) - but this current lot has several world class or potentially world class players (Taylor, Williamson, Anderson, Boult, Southee, Mills (ODIs) and even Watling_ - real shame McCullum can't keep because as a keeper batsman he's brilliant... and depth/potential at the moment too with Wagner, Milne, McLegnahan, Henry, Bennett) and the two clowns Ryder and Bracewell. With suficiengt tests we should be top 4, and put a fair show at the world cup... Injuries and you tier 1 teams bothering to play us are key

 

[HevyDevy]

Kohli is VERY good- at the end of the day, a very inexperienced top 6 at test level...

WIlliamson is very good too, come on Aussies, show our young fella some love.
Not sure about the "come along" comment - we've always produced some world class cricketers - going way back to Cowie, Dempster, Grimmett (yes, he's ours), Donnelly, Sutcliffe, Reid, Taylor, Howarth, Turner, Crowe, Wright, Hadlee, Cairns, Fleming Vetorri, etc...

The problem has always been depth, and role players not up to it (as with our openers now) - but this current lot has several world class or potentially world class players (Taylor, Williamson, Anderson, Boult, Southee, Mills (ODIs) and even Watling_ - real shame McCullum can't keep because as a keeper batsman he's brilliant... and depth/potential at the moment too with Wagner, Milne, McLegnahan, Henry, Bennett) and the two clowns Ryder and Bracewell. With suficiengt tests we should be top 4, and put a fair show at the world cup... Injuries and you tier 1 teams bothering to play us are key

Perhaps I should have said "re-come along". Of course you have enjoyed some wonderful eras, but with a smaller population and a lack of funding it's going to be hard for you to mix it with the big guns all the time.

I think the lack of the same development structures make it difficult for you too. You've got some extremely talented players - McCullum, Taylor etc - but some of the slightly rawer guys could benefit from a genuine cricket academy.

Anyway, as you say you do seem to have a batch of pretty promising youngsters coming through. Let's hope they fulfil their potential and you can enter another golden era.

 

[JJ]

Yes, let's hope - be nice to have a few wins over you other top tier teams

 

[Red Bear]

If Wagner keeps bowling like that he'll have a longer term place in the side, and make Milne and Henry have to work doubly hard to push him out, which can only help the side IMO.

If only you guys had some opening batsmen that were remotely close to test standard. Your middle order is coming along nicely but being one down very quickly and often 2 down pretty quickly is not a productive way to start any test match.

 

[Timbo]

I think a better batting lineup would be opening with McCullum and Watling, bringing Ronchi in to keep along with Ryder in the middle order.

 

[Red Bear]

If Ryder ever sorts his shit out, maybe. And Ronchi is rubbish

 

[JJ]

Ryder is an alcoholic, but doesn't seem able to accept that, or act like a grown up - we should be done with him.

Tom Latham is one opener, the other could be Flynn, Guptill is too flawed for tests imo.

Robbie O'Donnell captain of the u/19 team is a real talent, but young... there are others about the place, unfortunately none as talented as Ryder, but he's just too much of a problem

 

[African Monkey]

Sodhi looks like he could be something special but is a ways off.

He'd be best honing his skills in the Plunkett Shield for a couple of seasons coupled with some winters in England. Use Martin until he comes on.

Also, what happened to Todd Astle?

TBH, I'd put Nathan McCullum ahead of Martin if were were to go with a spinner. He won't get many wickets but he should be able to contain them and his batting would come in handy.

However, there is no need to play a spinner in wellington. We can afford to go with 4 seamers so if I were to choose, I would go with Neesham, as his batting would give the lower order a real boost and I feel that he could get a bit out of the deck being a genuine seam bowler, but they'll most likely go with Bennett.

 

[Red Bear]

Ryder is an alcoholic, but doesn't seem able to accept that, or act like a grown up - we should be done with him.

Tom Latham is one opener, the other could be Flynn, Guptill is too flawed for tests imo.

Robbie O'Donnell captain of the u/19 team is a real talent, but young... there are others about the place, unfortunately none as talented as Ryder, but he's just too much of a problem

If he didn't get the wake up call after the last 12 months, you don't know what it would take

Bracewell seems to be an idiot as well. Was the alleged fight between Ryder and Bracewell or Bracewell and a random person?