2nd Test: New Zealand v Australia at Christchurch on Feb 20-24, 2016

[ANTiLAG]

Well played Henry.

Important and valuable effort.

 

[ANTiLAG]

If only Boult could still swing the ball the way he swings a bat.

 

[Meth]

Valiant from Henry, but still not quite enough to get NZ out of dodge.

 

[blaza88z]

I would love to get Ian Smith and Ian Healy in the same commentary box

 

[ANTiLAG]

Ugh Boult.

Should be a comfortable win for Aus here unless Boult remembers how to bowl swing.

Looking forward to Wagner bowling a bumpathon.

Kinda fitting Southee and Boult made ducks in that innings.

 

[Twatface Magee]

Burns' and Warner's sole job needs to be to see off the new ball.
From there it should be a very comfortable win.

 

[Meth]

Bird came right. He'll be happy to get some wickets

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

201 shouldn't be a problem. The biggest threat to Australia is themselves. If they go too hard trying to put it beyond doubt early and throw a couple of wickets away NZ might get a sniff.

 

[WaznTheGreat]

Here comes the 2nd innings Warner choke

 

[hineyrulz]

200 shouldn't be enough on this deck, early wickets could make us shit our pants so who knows.

 

[ANTiLAG]

2015/2016 Boult is crap bar a pink ball.

Lets see if Southee has some swing.

Nope, Southee bowling wide long hops.

These two appear to have peaked last season.

 

[The Charlatan]

Good finish by the Kiwi's, gave their bowlers something to defend at least.

Australia are champions at making targets like this hard to chase for themselves. We'll probably get out to 0/80 and then lose four wickets for ten runs.

 

[WaznTheGreat]

Good finish by the Kiwi's, gave their bowlers something to defend at least.

Australia are champions at making targets like this hard to chase for themselves. We'll probably get out to 0/80 and then lose four wickets for ten runs.

This for sure

 

[The Charlatan]

2015/2016 Boult is crap bar a pink ball.

Lets see if Southee has some swing.

Nope, Southee bowling wide long hops.

These two appear to have peaked last season.

Both have been hampered by injury haven't they? Even good bowlers take time to bounce back. Go easy on them.

 

[ANTiLAG]

Both have been hampered by injury haven't they? Even good bowlers take time to bounce back. Go easy on them.

Boult has never been the same since comming back from injury. He is not the same bowler. But he has had 7 tests since then, and averaged about 40 (and that includes 7 wickets for nix at Adelaide).

There is no excuse for wide half trackers and wide long hops, comming back from injury or not. He has lost his swing, but he shouldn't have lost his aim.

I'm not surprised Smithy is getting stuck into them. I am too. If they cannot perform well anymore, then they should not be automatic selections. Give Nuttall a crack at it.

Southee is meant to be a leader, not bowling crap with only 200 to defend. Hazelwood bowled something like 30 overs out of 90 odd, beautifully for little reward (yeah he got a lil tired during Henry's innings with some short stuff but the field was set for it) while Bird bowled a few overs and got a 5 for. Southee should be following Hazelwood's lead. That is how a test leader plays.

 

[undertaker]

200 shouldn't be enough on this deck, early wickets could make us shit our pants so who knows.

Melbourne 1981, Headingley 1981, Adelaide 1993, Sydney 1994, The Oval 1997, Melbourne 1998 and Mumbai 2004 showed that we are there to be beaten chasing sub-200 targets when early wickets are lost.

Sure, those pitches may have offered bowlers more than this one in Christchurch and another 50 runs to NZ (i.e. 250 target) would've definitely made things more interesting, but given how brittle our middle-order batting has been over the past few years, you just never know if NZ can get 3-4 quick wickets tomorrow. Warner really needs to be there at stumps, and not get out to a Glen Maxwell-like flamboyant shot.

 

[The Charlatan]

Boult has never been the same since comming back from injury. He is not the same bowler. But he has had 7 tests since then, and averaged about 40 (and that includes 7 wickets for nix at Adelaide).

There is no excuse for wide half trackers and wide long hops, comming back from injury or not. He has lost his swing, but he shouldn't have lost his aim.

I'm not surprised Smithy is getting stuck into them. I am too. If they cannot perform well anymore, then they should not be automatic selections. Give Nuttall a crack at it.

Southee is meant to be a leader, not bowling crap with only 200 to defend. Hazelwood bowled something like 30 overs out of 90 odd, beautifully for little reward while Bird bowled a few overs and got a 5 for. Southee should be following Hazelwood's lead. That is how a test leader plays.

Yeah some bowlers rely heavily on confidence though. When you're fit and bowling well it takes you to another level. Having to start again after an injury can seriously affect your confidence and as a result, your performance. Mitchell Johnson was very much like this for mine. When everything was going well, he was throwing serious heat. When injuries and poor form took over, he was throwing 140km/h piles of shit.

Failure to swing the ball might result in him trying to hard to do something with his deliveries rather than get back to basics of line and length. Bowlers of all abilities are guilty of this, all the way down to park cricket.

 

[ANTiLAG]

Yeah some bowlers rely heavily on confidence though. When you're fit and bowling well it takes you to another level. Having to start again after an injury can seriously affect your confidence and as a result, your performance. Mitchell Johnson was very much like this for mine.

They're not bowling at Mitch Johnson's pace. They're bowling at Hazelwood's pace, and do not even have Patto's aim, let alone Patto's reverse swing and seam movement or Hazelwood's robotic accuracy in good balls, hitting the seam and reversing.

Patto and Hazelwood have not only shown them up for talent with Boult and Southee not swinging, they're showing them up for discipline, accuracy, heart and endurance. When they were swinging, they could afford to be delicate. Now they cannot. They need to get their stuff together. No free runs and bowl more overs when they look likely.

What the heck is Henry bowling? It is like a Mitch Johnson bad day sprayathon bowled in slow motion.

 

[JJ]

I have no doubt that Boult will be back - Southee worries me more, a few years ago he seemed a new ball bowler who offered nothing later - at the moment he looks like a poor man's Peter Siddle

Injuries and the hit to confidence is big, Boult was terrific up until the injury in England - but also I wonder about the coaching, Bond was great, the numpty we have and the numpty we've hired for the 20:20 don't inspire me...

For the most part Australia have just been a step ahead this series, aside from fielding they are doing everything a bit better

 

[ANTiLAG]

I have no doubt that Boult will be back - Southee worries me more, a few years ago he seemed a new ball bowler who offered nothing later - at the moment he looks like a poor man's Peter Siddle

Sorry JJ, I disagree - Siddle can keep it tight and bowl on off stump at a good length all day these days.

Southee is nowhere near being a poor man's version of Peter Siddle.

Our bowlers need to wake their ideas up quick smart. It will be one thing to be shown up in India by their spinners, but Rabada, Philander, Styen, Morkel, Amir, Asif (maybe), Mustafizur and Shah will continue to make them look awful this time next year unless something changes quciksmart.

If the batsman can eeek out 700 runs against bowling attacks of class (Mutsatfizur may not have much support bar Shakib), Tim and Trent need to stop giving away freeebies so as to win games.