"Fulton has back-foot issues" - Bracewell

[Kippax]

Pretty interesting stuff IMO, considering this is the same selection panel that rate Michael Papps' (non-existent) back-foot game as passable!

http://www.radiosport.co.nz/ThisWeek/41015.wma (3 minutes in)

So at 26, where does Fulton go from here?

* He's currently got the second-highest FC ave. in NZ history behind Martin Crowe (for those with 2000+ runs)

* He was the second-highest runscorer on the 'A' tour of SA last year, on pitches that prompted Lou Vincent to say "we're struggling with the bounce".

* NZ provincial attacks aren't getting much faster, or provincial wickets any harder.

* The next 'A' tour is to Sri Lanka in September, not exactly a great back-foot examination.

* Fleming has now been pushed down into the cushy plethora of middle-order options. I think he'll quickly find that planting your front foot outside off to play balls hitting middle and leg won't work against an old ball either, and so much for Graeme Smith (leading from the front with an average of 55 as a LH test opener) being "mentally frail".

Regardless, it seems if Fleming wants to be at # 4 long-term, NZ's first-choice line-up would loom as being 1) Cumming 2) J Marshall 3) H Marshall 4) Fleming 5) Astle 6) Oram.

No Vincent, no Styris, no McMillan, and obviously no Fulton.

* I presume Fulton is in the Major Associations XI to play Sri Lanka next Monday, which may be one last chance for him to absolutely demand selection, despite his perceived flaws.

I heard commentator Steve Davie mention this morning that Otago players Redmond and Todd were included, so if Voltman could check his NZPA wires for the full Major Associations team I'd appreciate it.

 

[Smudge]

Sorry, Kippax - just checked for you, and no sign of it yet.

 

[Kippax]

Thanks for that, Voltman.

 

[Prince EWS]

Pretty interesting stuff IMO, considering this is the same selection panel that rate Michael Papps' (non-existent) back-foot game as passable!

http://www.radiosport.co.nz/ThisWeek/41015.wma (3 minutes in)

So at 26, where does Fulton go from here?

* He's currently got the second-highest FC ave. in NZ history behind Martin Crowe (for those with 2000+ runs)

* He was the second-highest runscorer on the 'A' tour of SA last year, on pitches that prompted Lou Vincent to say "we're struggling with the bounce".

* NZ provincial attacks aren't getting much faster, or provincial wickets any harder.

* The next 'A' tour is to Sri Lanka in September, not exactly a great back-foot examination.

* Fleming has now been pushed down into the cushy plethora of middle-order options. I think he'll quickly find that planting your front foot outside off to play balls hitting middle and leg won't work against an old ball either, and so much for Graeme Smith (leading from the front with an average of 55 as a LH test opener) being "mentally frail".

Regardless, it seems if Fleming wants to be at # 4 long-term, NZ's first-choice line-up would loom as being 1) Cumming 2) J Marshall 3) H Marshall 4) Fleming 5) Astle 6) Oram.

No Vincent, no Styris, no McMillan, and obviously no Fulton.

* I presume Fulton is in the Major Associations XI to play Sri Lanka next Monday, which may be one last chance for him to absolutely demand selection, despite his perceived flaws.

I heard commentator Steve Davie mention this morning that Otago players Redmond and Todd were included, so if Voltman could check his NZPA wires for the full Major Associations team I'd appreciate it.

I think you'll find that Styris will probably bat 6 and Oram 7...

 

[Kippax]

I think you'll find that Styris will probably bat 6 and Oram 7...

Perhaps, although I think Oram has said he views himself more as a top 6 batsman in the future than a third seamer.

Oram at 7 would also require him to open the bowling whenever Bracewell wanted to play two spinners. I think we'd probably need Bond to not only come back successfully, but to be one of the world's great pacemen to get away with that.

 

[Prince EWS]

Perhaps, although I think Oram has said he views himself more as a top 6 batsman in the future than a third seamer.

Oram at 7 would also require him to open the bowling whenever Bracewell wanted to play two spinners. I think we'd probably need Bond to not only come back successfully, but to be one of the world's great pacemen to get away with that.

No, if you wanted to play 2 spinners, THEN Styris would go out of the side.

But normally, you play one spinner, meaning you would then have Bond, Franklin/Martin/Butler, Vettori, Oram and Styris, with Astle as backup.

Also, I dont really think it matters what oram views himself as.... Mark Richardson viewed himself as a spinner but he got picked as an opening batsman. James Franklin and Kyle Mills view themselves as allrounders but get picked as bowlers etc etc

 

[Smudge]

No, if you wanted to play 2 spinners, THEN Styris would go out of the side.

But normally, you play one spinner, meaning you would then have Bond, Franklin/Martin/Butler, Vettori, Oram and Styris, with Astle as backup.

Also, I dont really think it matters what oram views himself as.... Mark Richardson viewed himself as a spinner but he got picked as an opening batsman. James Franklin and Kyle Mills view themselves as allrounders but get picked as bowlers etc etc

Not the best example - five/six years before Rigor was picked, he considered himself a spinner, but certainly not by the time he got picked. In fact, he didn't even think he could bowl any more (despite still getting very good returns in Dunedin club cricket - at the expense of me getting a bowl...).

 

[Will Scarlet]

Based on the form of NZ's test batsmen they must all have some technical issues. I can't believe Bracewell, a tail-ender, and a coach with a terrible record at test level, has any right to criticise Fulton's technique if he can post consistently more runs than any other batsmen in NZ FC cricket.

And if Fulton has technical deficiencies (as most non-test players do) then he must have no more than the the rest of NZ's top FC batsmen.

I can't wait for the day that Bracewell and the selectors are cast aside for individuals that use common sense and have the balls to bring through players ahead of a crisis.

 

[Ming]

Papps a non existent back foot player? What the? He's got a great cut shot, and he employed the pull and hook shot to pretty good effect against SA last year.

For Fulton - I have seen him many times getting out, while attempting a back foot drive and inside edging it onto the stumps....that's certainly not to suggest he shouldn't be in the NZ side.

 

[Prince EWS]

Not the best example - five/six years before Rigor was picked, he considered himself a spinner, but certainly not by the time he got picked. In fact, he didn't even think he could bowl any more (despite still getting very good returns in Dunedin club cricket - at the expense of me getting a bowl...).

Yeah.... I was thinking that after I posted it.

But the examples of Franklin and Mills stand tall.

 

[The Argonaut]

If Oram plays it must be as an allrounder. he needs to bat at 6 with McCullum at 7 and four bowlers to follow. Why doesn't Vincent open. The side would then be

Cumming, Vincent, H Marshall, Fleming, Styris, Oram, McCullum, Vettori, plus 3 quicks or 2 quicks and a spinner.

I have not picked Astle due to recent inconsistency. I don't know enough about J Marshall to say if he is better than Vincent as an opener.

 

[Kippax]

Papps a non existent back foot player? What the? He's got a great cut shot, and he employed the pull and hook shot to pretty good effect against SA last year.

It's only fair that someone shuffling down the track pre-delivery and leaning forward is called a serious 'front dogger', Ming.

Papps' cut is played with his weight on the front foot. I'm not convinced by his flinch-pull or flinch-hook (neither were the Proteas), but we can agree to disagree on that one until we get some more evidence.

 

[Will Scarlet]

If Fulton has a bad back-foot technique then how does he manage to score his runs at a run a ball? Surely he must score all around the wicket, off front and back foot, to score consistently at such a quick rate.

 

[Prince EWS]

If Oram plays it must be as an allrounder. he needs to bat at 6

Number 6 is a batsman's position...

So youre saying he should play as a batsman who can bowl...

IMO, youre side should be:

Lou Vincent (for lack of anyone better)
Craig Cumming
Hamish Marshall
Stephen Fleming
Nathan Astle
Scott Styris
Jacob Oram
Brendon McCullum
Daniel Vettori
James Franklin
Shane Bond

or, if its a turning track:

Lou Vincent
Craig Cumming
Hamish Marshall
Stephen Fleming
Nathan Astle
Jacob Oram
Brendon McCullum
Daniel Vettori
James Franklin
Paul Wiseman
Shane Bond

 

[chaminda_00]

It just looks to me like another situation where Bracewell has too much control over selections. I know in Australia their coach and Pointing aren;t on the selction panel, but they do have a say. I think the Kiwis could take a leaf out the their neighbours books and let Bracewell consentrate and the coaching of the side and leave the selections to Hadlee and the like.

It is pretty clear that guys like Mills aren't good enough to play international cricket but they continuely get selected, cus their Bracewell favorites, and guys like Futon who are good enough to play Test Cricket get overlooked cus their not Bracewell favorites.

 

[Ming]

If Oram comes back, he should play as the 3rd seamer alongside Franklin and Bond. His bowling is still effective at the international level, and although he wouldn't blast out the opposition he would keep a consistent line and length to partner the likes of Vettori and Bond.

 

[Tim]

Bracewell is an IDIOT. He's countlessly defended Craig McMillan who just about has every defiency in the book yet he's suggesting Fulton is still not ready for test cricket despite average 50 after 36 FC matches!?

 

[BlackCap_Fan]

Why does it matter?

Drop macca, try Fulton. We're going to lose anyway.

And how can you score 301* with back foot defiancies? Surely he couldn't have got all of his runs off the front foot?

 

[Tim]

So is Bracewell trying to suggest that every player in the current NZ team havr absolutely no technical defficiencies at the moment? lol.

What about Fleming falling across his stumps? What about Craig Cumming struggling against faster bowling? What about Brendon McCullum playing most of his shots in the air?

Its ********, all of it...im sick of cricket. Let the season finish please.

 

[psxpro]

Scott Stryis has to be in the side.

My Ideal NZ test side if everyone was fit

Papps/Cumming/How
J. Marshall
H. Marshall
S.Fleming
Astle
Styris
Oram
Mccullum
Vettori
Franklin
Bond


Oram would be First Change bowler so he could bat at 7. But anyway if we need to play another spinner then drop astle and move Oram to 6.
He is good enough to play as a batsman alone, he showed that vs aus, but hes a valuable bowler too.