***Official*** New Zealand in Zimbabwe & Zimbabwe/New Zealand/India ODI Tri-Series

[sportychic33]

i think they will be about 8.30 pm NZ time if the tests start at 10.30 Zimbabwe time.

 

[Kippax]

He averages higher than any other current New Zealand batsman in the past two years with the sole exception of Marshall, who has played only seven tests..

I was wondering about this LB, so I finally got around to looking up the averages for the past 24 months. Interesting to see just how highly Oram rates....


H Marshall (6 tests) - 510 runs @ 51

Oram (13) - 831 @ 48.9

Styris (14) - 915 @ 39.8

Vincent (9) - 632 @ 39.5

Fleming (19) - 1241 @ 38.8

Richardson (14) - 924 @ 38.5

Astle (14) - 815 @ 37.0

McMillan (11) - 497 @ 33.1

 

[Kippax]

Now I wish I hadn't been curious about what happened in the warm-up game overnight. Google gave me something comparable with the Nazi's 'Der Stürmer' instead.....

http://allafrica.com/stories/200507290367.html

According to reports from the international media, a poll this month showed that 77 percent of New Zealanders opposed the tour but their Parliament refused to consider a Bill from an opposition, which had teamed up with Olonga, seeking to outlaw sporting contact with Zimbabwe.

But it's common knowledge that concerns over tours to Zimbabwe are a result of a colonial and racist mindset found in Britain, Australia and New Zealand which makes Olonga's involvement very disappointing....

...It's high time someone knocked some sense into Olonga's head so that he realises that cricket tours will continue taking place in and with Zimbabwe regardless of political pressure from racists and pawns like him. He needs to ask himself why countries like South Africa, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and the West Indies have not made noise when hosting or visiting Zimbabwe if the concerns he shares with the British and New Zealand politicians are genuine.

 

[Chubb]

That's just disgusting. unfortunately it appears that Malcolm Speed believes all that stuff.

"A lot of the things said in relation to Zimbabwe were Imperial, colonial in outlook"

"We have a few healthy differences with the ZCU"

David Morgan is just as bad

"The last time I came to Zimbabwe there were queues for everything, now, there are no queues" (After Tom de Castella told him things were getting worse in Zimbabwe )

I suspect many of the people who had been queuing have been arrested or had their homes demolished or gotten beaten up. Or maybe most of them realised there was no point in queuing because they would never get anything.

What a bunch of idiots!

 

[cricket player]

Chubba are you from Zimbabwe.

 

[Chubb]

No, never been there, really don't want to right now. I've always supported their cricket team, and the situation makes me very angry.

 

[Macka]

I was wondering about this LB, so I finally got around to looking up the averages for the past 24 months. Interesting to see just how highly Oram rates....


H Marshall (6 tests) - 510 runs @ 51

Oram (13) - 831 @ 48.9

Styris (14) - 915 @ 39.8

Vincent (9) - 632 @ 39.5

Fleming (19) - 1241 @ 38.8

Richardson (14) - 924 @ 38.5

Astle (14) - 815 @ 37.0

McMillan (11) - 497 @ 33.1

Thanks for checking on that, Kippax. I don't want to harp on about this. However, this is why I do not believe Fleming is our so-called best batsman. Although one might say an average of just under 40 isn't terribly bad over a 2-year period, this is Fleming's career average, too. Very poor for a player of his supposed quality.

But it's common knowledge that concerns over tours to Zimbabwe are a result of a colonial and racist mindset found in Britain, Australia and New Zealand which makes Olonga's involvement very disappointing....

That's a disgusting attitude to take. They completely missed the point.

 

[Sir Redman]

Results from warm up games v Namibia

Game 1

NZ 330/6 (Cumming 116, H Marshall 58, J Marshall 36)
Namibia 301 (Bond 2-20)

NZ win by 29 runs.

Game 2

NZ 326/5 (McCullum 84*, Astle 73*)
Namibia 178 (Vettori 3-24, Bond 2-16, Martin 2-26)

NZ win by 148 runs.

*****************************************************************

I couldn't find the actual scorecards, I'm just going on what it says on the blackcaps website so I don't even know which of our other players played.

A bit disappointing that we let them get 301 in the first game after we had them 75-5 (and also because its Namibia) but it looks like it was decent batting practice at least.

 

[cricket player]

No, never been there, really don't want to right now. I've always supported their cricket team, and the situation makes me very angry.

I support the team as well,They are my fav team and I support the players too specially andy flower grant flower etc.

 

[meatspx]

What were the bowling figures in the first match?
Pretty awful!

 

[Somerset]

You'd have to wonder who conceeded all the runs, especially in that opening match - more than likely terrible figures for those bowlers. At least the Marshalls, McCullum, Astle, and most of all, Cumming gained some decent batting practice.

 

[Loony BoB]

For anyone wondering where I got my "Fleming has the second best average for the past two years", my "two years" statement wasn't for the past exact 24 months, but 01/01/2003 to date.

Back to the cricket though - disappointing indeed. For six wickets to fall and for our third-best score to be just 36 runs is awful. The second game looks to have been a game where our top order failed, too - although it's hard to say without a scorecard, because I don't know who came in when. But the last two batsmen being not out means our other five wickets fell for roughly 150 runs or so? Dreadful.

Bowling not too great either, although it's nice to see Bond doing alright.

 

[Loony BoB]

Some information on the Namibia games:
1st: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3363061a10133,00.html
2nd: http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3363869a1823,00.html
2nd: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=4&ObjectID=10338537 (effectively the same as the stuff article)

 

[Kippax]

"When Burger was finally out, Namibia had reached 301, just 29 runs short of the victory target.New Zealand's wicket takers were James Franklin (3/46 off 9 overs), Shane Bond (2/20 off 10), Chris Martin (1/72 off 7), Kyle Mills (2/77 off 9) and Daniel Vettori (2/80 off 10)."

http://www.namibian.com.na/2005/August/sport/05C95C03CF.html

Pretty easy to spot the guys who were in Australia and those who all but f***ing hibernated this winter.

 

[_Ed_]

1/72, 2/77 and 2/80...ouch.

Hopefully that's just a loosener to start the tour, not a sign of things to come!

 

[Kippax]

This has nothing to do with Zimbabwe, but probably worth putting up if other CW Kiwis missed it....

Cricket: Butler chooses England coach over Hadlee's tour

Fast bowler Ian Butler has turned his back on Sir Richard Hadlee's New Zealand 'A' cricket tour of Sri Lanka to train with an England bowling coach.

New Zealand 'A' manager and national selector Hadlee confirmed Butler was selected for next month's tour but withdrew on the grounds he wasn't yet at full fitness.

It is understood Butler, who is nearing full fitness after being sidelined by a bulging disc in his back last season, is still angered at losing his New Zealand Cricket (NZC) contract in June and preferred to play club cricket in England.

Rather than work with New Zealand's great fast bowler, Butler has sought the technical guidance of Australian Troy Cooley, the man credited with turning around the fortunes of England paceman Steve Harmison last year.

Hadlee said Butler -- who couldn't be contacted today -- explained that he didn't want to be rushed back too soon from injury.

"Definitely, it would have been ideal for him to bowl alongside Daryl Tuffey and Chris Martin in Sri Lanka," Hadlee said.

"But we respected his decision.

"That's good if he's got somebody he can go to, a guy (Cooley) he can trust to work with. He certainly worked wonders with Harmison."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?c_id=4&ObjectID=10338776

 

[meatspx]

The most dissapointing thing about the Bracewell era is how Butler has been treated. He should have played that test against Aus, now all that blooding of him could go to waste.

 

[Zinzan]

I just hope Butler's not lost to NZ cricket. I still think he has tons of potential

 

[Kippax]

The Namibian's full report on the second match -
http://www.namibian.com.na/2005/August/sport/05C9F217A9.html

Cumming and J Marshall opened both days, so I take it that's what they're committing to for this Sunday. As for the bowling Vettori rebounded nicely, however Mills and Martin were still quite expensive.

 

[Zinzan]

My test team would be.....

J MARSHALL
FLEM(That was Mcgrath who made him struggle against Aus.Not the fact he was opening)
H MARSHALL
VINCENT (like him at 4 or 5 on recent form)
ORAM ( I'd like to see them experiment with Oram slightly higher in the order especially if not doing too much bowling)
ASTLE (Like Styris has been disappointing in county cricket - Well suited to no.6 where he can play more freely - Has Styris fighting for this no.6, handy bowler slot.
MCCULLUM
FRANKLIN
VETTORI
BOND
MARTIN

Looks much stronger in the bowling Dept with Bond and Oram back.

To Miss out......
STYRIS- due to his indifferent county form coupled with the fact Astle is able to bowl those restricting overs again. Also the above lineup gives you 4 seamers plus Astle.
Needs better form to challenge to regain a middle order slot

WISEMAN - Unless an extremely dry track i'd bowl just the one spinner

CUMMING - Hasn't the technique nor the age on his side to continue with in my view. I think J Marshall a better pick.

MILLS - I still wondering what happens between Bracewell and Mills when the lights go out. I still have my concerns about a NZ test lineup with Mills included.