*Unofficial* New Zealand Black Caps Thread

[Howsie]

Definitely think one of Gillespie or Wagner should have received a contract over one of our limited overs allrounders - surely we don't need all of Oram, Franklin and Ellis.

In saying that I'm not sure which of those 2 I would have picked or who I would have left out.

Should've left them all out as far as I'm concerned, 20 contracts is obviously too many if all three of them have managed to collect one. New Zealand cricket really should follow Australia's lead and cull some of the contracts that they hand out, too many ********s making money that they just don't deserve.

Doug Bracewell
Dean Brownlie
Martin Guptill
Chris Martin
Brendon McCullum
Tim Southee
Ross Taylor
Daniel Vettori
Kane Williamson

+ three more.

12 contracts is easily more than enough. Hold three extra half contracts between 12-15 just incase you get another Bracewell/Brownlie situation like last season, top them up halfway through the year. Split the extra 400K saved between the 12 or implement some sort of bonus system based on performance.

 

[Athlai]

I think if I had've observed what they had eaten and taken notes Athlai would have informed the armed defenders squad.

Phone call will go something like this:

"There's this guy called Hurricane and I think he's dodgy"
"Can you give us any more detail to go on son"
"He has 5000 posts"
"We'll get back to you mate".

Genuinely lol'd

 

[SteveNZ]

Should've left them all out as far as I'm concerned, 20 contracts is obviously too many if all three of them have managed to collect one. New Zealand cricket really should follow Australia's lead and cull some of the contracts that they hand out, too many ********s making money that they just don't deserve.

Doug Bracewell
Dean Brownlie
Martin Guptill
Chris Martin
Brendon McCullum
Tim Southee
Ross Taylor
Daniel Vettori
Kane Williamson

+ three more.

12 contracts is easily more than enough. Hold three extra half contracts between 12-15 just incase you get another Bracewell/Brownlie situation like last season, top them up halfway through the year. Split the extra 400K saved between the 12 or implement some sort of bonus system based on performance.

Wouldn't work in NZ. Our domestic players get paid a pittance in comparison to Australia. Over there, they can afford to be full-time domestic players and work towards the national side. Here, our domestic contracts are puny. From memory the highest contract is 35k or something down to around 15 or so.

Just because the player pool is shallow at the moment is no reason to chop contracts. All that serves to do is make it harder to build depth. And fringe T20 players could easily become freelancers instead, turning their back on their country given the weighting goes against them in terms of NZC contracts.

 

[Howsie]

Hasn't it been bumped up to 50K for the highest rated player? I remember reading something like that last season along with more contracts likely to be handed out.

 

[SteveNZ]

Think you're right on that. Was $35k from memory, or thereabouts before an injection of dirty BCCI money bumped it up after home and away tours. Still, tough to make a living - sweet if you're a 21-year-old, 31 not so much.

 

[Kippax]

Prelim T20 WC squad of 30 -
http://www.espncricinfo.com/world-twenty20-2012/content/story/572835.html

"Why has Matt Henry not made a New Zealand 30 on his power hitting alone?" - Proteas

"This squad of 30 represents the best Twenty20 players in New Zealand"...contradicted at first glance by Wagner's inclusion there tbh. Covering ourselves for a 2001 Bond-like revelation in these Tests coming up, more like.

 

[Hurricane]

Prelim T20 WC squad of 30 -
ICC World Twenty20: New Zealand name preliminary World T20 squad | Cricket News | ICC World Twenty20 2012 | ESPN Cricinfo

"Why has Matt Henry not made a New Zealand 30 on his power hitting alone?" - Proteas

"This squad of 30 represents the best Twenty20 players in New Zealand"...contradicted at first glance by Wagner's inclusion there tbh. Covering ourselves for a 2001 Bond-like revelation in these Tests coming up, more like.

You have been keeping a low profile in the Windies Tour thread?

 

[_Ed_]

So, apparently they're the ANZ cricket team now.

 

[SteveNZ]

I needed a catalyst to change in the wake of the dissolving of National Bank, and I think I just found it.

 

[Mike5181]

It's better than the current one, I guess. I personally preferred this style:

 

[straw man]

Slightly bizarre essentially having 'Australia' in the title of our national cricket team.

 

[Hurricane]

Slightly bizarre essentially having 'Australia' in the title of our national cricket team.

So, apparently they're the ANZ cricket team now.

Can you quote the link about a name change the blackcaps web site just says it is a uniform change.

 

[_Ed_]

There's no official name change. It's just that the colour scheme and branding looks much more like an ANZ billboard than a national sports team's uniform.

You'd almost expect them to have The Mentalist's smiling face on the back.

 

[SteveNZ]

Todd Astle...

 

[Blain]

I'm probably happier to see Astle there in front of Nethula.. He seems to go for runs but picks up wickets. I guess the same as any other Wristy. Would be a good number 9 also.

 

[straw man]

Very surprising selection of Astle - IMO has less to suggest he might be international quality even than Nethula.

Don't mind that Nethula has been told to go back to work on his game though - his confidence must be low after that bad WI warmup and then sitting on the sidelines for months, plus seemed to be almost purely bowling topspinners for NZ A.

I see Oram has not retired yet either and is in the limited overs squad. . I guess his bowling might still be ok in ODIs but..........

 

[SteveNZ]

Would love to know why Todd Astle didn't play in the NZ A series, averaged 38 with the ball in 2011-12 and has now gone ahead of a guy who has fallen two back at least in the pecking order despite not being given a chance yet. I'm not a big Nethula fan but they picked him, I guess with the belief he was good enough, didn't play him apart from a three-day match and now deem he's well back.

If the selectors think Astle is the answer I think they'll be unpleasantly surprised. His record in the few NZ A matches he has played in the past is abysmal. And I doubt we're considering a FC average of 22 another string to a bow. He may turn it big but his pitch maps require wide screen.

And then we have Nicol recalled to Test cricket based on nothing but poor scores for Gloucestershire and one score in T20s...and dropped from T20s. Makes sense - at least for the current regime.

 

[Mike5181]

“The one new face is Todd Astle. He has the ability to contribute in all three facets of the game and deserves his opportunity after a putting in consistent performances over a number of seasons."

Since when? Todd Astle has only ever had success in first-class. That being said I don't have a massive problem with him being in the test squad.

 

[straw man]

“The one new face is Todd Astle. He has the ability to contribute in all three facets of the game and deserves his opportunity after a putting in consistent performances over a number of seasons."

Since when? Todd Astle has only ever had success in first-class. That being said I don't have a massive problem with him being in the test squad.

I think by 3 facets they mean batting, bowling, fielding rather than three forms of the game.

My impression of Astle's accuracy is very similar to SteveNZ's. That said I hope to be proved wrong. Until then having a legspinner who can also contribute with the bat sounds far too good to be true.

I didn't even notice Nicol has somehow made it back into the test squad . What more can be said? Just hope the XI from the India tests remains unchanged.

 

[Mike5181]

I think by 3 facets they mean batting, bowling, fielding rather than three forms of the game.

My impression of Astle's accuracy is very similar to SteveNZ's. That said I hope to be proved wrong. Until then having a legspinner who can also contribute with the bad sounds far too good to be true.

I didn't even notice Nicol has somehow made it back into the test squad . What more can be said? Just hope the XI from the India tests remains unchanged.

Oh, god. I completely misread that, never mind. That's fair enough then.

For the starting test team I'd go something like this:

Tests
1.Brendon McCullum
2.Martin Guptill
3.Kane Williamson
4.Ross Taylor (c)
5.James Franklin
6.Daniel Flynn
7.Kruger Van Wyk+
8.Doug Bracewell
9.Tim Southee
10.Jeetan Patel
11.Trent Boult

Reserves:
Rob Nicol (would really prefer Broom)
Todd Astle
Chris Martin
Neil Wagner

ODIs
1.Martin Guptill
2.Brendon McCullum
3.Kane Williamson
4.Ross Taylor (c)
5.James Franklin- 6
6.BJ Watling
7.Nathan McCullum - 5
8.Jacob Oram - 4
9.Kyle Mills- 2
10.Tim Southee- 1
11.Trent Boult- 3