The relevance of Bond today

[martin88]

I've seen countless posts in the NZ vs India thread, and somewhere else also, that many Kiwi and non-Kiwi supporters moaning about the absence of Bond, and that his presence would have turned the tables for the NZ team's fortunes in the current season test matches.

Frankly, I disagree.

I think, with all due respect to that one heck of a thoroughbred pace-horse that is Bond, he could not have made a big change to NZ's performances. Why? Because :

1. He is 32, and well past the age, when pacers are at their peak.
2. He has not played cricket on a regular basis for so long, and a comeback directly into the whites could be for worse.
3. His long history of injuries, which means that even when in the best of conditions, ie, youth, he couldn't bear the burden of International cricket on a sustained basis, he cannot be realistically expected to last without injuries even for a season. Not at the way he has to bowl.

What do you think?

 

[Flem274*]

I think its time to move on. Sure, we got knocked around this series, but the seamers in the last 12 months have saved us some dignity after our epic batting collapses.

 

[Days of Grace]

Bond is 33, actually.

I think he would have been very rusty, but the Indian batsmen would have shown him respect out of reputation, unlike Southee.

 

[vic_orthdox]

He's still playing regular FC cricket in NZ, isn't he? Or does he just play the shorter version for his province as well?

 

[Athlai]

He's still playing regular FC cricket in NZ, isn't he? Or does he just play the shorter version for his province as well?

Didn't play FC but that may have been ICL related, did play the T20 stuff.

 

[kingdamo]

I read somewhere he is starting to play FC cricket for Canterbury again next year, but that is a long way away. Is he still playing County Cricket though? Last game he took a 9 wicket bag if I recall correctly.

 

[Smudge]

Figures for this season's List A in NZ:

2008-09 (New Zealand) 558 (balls) 6(maidens) 448(runs) 19(wickets) 4-56(Best Bowling) 23.57(average) 29.36 (strikerate) 4.81 (ER)

And Twenty20 in NZ:

2008-09 (New Zealand) 144 (balls) 1 (maidens) 158 (runs) 11 (wickets) 4-19(BB) 14.36 (Average) 13.09 (SR) 6.58 (ER)

Make no mistake - he's still a dominant force in NZ. He appears to have softened his stance on never playing for NZ again - Bond's never say never on Black Caps return | Stuff.co.nz - but there's still a lot of water to go under the bridge.

But to suggest he wouldn't have made a big difference to NZ in tests in the last year or so is just silly - our seam bowlers during this time have included Mark "I spray it more than Peter North" Gillespie, Grant "Please, nothing longer than a day" Elliott and Tim "I can slog, but my best years are still ahead of me" Southee. Not to mention Kyle "Floppy wrist and floppy fitness levels" Mills.

 

[Richard]

Whether Bond would've made a difference had he played is one question; whether Bond would've played, under any circumstances (ie, ICL or no ICL), is another. The former you'd have to go some to answer aught but "yes he would"; the latter you need to remember, as I've repeated about 100 times, that Bond had already decided to retire from Tests before he received the ICL offer. So no, Bond was never, ever going to play another Test after South Africa in 2007/08.

 

[Flem274*]

Don't get the Elliott one

Disappointed at the Mills one, he's a chucker too remember?

Still reckon if Ian Butler was managed right (shorter spells and told to go for wickets) his body could cope. He plays FC for Otago doesn't he?

 

[martin88]

Whether Bond would've made a difference had he played is one question; whether Bond would've played, under any circumstances (ie, ICL or no ICL), is another. The former you'd have to go some to answer aught but "yes he would"; the latter you need to remember, as I've repeated about 100 times, that Bond had already decided to retire from Tests before he received the ICL offer. So no, Bond was never, ever going to play another Test after South Africa in 2007/08.

Saying a lie thousand times doth not make it truth. How did you come to the conclusion that Bond had decided to retire before ICL offer came along?

 

[Flem274*]

Bond said it. Basically if he hadn't gone to the iCL he'd play ODIs only.

 

[Craig]

How long is a peice of string? Who knows how much of a difference he would of made.

 

[Richard]

Saying a lie thousand times doth not make it truth. How did you come to the conclusion that Bond had decided to retire before ICL offer came along?

Bond said it. Basically if he hadn't gone to the iCL he'd play ODIs only.

Yup, he said when he realised that the ICL was going to end his NZ days that he wasn't being lost to Tests - he'd already decided that his body could not cope with them.

Had the ICL not existed, Bond would've played ODIs only - when fit, that is - from the start of the calendar-year 2008.

So no-one needs to say lies to make them truths.

 

[Athlai]

Bond said it. Basically if he hadn't gone to the iCL he'd play ODIs only.

Suggested it, as opposed to stating it.

 

[TT Boy]

Don't get the Elliott one

Disappointed at the Mills one, he's a chucker too remember?

Still reckon if Ian Butler was managed right (shorter spells and told to go for wickets) his body could cope. He plays FC for Otago doesn't he?

Useless test cricketer?

 

[martin88]

Yup, he said when he realised that the ICL was going to end his NZ days that he wasn't being lost to Tests - he'd already decided that his body could not cope with them.

Had the ICL not existed, Bond would've played ODIs only - when fit, that is - from the start of the calendar-year 2008.

So no-one needs to say lies to make them truths.

Can you reference the same? I am not convinced.

 

[Craig]

I think Voltman meant as a good ODI player. Let's face it, he has shown more heart and determination against Australia then his former countrymen have did the other night.

 

[Smudge]

Useless test cricketer?

Bingo.

And Flem - Mills does have a floppy wrist and has had a dodgy action for years. If you can't see that, you're myopic.

 

[Craig]

Can you reference the same? I am not convinced.

like this?

this as well

 

[martin88]

like this?

this as well

Nowhere in those links a statement by Bond explicitly stating his willingness to retire from Test cricket could be found. One article specifically says "rumours", while the other one is just a reply by the coach then.