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*Official* Sri Lanka Tri-Series
- Thread starter James
- Start date
Jezroy
State Captain
Surely they just think that he is a shoo-in and are giving others a go (which makes it strange that Pinga didn't get a bat). But it would have been nice for him to get another bat in SL conditions.
Bahnz
Hall of Fame Member
Not necessarily. As good as it would be to see Williamson make his debut, the current line-up is probably:
Watling/Ingram
Guptill
Taylor
Styris
Elliot
Oram
Hopkins
McCullum
Mills
Tuffee
McKay/Southee
Williamson isn't an opener (or at least hasn't been in domestic cricket), so it's unlikely he'll pick up one of those spots. And in the middle-order you would think that Taylor, Styris, Elliot and Oram are all certainties to play (especially given how succesful that lot were during the CT). Hopkins and McCullum/Patel are both certainties you would think, given how inexperienced Williamson is as a bowler. So that would mean that Williamson would only get a run if we decided to go with 2 specialist seamers, which seems unlikely (though not impossible, with Oram back in the side).
Watling/Ingram
Guptill
Taylor
Styris
Elliot
Oram
Hopkins
McCullum
Mills
Tuffee
McKay/Southee
Williamson isn't an opener (or at least hasn't been in domestic cricket), so it's unlikely he'll pick up one of those spots. And in the middle-order you would think that Taylor, Styris, Elliot and Oram are all certainties to play (especially given how succesful that lot were during the CT). Hopkins and McCullum/Patel are both certainties you would think, given how inexperienced Williamson is as a bowler. So that would mean that Williamson would only get a run if we decided to go with 2 specialist seamers, which seems unlikely (though not impossible, with Oram back in the side).
Jezroy
State Captain
I have a couple of questions.
1. Why hasn't McCullum played a warm up game?
2. As good as Elliot's record is, he hasn't been very effective in the warm up games, and is coming off a big injury. Would they really have him in for another good spin option who has been in such good form so far this tour?
Jezroy
State Captain
True. Just looking at the side above, if you can get Vettori, McCullum, Ryder, and Williamson in there, that is a seriously good side.
Bahnz
Hall of Fame Member
1. Dunno. Maybe they're going for Patel ahead of him, but given McCullum's superior batting and his solid efforts against Australia earlier this year, you'd think he'd get the go ahead. We'll see I suppose.
2. I really don't care about the warm-up games tbh. They are just warm-ups afterall. Elliot's past performances as a middle-order stabiliser means he deserves first go at the spot, even if he is coming back from injury. If he struggles in his first few games, maybe consider swapping him out, but there's no justification for dumping a proven performer for an unknown (even a talented unknown) just because he's been out for a while. That kind of thinking lead us to replace Scott Styris with Neil Broom for 12 months.
Jezroy
State Captain
Fair enough, but I'm not sure Broom even did that well for us in warm up games. Think they sort of spat the dummy a bit with Styris around the time that he decided not to play test cricket (ie. spat the dummy).
Just gunning for Kane to get in this team. I think he could be someone pretty special for NZ.
Bahnz
Hall of Fame Member
Broom had been in pretty good form domestically, though I agree that Styris' retirement from tests (and fluffs in the media) probably contributed to his axing.
Interestingly, Williamson did open for New Zealand against Maharashtra in the game where he hit a century, so perhaps the selectors are considering him as an opener. I'd rather see him start off at 3 or 4 though, given he is just starting out.
DIRK-NANNES
U19 Vice-Captain
McCullum was playing county T20 for Lancashire, maybe the selectors felt that was good enough build up so the others could get a spot in the lead up games.
Prince EWS
Global Moderator
What would your batting lineup look like Howise? Genuinely interested, because I don't think you could really leave Elliott out.
Howsie
International Captain
1.Watling 2.Guptill 3.Taylor 4.Williamson 5.Elliott 6.Styris 7.Hopkins
Oram hasn't scored any runs in literally two years, how anyone could justify having him bat in the top six is a mystery to me. Factor in Elliott not having played much cricket over the past 10 months and bringing in zero form from the warm up games, I really couldn't see that line-up doing too well.
Prince EWS
Global Moderator
Hmm. I'd be tempted to have Hopkins bat eight and get twenty overs out of Oram, Williamson, Styris and Elliott. I'd be a lot more happy doing such if I was confident Oram wouldn't bowl one over and then go off injured, though.
Prince EWS
Global Moderator
I really think he should in ODIs. Especially in Sri Lanka.
Howsie
International Captain
Well you could bat Williamson at three but given Taylor's batted there in all four warmup games you'd assume that's where he'll play during this tour.
Athlai
Not Terrible
New ball + Malinga = Uh Oh
Athlai
Not Terrible
Could always play Pinga, could do well in those conditions (him opening Guppy at 3) or else get Styris to bat 3.
Prince EWS
Global Moderator
Athlai
Not Terrible
Not if you consider my vendetta against him. Protect one player while leaving the other out for the slaughter.Two most contradictory consecutive posts my one member ever? Yes IMO.