***Official*** New Zealand in Australia 2011

[Hurricane]

New Zealand in Australia 2011​

Phlegm here: schedule below. Squads to be added when they are announced.

Thu 24 Nov – Sun 27 Nov: Tour Game - Australia A v New Zealand. Allan Border Field, Brisbane

Thu 1 Dec – Mon 5 Dec: 1st Test - Australia v New Zealand Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane

Fri 9 Dec – Tue 13 Dec: 2nd Test - Australia v New Zealand. Bellerive Oval, Hobart

Article List

NZC cancel tour match against NSW

Hurricane's post starts below

Just thought I would make a post on this - in advance of the official tour thread being created.

I think that if Ryder can play and we are at full strength - then I think this will not be a walk over for Australia as it has been in the past.

I think out of a potential top 8 if brownlie plays we can put forward 6 decent batsman - specifically

McCullum
Williamson
Taylor
Ryder
Young
Vettori

From a bowling point of view I think we will be weak. We have Southee and hopefully Martin. Neither of whom is going to run through the Aussies. We also lack a third seamer at the moment.

I am going on record now to say that we will probably lose one - but should get up for a draw in the other - which is an improvement for us.

New Zealand is about two players away from being a useful side - we need another opening bat and we need a strike bowler.

 

[Spikey]

'We have Southee and hopefully Martin. Neither of whom is going to run through the Aussies. '

wouldn't be so downbeat....

 

[Hurricane]

Southee has improved of late - he has added an off cutter and can now reverse the ball I think if my memory serves me correctly - but I am not expecting him to dominate. He will perform tidily and will do well.

 

[robelinda]

Been a looooooong time since NZ won a test in Australia, December 1985 or something??? I wonder when they will ever win a test here again.

 

[Mike5181]

1.McCullum
2.Guptill
3.Williamson
4.Taylor
5.Ryder
6.Brownlie
7.Young+
8.Vettori
9.Southee
10.Mckay
11.Martin

There's a clear weakness in the bowling attack outside of Southee and Vettori but then the Australian attack isn't all that flash either. I think a lot depends on McCullum in the batting line up. His test game has been pretty good at the top in the last year or two and will be important because Williamson can be a nervous starter. I'm fairly confident in our batsmen but i just doubt whether we can actually take 20 wickets with that attack.

 

[Spark]

I don't think I'm saying anything earth-shattering here when I say that NZ's best chance for a win is probably for a similar deck/conditions at Brisbane to what they got here last time. Where's the second Test being played?

 

[Furball]

I don't think I'm saying anything earth-shattering here when I say that NZ's best chance for a win is probably for a similar deck/conditions at Brisbane to what they got here last time. Where's the second Test being played?

It's at Hobart is it not?

 

[Hurricane]

Our best possible outcome is a 0-0 series.

Mike is right our ability to take 20 wickets makes further ambition unrealistic.

 

[Howe_zat]

New Zealand is about two players away from being a useful side - we need another opening bat and we need a strike bowler.

Well put.

 

[Flem274*]

Trent Boult should tour barring injury, and should play ahead of McKay. Bracewell might force his way in as well, especially if he has a good start to the domestic season. He's only got one ODI and a couple of 20/20s against Zimbabwe under his belt though so thinking he would get in is still a big call.

Southee ran through the Aussies last time on an admittedly sporting deck, but he's a much better bowler now and Martin showed against India he can still randomly explode and rip any batting line up apart.

NZ has generally been acceptable at removing top orders, but we've developed a habit of not finishing off the tail. First test against India is the perfect example of the two extremes of New Zealand seam bowling: Annihilate a world class top order on the flattest pitch in India, only to let that **** Harbhajan ton up.

Boult, Southee, Bracewell and to a lesser extent Martin are all quite zippy and aggressive bowlers, and their primary weapon is swing (especially Southee and Dougeh). That will be interesting to watch in contrast to the very defensive Martin + Tuffey/Arnel medium pace into the wicket combinations we've trotted out recently.

Been a looooooong time since NZ won a test in Australia, December 1985 or something??? I wonder when they will ever win a test here again.

This summer.

 

[Flem274*]

Provided Wheeler doesn't pick up another injury and continues last seasons form he will be there or thereabouts in the selectors minds as well. He can bat as an added bonus.

 

[Flem274*]

Actually disregard what I've said above. We'll be touring with Martin/Vettori and whichever two or three bowlers in the country aren't injured.

So it's Arnel and Tuffey again basically.

 

[karan316]

I still wish Bond comes back from retirement, it would have been refreshing to see Bennet, Bond, Mckay bowling together on a bouncy perth wicket along with the spin of Vettori, the Australian bowlers are also very interesting, at the moment the Australian bowling looks better, lets see what happens.

 

[Hurricane]

actually disregard what i've said above. We'll be touring with martin/vettori and whichever two or three bowlers in the country aren't injured.

So it's arnel and tuffey again basically.

qft

 

[Mike5181]

Trent Boult should tour barring injury, and should play ahead of McKay.

Yeah, it's evident over the next few years we will be selecting our bowling attack from this group basically.

Southee
Vettori
Boult
Wagner
Bennett
Bracewell
Wheeler
Astle

 

[Hurricane]

Been a looooooong time since NZ won a test in Australia, December 1985 or something??? I wonder when they will ever win a test here again.

I don't see it happening soon unless Southee suddenly becomes world class. He is our great prospect far beyond Bracewell and others.

I think we have the batting for a draw though.

 

[straw man]

Hugely looking forward to this series. Even considering flying over to Brisbane or Tasmania for a day or two.

On paper our batting looks stronger than it has for a while and bowling looks weaker. However my pick is that we will revert to the regular pattern; batsmen will flatter to deceive while bowlers will toil away and perform better than expected. Also think Australia are looking a lot less vulnerable than they were a few short months ago.

McCullum is going to have a huge test as opener this summer against Australia and SA - I have my concerns about how he'll go, and even what approach he'll take. Guptill will be loose as usual and Williamson is still finding his feet. It still looks a better top three than we've managed to field in recent years. The burden of scoring most of our runs will be mostly with Taylor, Ryder and Vettori. Ryder had better not be injured - seems he's reluctant to play anyone but India :-s Australia will doubtless have at least one 140-145 km/h bowler which we all know we are awful against. Plus Harris. Hope the quick bowler is Johnson and he forgets how to bowl

A sporting deck would certainly help our bowlers a lot. We really need Southee to pick up where he left off last season. I guess there will be a couple of rounds of domestic FC before the squad is named, so there's a chance for someone to slingshot themselves into the squad, however disagree with Phlegm that Boult should play ahead of McKay. McKay has done enough to deserve a place and from the bowling figures looks like he outperformed Boult in the emerging players tournament. He's not much of a limited overs bowler so I don't care about his less-than-great figures so far against Zim. Selectors - please don't pick Mills. Hoping Australia's top order continue their run of bad form - then if we can somehow snafu Hussey (caught down the leg side/ run out at non-striker's end?) that would be our chance. Though really from Australia's perspective that should not happen against this bowling attack.

This is the start of a big (relative term) season of test cricket for us, with Taylor in first season as captain, and even if we lose 2-0 we must put in some good performances and be competitive.

 

[Hurricane]

Hugely looking forward to this series. Even considering flying over to Brisbane or Tasmania for a day or two.

On paper our batting looks stronger than it has for a while and bowling looks weaker. However my pick is that we will revert to the regular pattern; batsmen will flatter to deceive while bowlers will toil away and perform better than expected. Also think Australia are looking a lot less vulnerable than they were a few short months ago.

McCullum is going to have a huge test as opener this summer against Australia and SA - I have my concerns about how he'll go, and even what approach he'll take. Guptill will be loose as usual and Williamson is still finding his feet. It still looks a better top three than we've managed to field in recent years. The burden of scoring most of our runs will be mostly with Taylor, Ryder and Vettori. Ryder had better not be injured - seems he's reluctant to play anyone but India :-s Australia will doubtless have at least one 140-145 km/h bowler which we all know we are awful against. Plus Harris. Hope the quick bowler is Johnson and he forgets how to bowl

A sporting deck would certainly help our bowlers a lot. We really need Southee to pick up where he left off last season. I guess there will be a couple of rounds of domestic FC before the squad is named, so there's a chance for someone to slingshot themselves into the squad, however disagree with Phlegm that Boult should play ahead of McKay. McKay has done enough to deserve a place and from the bowling figures looks like he outperformed Boult in the emerging players tournament. He's not much of a limited overs bowler so I don't care about his less-than-great figures so far against Zim. Selectors - please don't pick Mills. Hoping Australia's top order continue their run of bad form - then if we can somehow snafu Hussey (caught down the leg side/ run out at non-striker's end?) that would be our chance. Though really from Australia's perspective that should not happen against this bowling attack.

This is the start of a big (relative term) season of test cricket for us, with Taylor in first season as captain, and even if we lose 2-0 we must put in some good performances and be competitive.

If we are fully fit (Ryder) then our batsmen will turn some heads in the Channel 9 commentary team. It is unfortunate that it seems O'Brien will not be the solution for us given he is unlikely to start for Wellington. But he could have turned a below average attack into a mediocre one. He and Martin average 33 and even though Southee averages in the 40s he is in essence a low thirties bowler as well given his improvement.

 

[Athlai]

Reckon we'll win a Test and a dozen threads about Australia's decline will pop up.

 

[Bahnz]

Barring injuries (get well soon timmeh), I can't see any other bowling combo than Southee, Martin and McKay, which is fair enough. McKay and Martin were the two best performing seamers in last years Plunket Shield (ignoring Wagner, as we must for the next 5 or 6 months), both swing the ball and both have a decent dollop of experience. Boult, presuming that he can get fit, will be the left armer backup for McKay. Bracewell has yet to prove himself as an effective wicket taker in FC cricket, and I imagine Bennett (again, presuming that his back doesn't crap out) will also be floating about in the selector's minds.