***Official*** South Africa in New Zealand 2012

[Hurricane]

Fit our 11 best players in the team since we have such **** specialists. Dan to open.

McCullum/Flynn
Vettori
McCullum/Flynn
Taylor
Brownlie
Williamson
van Wyk (wk)
Bracewell
Gillespie
Boult
Martin

Seriously though, it's almost at the point where we need to do something experimental because we're running out of openers to throw in there. The two Wellingtonians and Worker are the only guys with a few games who I can think of who haven't drawn the straw yet. We don't have a huge amount of good cricketers so we can't afford to have to choose between say Brownlie and Williamson for the middle order, so someone like Vettori being a gun and becoming an opener would be awesome.

When you first suggested it I wondered what you were smoking 2 months ago but after watching Guptfail and Niclol it is getting to be that he is the sensible option. Serious question can he bat against the new ball?

 

[wellAlbidarned]

So do I. That was an absolute shocker as far as the technology is concerned.

My only comfort in the Taylor dismissal is that there was a remote chance that the ball was hitting/clipping the leg stump and the onfield umpire gave Taylor out. Rightly or wrongly (probably should have been given the benefit of the doubt), that was the on-field decision that was made. Remove all the technology and, as they say, read it in the paper.

Yeah, there's a good chance it would've been an "umpire's call" one, no-one's denying that. Doesn't give anyone much faith in future decisions though.

 

[Flem274*]

I also wonder whether Taylor's excessive endorsement was a shrewd move by the skipper. Gillespie has always struck me as a confidence player and knowing his mercurial nature, maybe Taylor wanted to make it damn clear to Gillespie that he had faith in him.

Remember when Martin got dropped and Vettori implied he thought Gillespie was rubbish, and offered him up mercilessly in a test where everything was going wrong for him? Yeah, I don't think that's the way you handle someone like Gillespie.

 

[Flem274*]

When you first suggested it I wondered what you were smoking 2 months ago but after watching Guptfail and Niclol it is getting to be that he is the sensible option. Serious question can he bat against the new ball?

Has opened for ND in limited overs, but that's all I know.

 

[Athlai]

Taylor to say Franklin is one of the greatest bats of the era.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

When you first suggested it I wondered what you were smoking 2 months ago but after watching Guptfail and Niclol it is getting to be that he is the sensible option. Serious question can he bat against the new ball?

Vettori would get murdered by Philander with the new ball. So would all of our batsmen, tbf, but they don't score truckloads of runs later on like Dan does. Don't think it's worth it.

 

[Flem274*]

Everything about Vettori's batting defies logic, and if there is one batsman in New Zealand who I would back to stay in against all the odds, it would be him.

Franklin was my other idea for being an opener.

 

[straw man]

Taylor to say Franklin is one of the greatest bats of the era.

Unfortunately Franklin would probably see through this. Gillespie on the other hand...

 

[Hurricane]

Franklin was my other idea for being an opener.

Nooooo to that one.

He shouldn't be near the test team in any capacity except in an allrounder capacity where he bats 7 and is the 5th bowling option. He will average 30 in tests if brought back.

As mentioned he did better than I remember him doing against India but I still remember his footwork.

On a serious note -I guess it has come to this where apart from McCullum there are no openers in the country. Also I seem to recall that Worker wasn't great last year and Brodie has been inconsistent in previous seasons.

i guess I am just throwing stones here -

my openers

McCullum (basically opening right now anyway)
Brodie (at least he has been good this season and he is 25 so has an upside)
Williamson (he isn't any better at 5)
Taylor
Brownlie
Vettori
Van Wyk
Ellis
Bracewell
Gillespie
Martin

 

[wellAlbidarned]

Everything pointing to putting Martin up the order imo

 

[Athlai]

Why is Ellis being seen as someone who offers something to the team?

 

[Flem274*]

In my case, your dislike for him (and everyone elses) makes me like him more.

It's my Grant Elliott thing all over again, except without Grant Elliott. Ellis WAG!!

 

[wellAlbidarned]

and Elliott actually had a period where he performed exceptionally well in ODIs.

 

[Athlai]

I don't dislike Ellis. I think he has a great attitude and is a quality first class allrounder. But he really isn't good enough with either bat or ball at this level.

 

[Neil Young]

If the answer is Andy Ellis, the question is nine shades of wrong!

 

[Howsie]

Ellis for Arnel next test - don't lose anything in the bowling and batting improves.

Nah, stuff that, Ellis isn't a test cricketer. He'd be playing as the 5th bowler and batting at eight, waste of a player really. Pick or bowler or batsmen, not a nuffy all rounder.

 

[Hurricane]

I don't dislike Ellis. I think he has a great attitude and is a quality first class allrounder. But he really isn't good enough with either bat or ball at this level.

Better option than Arnel and helps team balance at number 8 in the order.

 

[Athlai]

A 5 man attack with Ellis isn't really a 5 man attack.

 

[Flem274*]

It's an awesome man attack.

 

[Neil Young]

Better option than Arnel and helps team balance at number 8 in the order.

Better option than Arnel based on what?

Bits and pieces allrounders offer nothing in test cricket. Invariably they are shown up in both disciplines. We are better off picking the next specialist off the block if Arnel is not up to it, and that is going back to Boult who shouldn't have been overlooked in the first place.