***Official*** England in New Zealand series 2013

[Howe_zat]

Cook was dropped on 12 as well, apparently. Rustiness?

~

"Yeah you just can't beat a mad butcher's meat"

Hmm

 

[Prince EWS]

Also Jimmy Neesham for testz.

Would legitimately be championing this right now if Vettori was fit so they could share fourth bowler duties. Or if Tastle had done anything to demand selection again.

Yeah but five bowlers is no longer an option at all because McCullum insists on batting middle order.

 

[Prince EWS]

Cook was dropped on 12 as well, apparently. Rustiness?

~

"Yeah you just can't beat a mad butcher's meat"

Hmm

Haha, the mad butcher is famous in NZ; bit different to how bad the rest of the ads have been.

Children's Day ad suspiciously out of place though.

 

[Cabinet96]

Awful innings from Pietersen comes to an end.

The guy who needed an innings most as well. Cook and Root will probably pile up the runs though

 

[straw man]

Yeah but five bowlers is no longer an option at all because McCullum insists on batting middle order.

I'm picturing a fantastical world where Vettori is fit and McCullum bats in the best position for the team and every promising player turns into an international-class cricketer.

It's where NZ fans hang out.

 

[Cabinet96]

An erectile dysfunction ad on Sky Sports News now...

 

[_Ed_]

"Yeah you just can't beat a mad butcher's meat"

Hmm

Haha, it still makes me laugh every time, even though it's been his jingle for a while now.

 

[Blain]

Lets be real here, Neesh is another good season of Plunket Shield cricket away from being a possible for tests. His record is ok.. But still a few big scores and a few bags of wickets to be pushing for a spot.

Unless he take 8 wickets in this warm up, and scores 70*...

Nice to see Anderson bowling well, hopefully he can get some good game time of 50 over cricket and build his record.

 

[hendrix]

Yeah but five bowlers is no longer an option at all because McCullum insists on batting middle order.

Yup. Neither Neesh nor Anderson were realistically an option.

The lack of wickets for Wagner and Gillespie just means that Bruce Martin will play.

1. Fulton
2. Rutherford/Latham
3. Williamson
4. Taylor
5. McCullum
6. Brownlie
7. Watling
8. B Martin
9. Bracewell
10. Southee
11. Boult

Ideally (IMO) it would be:
1. McCullum
2. Flynn
3. Brownlie
4. Taylor
5. Williamson
6. Watling/Ronchi
7. Neesham/Butler
8. Bracewell
9. Southee
10. Boult
22. Patel

 

[Prince EWS]

22. Patel

Unprecedented demotion in the batting order for Jeets. And rightly so after his efforts in South Africa, but I'm sure it would still smart to bat twice as far down the order as Chris Martin did.

 

[straw man]

Gillespie with 5 no balls so far - I'm going to take that as a sign he's charging in and bowling quickly...

But yeah, B Martin looking most likely for that 4th bowling spot from here. I feel about as lukewarm about that as I do about Rutherford and Fulton opening. None of them are undeserving but I'd be surprised if any made any real contribution to the side.

 

[Prince EWS]

Yeah I've always like Fulton but I think even Papps is more likely to score runs opening at Test level as it stands. When Papps is better than you, you're in strife.

And yes this is exactly like Dan's posts about Steve Smith.

 

[theegyptian]

Don't need to drop Bell. The only thing dropping Bell would enable is the chance to play Bairstow. Which isn't exactly something I would be doing....

I was trolling for the anti Bell brigade. Bell has shown he is nothing more than a solid international cricketer but there is no way any of Compton, Root or Bairstow are better bats than him currently. And we don't play in Asia for over two years in test cricket.

I'd stick Root in to open and bat Compton in the middle order, personally. It made sense to have them the other way around when Root was just playing as a fill in of sorts for continuity but both should be in the first eleven as it stands and with Root actually being a domestic opener and Compton being a middle order bat, it makes sense to make the swap now I reckon. If Compton doesn't score any runs against NZ then you can start thinking about replacing him with Bairstow, and Root will already have Test opening experience under his belt though so it won't seem like a big shuffle.

Compton isn't though really a middle order bat or at least as I percieve it. He's batted 3 the last three years in county cricket for somerset and before that he opened for Middlesex since mid 2006 in his first full season. I would say 3 is the top order. Compton opening or nothing for me.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Cook gone for 60.

Off to bed now once Kevin Howells does a commentary stint. Great bloke Kevin.

 

[hendrix]

Just realised how strong the English batting line-up is. Wow.

 

[Immenso]

Waddle getting his C Cachopas mixed up.
The Auckland one doesn't bowl Brian, he's the slightly occasional wicket keeper

 

[straw man]

Didn't hear earlier that Gillespie had Cook caught off a no-ball earlier.

Edit: and Broom had a catch that went straight through his hands and hit him in the forehead. Not sure who was bowling though.

 

[Flem274*]

Pity to hear from the commentators that Gillespie lost the plot. When I went to class as the first wicket fell he was causing problems.

We're a bowler short here imo, even though the two allrounders are doing a very good job together.

Gillespie off the field now. I hope it's not an injury.

This team lacks a CD paceman.

edit: McCone the 12th man??

 

[Flem274*]

Cachopa getting in the wickets before the English bounce away his.

 

[Mike5181]

Would've had Wheeler in there instead of Anderson. Don't see much point in having Neesham down at 8.