***Official*** New Zealand in Bangladesh & Sri Lanka 2013

[hendrix]

If Franklin's experience in 2004 is any indicator, I doubt there'll be anything on offer beyond the first 15 overs. From there on out it'll be reverse or nothing.

15 overs is plenty if it's hooping like it was in SL.

 

[Blain]

This Test series sounds like a stitch up. 0 warm up games (due to heavy rain), Nz hasn't played together for months, and a new pitch with not 1 ball bowled on it since it's makeover a couple years ago. I hope we bowl first.

 

[hendrix]

This Test series sounds like a stitch up. 0 warm up games (due to heavy rain), Nz hasn't played together for months, and a new pitch with not 1 ball bowled on it since it's makeover a couple years ago. I hope we bowl first.

nah I disagree. Plenty of the players have been on the A tour, and the rest have spent most of the winter practising on wickets doctored to spin against a spin bowling machine.

Williamson has also been playing county cricket, and the Otago players have been in the t20 competition.

It's not ideal preparation but it's not the worst we've had.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

That would be me.

Fine work

That could mean some swing for Boult which would be nice, but on the other hand it'd also be good for his development if he learned to cope without so much movement in the air.

I dunno, I reckon boult's shown great ability to cope with limited lateral movement already. His bowling style has always been about subtly nipping it around in the right areas rather than extravagant hooping swing.

 

[Flem274*]

I don't remember a series against Bangladesh being so important. We have the pace bowling shoot out between Wagner and Bracewell, Boult will feel he has something to prove after his wayward spells last time he lead the attack in Southee's absence and Brownlie needs to put the spin issues to rest, because no matter how easy he makes Steyn, Philander, Pattinson and Siddle look you can't get by in test cricket relying on Robbie P and Nathan Lyon served up to you in the most unfavourable spin bowling conditions possible.

 

[hendrix]

yeah he's certainly been better than Southee in that regard, but he's still not quite on the level of say Junaid Khan in terms of finding something from nothing.

argh I just wanna watch already

 

[Prince EWS]

I don't remember a series against Bangladesh being so important. We have the pace bowling shoot out between Wagner and Bracewell, Boult will feel he has something to prove after his wayward spells last time he lead the attack in Southee's absence and Brownlie needs to put the spin issues to rest, because no matter how easy he makes Steyn, Philander, Pattinson and Siddle look you can't get by in test cricket relying on Robbie P and Nathan Lyon served up to you in the most unfavourable spin bowling conditions possible.

And then there's the fact that you could well lose. I don't think we've ever gone into a NZ-Bangladesh Test series not certain of the result. The 2008-09 series was closely fought but we weren't really expecting it to be so beforehand.

 

[Flem274*]

Yep, and if we did a few players might be out on their backsides. Can't see Hesson and McCullum keeping their jobs without significant improvement from that point on either. It would put huge pressure on them to win the series against the West Indies.

Dare I say it, we appear to be better prepared than we were in 2008.

 

[Maximas]

Pretty important series for Bangladesh as well, if they can win a test or the series, then they gain on Zimbabwe in the rankings and get some confidence into them. Guys like Tamin, Shakib and Mushi Rahim need to prove they can handle proper test bowlers, and guys like Sohag Gazi and Robuil Islam need to prove they are test quality bowlers as well. I'm actually quite excited about this series

 

[hendrix]

This is begging for a tasting, but I think that the stars aren't quite aligned for a Bangladesh win - our deficiencies against spin on the subcontinent have already been well exposed by Ashwin, Ojha, Herath and even Swann in England. I think that there's a limit to how bad a team can be against spin and I don't think that there's any spinner in the Bangladesh team that would run through a side who's properly prepared.

I hope that doesn't sound disrespectful to Bangladesh, and I suppose there's almost a bit of "English complacency" bull**** to that, but I will take my words back if proven wrong on this tour.

That said, there's no doubt I'd take any one of their spinners over ours. Especially Mahmudullah, would love to have that guy batting at 8.

 

[Flem274*]

Shakib will happily wreck us if he's in form and we haven't improved from England. Shakib is just below Ajmal, Swann and Herath imo. Haven't seen enough of Gazi to comment but the word is good.

 

[hendrix]

Nah I rate Shakib as a batsman and an allrounder and as a limited overs bowler, but I don't think he's the most incisive test bowler. He's a valuable addition to an attack but I think he's a bit Vettori-like in that you don't expect him to really rip through a side.

I'm sure I'm going to have to eat my words soon.

 

[Flem274*]

He will have conditions to his liking and he's bowling to very poor players of spin. Taylor, KW and Watling might be able to play him out like other quality players did to us with Vettori, and McCullum and Fulton may join in on the act if it's a road, but otherwise it's looking very grim on a turning pitch. It appears Bangladesh have sharpened up as well and won't be playing many pacers beyond Robiul, so there won't be so many straight up and down dobber freebies on offer like in previous years.

 

[hendrix]

He will have conditions to his liking and he's bowling to very poor players of spin. Taylor, KW and Watling might be able to play him out like other quality players did to us with Vettori, and McCullum and Fulton may join in on the act if it's a road, but otherwise it's looking very grim on a turning pitch. It appears Bangladesh have sharpened up as well and won't be playing many pacers beyond Robiul, so there won't be so many straight up and down dobber freebies on offer like in previous years.

Well even in SL Herath had Kulasekara and Eranga regularly knocking off the top order. Unless you have a Warne, Murali or a Ajmal it's asking a bit much for the spinners to do all the work, even on the subcontinent.

 

[Flem274*]

Geez Bangladesh have a lot of spin bowling allrounders who should bat between 4-8.

 

[Prince EWS]

Geez Bangladesh have a lot of spin bowling allrounders who should bat between 4-8.

Nasir primarily bowls brisk medium pace now I think. Started from this:

And he's been opening the bowling a fair bit in the DPL since then.

 

[Flem274*]

Well even in SL Herath had Kulasekara and Eranga regularly knocking off the top order. Unless you have a Warne, Murali or a Ajmal it's asking a bit much for the spinners to do all the work, even on the subcontinent.

Bangladesh don't conform to the usual balance of a test side though. Shakib and Gazi fulfill the Ajmal/Rehman or Ashwin/Ojha role but where those two sides have two quicks and no more specialist spinners Bangladesh have Marmadoola and Nasir Hossain who bowl to at least a Bangladesh FC standard (and are probably better than part time in tests) and they may even elect to go in with three specialists and pick Razzak. Naeem Islam isn't the worst and the new kid Ayub is handy as well iirc. There's no escaping spin.

 

[Maximas]

Gazi is probably about the same in terms of ability as somelike like Shane Shillingford - maybe a little below him. Shakib is probably around that level as well. Mahmudullah I don't particularly rate as a bowler or batsman though, and Razzak is more of a container, I don't think any of Bangla's current spinners are quite up to the standard of Ashwin/Lyon/Shillingford, who are a tier below the guys in my sig, but they are close and they bowl well as a unit.

 

[Flem274*]

I haven't seen a minute of Shillingford since the aspersions all his wickets were run outs were cast. What's his go these days?

 

[Bahnz]

Yeah it'll be an issue of patience more than anything. Though I wouldn't be at all surprised if Rutherford scores big at some stage. He loves to boss spinners short on variation and light on turn.