New Zealand Off Season 2014

[SteveNZ]

Before I start, for everyone keeping score at home - that's another Howick Pak Black Cap (hate that term but it works here).

However..that's a really underwhelming squad. No Gillespie, Fulton somehow survives, Ronchi somehow gets a go as a back-up back-up (our management understands long-distance travel is very much achievable these days, yes?) Jeets gets another lifeline and decides he doesn''t want it so we pick the 'next best' guy who spins it away from LHs, even though he's raw as hell and has played very little FC cricket really. So we have two spin options, both still very much learning their trade. I love both blokes but Craig/Sodhi v Narine/Shillingford? Ow.

Tastle may well take up hockey where there's guaranteed to be no lefties.

 

[Kippax]

@John_Day
He backed away from the bowlers in South Africa, now he's backing out of playing for his country. Hard to respect Jeetan Patel's decision.

Farmboyraver ‏@AndyMuir22
@John_Day_ He has always been over rated ****. Even the Phantom faced up to the quickies. This guy is just pure gutless personified

"Farmboy raver". Yeah the agribusiness community have always wanted to bury Jeets. A real 'gravedigger Bracewell vs. Andre Adams' sort of antipathy.

 

[BackFootPunch]

Personally delighted for Mark Craig. The bloke has some serious ability. Seems to lift his game the higher the level he plays at too.

 

[Bahnz]

Before I start, for everyone keeping score at home - that's another Howick Pak Black Cap (hate that term but it works here).

However..that's a really underwhelming squad. No Gillespie, Fulton somehow survives, Ronchi somehow gets a go as a back-up back-up (our management understands long-distance travel is very much achievable these days, yes?) Jeets gets another lifeline and decides he doesn''t want it so we pick the 'next best' guy who spins it away from LHs, even though he's raw as hell and has played very little FC cricket really. So we have two spin options, both still very much learning their trade. I love both blokes but Craig/Sodhi v Narine/Shillingford? Ow.

Tastle may well take up hockey where there's guaranteed to be no lefties.

I understand your point, but by that reasoning, we shouldn't ever bother picking more than 12 players to tour anywhere. Yes, you can fly a player over at 24 hours notice, but especially when it comes to somewhere on the other side of the planet they're probably not going to be in great shape for at least the first few days after arriving. It's clearly intended that Latham will play as an opener. You can't realistically expect him to keep wicket if he's opening the batting.

 

[SteveNZ]

I understand your point, but by that reasoning, we shouldn't ever bother picking more than 12 players to tour anywhere. Yes, you can fly a player over at 24 hours notice, but especially when it comes to somewhere on the other side of the planet they're probably not going to be in great shape for at least the first few days after arriving. It's clearly intended that Latham will play as an opener. You can't realistically expect him to keep wicket if he's opening the batting.

Fair point actually, poor squad analysis by myself.

I thought that above tweet was from Jason Day originally. It's hard to criticise too much without knowing circumstances, I don't imagine Jeetan turned down his country without a lot of hard thought about it. I shouldn't imagine it was a purely financial call, either.

 

[straw man]

I understand your point, but by that reasoning, we shouldn't ever bother picking more than 12 players to tour anywhere. Yes, you can fly a player over at 24 hours notice, but especially when it comes to somewhere on the other side of the planet they're probably not going to be in great shape for at least the first few days after arriving. It's clearly intended that Latham will play as an opener. You can't realistically expect him to keep wicket if he's opening the batting.

While this is true, partly as a result of providing wicket-keeping cover against the unlikely event that Watling injures himself in the 48 hours prior to a test, we are eschewing fast-bowling cover - a far far greater risk.

Personally I could accept the low risk of a last-minute Watling injury and the not-ideal solution of scrambling Latham into the role, with Fulton/Rutherford coming in to cover him as opener. Or, just don't waste a spot on Fulton/Rutherford and send Ronchi as batting reserve (they're clearly thinking of him as there-or-there-abouts as next best middle-order batting option, and as much as it's galling to admit it he probably is). Instead we have both solutions and only Neesham as fast-bowling reserve.

 

[Bahnz]

I suspect that the reason why they're eschewing fast bowling cover is because they (ridiculously) believe that a 2-seamer 2-spinner bowling attack is the best way to go, with Wagner left in reserve. So by the selector's thinking, they already have a spare seamer.

 

[straw man]

I'm going to put that insane thought in a box over *there* for a while and hope that there is no need to revisit it, as there could be an explosion.

 

[hendrix]

While this is true, partly as a result of providing wicket-keeping cover against the unlikely event that Watling injures himself in the 48 hours prior to a test, we are eschewing fast-bowling cover - a far far greater risk.

+1.

If Southee or Boult is injured, do we really want Neesham opening the bowling? Even if they want to play 2 spinners, it's ridiculous to include 2 backup batsmen and no backup fast bowlers.

Mark Craig's selection doesn't bug me.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

I suspect that the reason why they're eschewing fast bowling cover is because they (ridiculously) believe that a 2-seamer 2-spinner bowling attack is the best way to go, with Wagner left in reserve. So by the selector's thinking, they already have a spare seamer.

Not that I want to see them playing two spinners (one and KW is enough to support our pacemen), but if they do I wonder how close Neesham is to taking Anderson's spot (tough on Anderson I know). If they go down the two spinner route I'd be tempted to go Watling 6, Neesham 7, spinner 1, spinner 2, Southee, Boult

 

[Kippax]

Nah he makes a pretty highlights package Neesham, but so does my boy Weerasundara. JimmyGS needed it to be roading hard for that Basin ton, otherwise he typically has a heart-in-the-mouth moment every ten balls or so, in my viewing of him.

 

[Kippax]

You can find Mark Craig in that ftr, if you're not a domestic threader and have never seen him -

 

[jcas0167]

Nah he makes a pretty highlights package Neesham, but so does my boy Weerasundara. JimmyGS needed it to be roading hard for that Basin ton, otherwise he typically has a heart-in-the-mouth moment every ten balls or so, in my viewing of him.

Heh, just imagining if Hesson pulled a Graham Henry/Hansen type bolter (eg Isaia Toeava) and plucked Weerasundara or O'Donnell straight from the Under 19's

I think Anderson will retain his spot. His bowling was particularly effective against the Windies, albeit in NZ conditions. Plus he didn't really do too much wrong with the bat. IIRC he was a bit unfortunate to be given LBW for 77 in the first India test.

 

[Kippax]

Well, Rachin Ravindra will certainly have put as many hours as most 25-year-olds, by the time he's Hasan Raza-ing it for the Black Caps.

They didn't actually bother collecting any vault videos at all of that latest U19 side, so I guess there probably won't be too many domestic contracts for any of them in June itbt.

 

[Athlai]

Ronchi was picked as a back up keeper and reserve middle order bat.

Phlegm to taste it.

 

[Kippax]

Devcich also makes the grade as "a good player of spin" according to this panel tbh. Doubt Phlegm would bow down to Hesson's definition of "a good player of spin" at this point.

 

[BackFootPunch]

Reckon the selectors were a bit hamstrung by the fast bowling stocks. Henry and Bracewell not available for various reasons, which really left them with picking either Gillespie or Bennett. I'd suggest neither of those guys are the sort of bowler they'd wanna pick if Southee or Boult fell over in warm ups, so they're better just taking Neesham and (probably) playing 2 spinners if they lose one of the quicks. So it'll be three quicks and Sodhi to start, then if one gets injured they'll chuck Craig in I reckon.

They had to take Neesham, they had to take spin bowling cover, they needed an extra bat and I guess the Ronchi decision indicates that they rate Latham highly enough to want him to focus solely on batting. Yes they've retained Fulton and Ruds but one of them is probably gonna get the cut eventually - they'll want Latham to grab his opportunity with both hands and not be worrying about anything else.

 

[Kippax]

Ronchi touring because the second-best keeper in the country will be required for the sheer amount of spin bowling Hesson expects during the Test series.

http://content.radionetwork.co.nz/weekondemand/radiosport/31700.mp3 (9.30 in)

http://content.radionetwork.co.nz/weekondemand/radiosport/31715.mp3

 

[Prince EWS]

I suspect that the reason why they're eschewing fast bowling cover is because they (ridiculously) believe that a 2-seamer 2-spinner bowling attack is the best way to go, with Wagner left in reserve. So by the selector's thinking, they already have a spare seamer.

They don't have a spare spinner in that case though!

Regardless of team balance it's still a bowler short on the tour IMO. They've basically picked Neesham as a bowler I think.

 

[Prince EWS]

If Southee or Boult is injured, do we really want Neesham opening the bowling?

He wouldn't though; Wagner would.