*Official** New Zealand in England

[Kent]

yeah but to select him for the tour with the ODIs as the primary target, yet knowing that he was likely to pull out???? I can't see the benefit to the squad or the series, particularly as the named replacements for the ODIs do not include a strike bowler!!!!

as we talked about earlier - I have enough trouble believing that a 14 man squad generates enough competition for places as it is - let alone knowing that one player is likely to end up being unavailable for most of the tour international matches!!!!!!

There's no doubt Bond's role as a player on this tour was (and still is) just a punt. Looking at the big picture, I'm glad they took him though. Training indoors at home, away from NZ's technical team, would be far less ideal than putting his new action through matches and getting some decent opposition to bowl to.

If Bond goes to Australia and does well, we have to remember that the English tour will have played a huge role in him being there. Even if he hasn't played a single international when he heads home to be with his wife, rebuilding the career of our #1 weapon is still more important to me than a tri-series.

 

[Kent]

Papps was keeping in the one dayers because he was adequate and it hepled the balance of the team.

Exactly!

In a competition where even Simon Doull was a successful opener, Hopkins was not deemed good enough at wielding the willow to participate. If he wasn't required by Canterbury, what makes you think he won't adversely alter the balance of an international side?

 

[southern man]

Playing for New Zealand Hopkins will bat at 8, Doesnt really need to do to much maybe a quick 30 or 40 qhich he did quite alot for Otago during the season where he batted at 3 or 5.

 

[marc71178]

Brown would probably do far better if selected and deserves a chance but there is no chance of that because he wants his spinners to be able to bat, a very naive attitude unless the bowlers are of almost identical ability.

So you'd be happy with a top 5, Flintoff at 6, Jones at 7 then Hoggard at 8 just to include an untried spin bowler when conditions in England don't really suit picking a spinner?

 

[marc71178]

How do you know that if Brown and Keedy have not been given a chance? Brown has been a more effective bowler than any of those in the last few years but Batty was given the chance because he can bat.

Actually, Batty got his chance because he went to the Academy and impressed the coaching staff greatly with his efforts.

 

[marc71178]

1 Michael Vaughan (cpt)
2 Andrew Strauss
3 Mark Butcher
4 Graham Thorpe,
5 Nasser Hussain
6 Andrew Flintoff,
7 Geraint Jones (wk)
8 Martin Saggers
9 Matthew Hoggard
10 Steve Harmison
11 Jason Brown

12 Ben Smith
13 Richard Johnson
14 Paul Collingwood

If Vaughan is injured Hussain would captain the side, Butcher would open, Hussain at 3 and Smith would come in at number 5. The rest unchanged.

Ben Smith? Come off it! Even Ramprakash is ahead of him in the pecking order.

As for that tail, about the worst idea I've ever seen to pick 4 people who are to all intents and purposes rabbits.

And moving Butcher from 3 is a bad bad move.

 

[meatspx]

Ian Butler signs short-term contract with Kent

Northern Districts fast bowler Ian Butler will join England county side Kent on a short-term contract, New Zealand Cricket announced today.

Black Caps general manager Lindsay Crocker said Butler would replace Australian Andrew Symonds as Kent's overseas player from next week.

Butler is expected to play for Kent until early September.

The Black Caps were recently beaten by Kent in a warm-up match before the first test against England, which starts tonight (NZT).

Poor Kent!

 

[PY]

I have to admit, I would have really liked Nasser Hussain to have taken the captain's armband for today.

He is proven entity who can be relied on. If it was a dead rubber then I'm all for trying Trescothick but it isn't, and this Test could dictate how this whole series goes. Some people may argue that it is going backwards a little but I don't care whether it is going 'backwards', winning is what I want to do and it isn't like we need to groom a new captain, Vaughan is only mid/late twenties.

 

[Tim]

Im not viewing today's play so im going to have to go by BBC Radio & Cricinfo.
NZ won the toss & will bat first...thoughts?

 

[PY]

Interesting decision as conditions usually favour the bowlers early on I think.

Strauss has his first Test cap too.

 

[tooextracool]

Those ratings are insane, we have only won 5 of the last 15 test series (3 out of 12 before the Bangladesh series), and have only ever beaten Bangladesh in an ODI series away from home. Abysmal..

although we nearly whitewashed WI in WI and were level with team no 2 in tests. in ODIs we beat pakistan and SA at home which is no lean achievement.

India are clearly a better team than England (having beaten them at home and not losing away, and doing the same against Australia) and a lot of others to.

i think indias victory at home is debatable and from what i saw the 2 teams were fairly even in both series

Never said Hick or Ramprakash should be in the team, but players like S.Jones and Giles are far from our best and only get in the side because Fletcher likes them. Saggers, Kirtley and Johnson are far better than Jones and Brown is far better than Giles. Fletcher has been responsible for some of the worst selections in history, with players such as Schofield, Sidebottom, Snape and Dawson getting into the side even though they struggle to hold down a county place, just because Fletcher enjoys their company. Even Rod Marsh dislikes Fletcher because he could not care less what Marsh says and always thinks he is untouchable. Fletcher thinks he is the best thing since sliced bread but is actually a disgrace to the art of diplomacy and logical thinking. The ECB should be ashamed with themselves for ignoring his mindless attitude to important matters and complete disregard for other 'selectors' opinions.

simon jones has only just recovered from injury and although he hasnt impressed i would still be willing to give him a few more chances at the intl level. remember what harmison was last year? i think jones has been a lot better than that and definetly better than kirtley. from what i've seen from kirtley i dont think hes good enough at the test match level and besides i dont think england want anything to do with an average bowler with a suspect action. johnson is too old anyways and saggers want exactly stunning on his debut against bangladesh.
as far as fletcher's selections go i think if you had seen some of the selections in 97-98, maynard,vince wells, ealham etc you'd be more than happy with the current situation.

 

[tooextracool]

There are plenty of other players who deserve a chance but are not given it because they are not friends with Fletcher.

i dont think you realise how much of test match cricket depends on player character. id rather have a stubborn,determined player like hussain than a talented player with no temperament or grit.

 

[tooextracool]

If Vaughan is injured Hussain would captain the side, Butcher would open, Hussain at 3 and Smith would come in at number 5. The rest unchanged.

because hussain is more than willing to captain the side?and why in the blue hell would you want to make butcher open the batting again?

 

[Revelation]

New Zealand have won the toss and decided to bat.

 

[tooextracool]

I have to admit, I would have really liked Nasser Hussain to have taken the captain's armband for today.

He is proven entity who can be relied on. If it was a dead rubber then I'm all for trying Trescothick but it isn't, and this Test could dictate how this whole series goes. Some people may argue that it is going backwards a little but I don't care whether it is going 'backwards', winning is what I want to do and it isn't like we need to groom a new captain, Vaughan is only mid/late twenties.

hussain is completely disinterested in captaining england again. the last time he captained england he seemed to be miserably out of place and i dont think it would work out well for england.

 

[Tim]

Radio commentary suggests it was a good toss to win considering the low bounce in the pitch.

 

[Revelation]

20/0 after 3.0 ov.

 

[Tim]

Pretty slow since then..27/0 after 8.2 overs..but at least it's a safe start.

As I said last week, if these 2 can get NZ a solid opening partnership, it will really allow the likes of Styris, McMillan etc to play their natural game.

Interesting that the last (first) time Fleming opened he scored 274* against Sri Lanka.

 

[tooextracool]

the speedometer just clocked harmison's ball at 100.2 mph

 

[PY]

Blabbering Blofeld starts up for the summer. Hope he can do better than last summer.