***Official*** New Zealand tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa 2016

[StephenZA]

Good match. Well done Boys. Happy to see SA put a decent performance together after the abyssal 2015. Looking forward to Aus tour. Still have some unanswered questions around the middle order but we shall see...

Tough for NZ think they only had one or two really bad sessions in tough conditions, but overall played well. KW is awesome, impressed with Nichols, Wagner and Watling.

No worries for the NZ supporters... All Blacks are going to put a cricket score on against the Springboks in a few weeks time.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Feel so bad for Taylor. Runout in one innings, grubber in the second and his series is over. So cruel.

 

[harsh.ag]

Heartening to see the Saffers enjoying themselves. Steyn and Philander in particular. With ABdV joining back, their batting problems look to be resolving themselves too. Hopefully Bavuma goes on from here.

NZ have Wagner and Kane going for them. Rosco victim to tragedy and skill. At least Nicholls did well. Not sure what Santner is doing there really, but he's okay for a lower order partnership, I suppose. Perhaps they could try putting Guppy in there at 6, since it doesn't seem like he's getting dropped ever.

Also, QdK was crucial, yes, but come on, the MoM should have gone to Steyn.

 

[Daemon]

I think QdK's keeping factored into it as well, plus the fact that he opened the batting on top of it.

8-99 still deserves it though imo.

 

[mr_mister]

the game was well and truly over before Steyn ran through NZ in the second innings, was only a matter of time. QDK's performance def deserved MOM

 

[kykweer.proteas]

Akram had Waqar to share the wickets with. Steyn had nobody

if steyn didnt have to share wickets with philander he would have broken akrams record 15 tests ago.

 

[viriya]

if steyn didnt have to share wickets with philander he would have broken akrams record 15 tests ago.

Yea Steyn has Morkel and Philander sharing wickets, but still has an amazing wkts/match.

 

[Gob]

Came here to say Dale you ****ing beauty

Dale you ****ing beauty

 

[Furball]

Philander was the sixth fastest to 100 Test wickets of all time. Fair competition for wickets for about a third of his career right there.

Steyn spent the first 5 years of his career with Pollock and Ntini and has overlapped with Morkel who must have about 200 of his own.

 

[Pothas]

Steyn is the best cricketer to have debuted this millennium. Staggeringly good in all conditions.

Yeah, It is not even close. Still undervalued in general (not on here).

 

[Cabinet96]

Nah it is close because Sanga is amazing. But feel better giving it to a bowler this era anyway. His record is just so much better than all his contemporaries.

"I just really enjoy playing Test cricket. I love it. It's what I feel I have been put on earth to do,"

 

[viriya]

If you ignore the pre-1900s, he has the best average vs a non-minnow team ever (with a 50 wicket qualification):
Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[viriya]

Yeah, It is not even close. Still undervalued in general (not on here).

Nah it is close because Sanga is amazing. But feel better giving it to a bowler this era anyway. His record is just so much better than all his contemporaries.

"I just really enjoy playing Test cricket. I love it. It's what I feel I have been put on earth to do,"

Also AB.

Clearly the best Test bowler that debuted in the new millennium though. Best overall bowler too although his ODI record isn't as amazing.

 

[Athlai]

Not sure how I feel about Nicholls scoring runs.

 

[Gnske]

Not sure how I feel about Nicholls scoring runs.

Apologetic, he's literally going to be the new Dravid to Kane's Tendulkar.

 

[straw man]

195 in the end huh. With the way that pitch played in the last couple of days that's not even a bad score, particularly considering the bowling attack. Excellent from Nicholls. Dougeh scored some runs too - I'll have to read through the commentary to see what they were like.

So the decision to bowl first, the poor first day and SA's good and conditions-appropriate batting costs us the whole 'series', which seems a little rough. I know that is test cricket, however for my viewing pleasure I would prefer there were 1 or 2 more tests now to make amends.

Great to see SA's bowling attack back and firing.

 

[Black_Warrior]

South Africa, either bring this bowling attack fit and raring to go in Australia, or don't bother showing up. No interest in seeing Adam Bradman average 100 again on roads.

 

[Bahnz]

Felt gutted for Taylor last night, absolutely no chance.

So the decision to bowl first was a poor one, but ultimately what really cost us was a combination of SA batting well, NZ not maintaining enough pressure and a bit of bad luck on day 1. The gulf between the two bowling units was pretty significant. Steyn and Philander were producing 1 or 2 magic balls per over and offering up basically no freebies. By comparison, Southee and Boult were generally either too wide or too straight and couldn't force the Saffers to play enough in tricky conditions.

Santner is a spot too high at 7, and Guptill is pants (I'll get back to Zinzan with his new avatar on the weekend). Other than that you can't be too harsh on the batting given how trying the conditions and opposition were. Well done to Nicholls.

 

[Kippax]

Not sure what Santner is doing there really

He wouldn't be the first "his theoretical skill-set is perfect!" player picked in recent years, those ones who burn brightly as they enter the cricket world's atmosphere, only to be humbled to roughly the size of a pea once they hit the dirt with a thud. Ironic, seeing Hesson's supposedly all about the earning of rights.

Fair to say Anderson and Neesham have never earnt the right with bullying and eye-catching domestic seasons at any point either though, tbh. That means it's the cunning and dirty veteran Andrew Ellis who should be playing, if Hesson ever changed tack and started selecting on the genuine earning of rights.

 

[Nate]

Series needed more Mark Henry.