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NZ 'A' opponents for next season

Tim

Cricketer Of The Year
It has been announced today that NZ 'A' will tour South Africa in September. South Africa 'A' were meant to return the favour here next year but have apparently pulled out & will now come in 2006.
NZC have sent an invitation to India 'A' as a replacement for South Africa.
 

Craig

World Traveller
Should be a good tour and good learning curve.

If I was the BCCI I would take it, as it would give India's youngsters a good learning curve on green seaming wickets. Something they don't get in India.
 

shaka

International Regular
Yeh it should be a good tour and a good learning experience for them (unless of course you have tasted some international prior). I wonder who will be included in that team, and weather guys like Lou Vincent and Matt Horne will be part of the "A" team.
 

Kent

State 12th Man
A huge opportunity for Jamie How in SA I'd like to think. Not sure what the pitches will be like in September, but I think he could really thrive on anything hard and fast.

It's a shame that the tour of Sri Lanka appears to be off. I was hoping that me and a few others would either be proved right about Bruce Martin, or we could finally stop talking him up.
 

Tim

Cricketer Of The Year
I still think Bruce Martin will be picked for Bangladesh & there's the outside chance he'll make the ICC Champions Trophy team.

As for Jamie How..yeah I agree, I think he'll be like Hamish Marshall & thrive on some good batting wickets.
How looks kind of like Graeme Smith at the crease..quite a strong build & I think the more exposure he gets to other international teams the better he'll become.
 

Craig

World Traveller
Well if he continues to preform, a Black Cap isn't too far away should Michael Papps stuff big time.

IMO it would be very silly of India not to take up the NZC's offer to send an 'A' team to New Zealand to get exposure to foregin conditions to those of India and should they get picked in the senior team on a tour of New Zealand they will be well prepared.

Zaheer Khan and Asish Nehra bowled well over and took advantage of the seaming wickets, and nobody (well most) on this site does not even rate Nehra. And I don't really think that highly of Zaheer Khan.

IMO India would have won the second Test in Hamilton had they decided to bring Javiegal Srinath rather then rest him.
 

anzac

International Debutant
I note that the 'A' series in RSA comes just b4 the Tour to BAN & AUS.........so for this reason IMO we will see a fairly strong & experienced looking NZL 'A' squad dominated by 'fringe' / squad / 'injured' players rather than an experimental look with newbies.........

I think they will be using the series to judge squad positions primarily for the AUS tour, but a couple of standouts could force their way into the BAN squad.....as opposed to the series being used as a building block for the next generation.........

my picks would include the likes of Papps, How, Sinclair, Vincent, H Marshall, Fulton, Franklin, C Martin, B Martin, I Butler, Hopkins, Bond........

my fringe players would include - Adams, Mills, Mason, Gillespie, Redmond, M Walker, with an eye on how both Ryder & Sherlock go this season...........a wildcard would be J Marshall.............

you'd probably also get to see the likes of C Harris included to provide leadership as a probable Captain...............as I'm not aware of anyone in the candidates who has any experience at this..............
 

Kent

State 12th Man
Just the normal cricinfo coverage I imagine.

I find it hard to see how Papps, Franklin, Butler, Harris etc. will be involved in this SA tour. If NZ made the final of the Champs Trophy it would be on September 25, then the Bang tour begins on October 14. Unless the return of a Mills or Adams pushes one of them out of the CT squad, which I'd think is pretty unlikely.

A possible 'A' team...

Bell (I presume they'll feel obliged to take Bell, with a 100+ average in his most recent 'A' series. Also the obvious captain for an overseas tour amongst the contenders.)
How
Sinclair
Fulton
Vincent
Taylor (H Marshall busy with the BCs)
Hopkins (probably Hart if Hopkins makes the CT squad)
Adams
B Martin
Mason (without swing, Mills could be belted in SA conditions)
C Martin

Looks like Peter Fulton or Ross Taylor is the fifth bowler! I guess that's OK for what are essentially trial games.
 
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Mingster

State Regular
I mean would we get any TV coverage?

I guess they will take a squad of around 15 (FC and OD included) over there?

Batsman - M Bell, M Richardson, T McIntosh, L Vincent, P Fulton, J How, R Taylor
Keeper - G Hopkins+
Bowler - A Adams, M Walker, B Martin, C Martin, S Bond, M Mason, A Redmond/J Wilson
 

Craig

World Traveller
Kent said:
Just the normal cricinfo coverage I imagine.

I find it hard to see how Papps, Franklin, Butler, Harris etc. will be involved in this SA tour. If NZ made the final of the Champs Trophy it would be on September 25, then the Bang tour begins on October 14. Unless the return of a Mills or Adams pushes one of them out of the CT squad, which I'd think is pretty unlikely.

A possible 'A' team...

Bell (I presume they'll feel obliged to take Bell, with a 100+ average in his most recent 'A' series. Also the obvious captain for an overseas tour amongst the contenders.)
How
Sinclair
Fulton
Vincent
Taylor (H Marshall busy with the BCs)
Hopkins (probably Hart if Hopkins makes the CT squad)
Adams
B Martin
Mason (without swing, Mills could be belted in SA conditions)
C Martin

Looks like Peter Fulton or Ross Taylor is the fifth bowler! I guess that's OK for what are essentially trial games.
I would assume they will only play 4 bowlers?
 

Kent

State 12th Man
Well, it's pretty safe to assume they won't be taking an Oram/Styris/Franklin sort of bowler, nor a keeper, who will bat in their top 6.
 
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Tim

Cricketer Of The Year
It's 100% certain that we won't get tv coverage of the 'A' tour..you should know that. Unless it's an 'A' team involving rugby it won't get any.

I'd agree with your team Kent..although I still don't like Matt Bell. But I feel thats probably close to what the selectors are thinking.
I've lost faith in Mills, but no doubt he'll be selected for S.A.
 

Mingster

State Regular
Mills should be in there - you can't go from one of the better bowlers on the domestic circuit to being a dud.

Mills would be the allrounder in that team.
 

Dougie Rydal

Cricket Spectator
Yes you can - witness his 'performance' during his outing against the Poms.

Guys like Mason and Mills just don't (and won't) cut it at test level, they need to be quicker or swing the ball more.
 

Will Scarlet

U19 Debutant
I agree that Mills and Mason both looked ordinary at international level. Mills has not had much of a chance to show his batting skills in internationals though.

I'd go with Andre Adams over both of them.
 

Tim

Cricketer Of The Year
I still think Mason deserves more chances. He was pretty good during the ODI series v S.A. But was then forced to bowl into that awful wind in Wellington.

I personally would pick Adams over Mills though..even though Adams is wild with the ball at times, he still has a tendency to take wickets.
 

Kent

State 12th Man
Dougie Rydal said:
Yes you can - witness his 'performance' during his outing against the Poms.

Guys like Mason and Mills just don't (and won't) cut it at test level, they need to be quicker or swing the ball more.
Dougie - what would be your 'A' attack for the tour of SA?

Presuming Franklin, Butler etc. won't be involved, I think it's possible to earn a place in this team despite being unlikely to cut it at test level. I realise that pretty much contradicts what 'A' tours are supposed to be about, yet most critics would view a Sherlock or someone as a bizarre selection.
 

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