*** Official New Zealand Domestic Cricket 2011/2012 ***

[wellAlbidarned]

Not to mention consistently spraying it and being unable to really move the ball at all at international level. Wouldn't say no to a comeback though, might've worked it out.

 

[Bahnz]

Daniel Vettori is carving up for Northern so far. 12 wickets @16. Given how much Vettori gets lambasted for not being an effective wicket taker in test cricket, this doesn't exactly cast a fair light on the capabilities of the rest of New Zealand's domestic spinners.

 

[Mixmasterreece]

New Zealand Cricket - Winter development contracts announced

Winter development contracts announced

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has today announced the players who will receive a winter development contract.

Corey Anderson – Northern Knights
Matthew Henry – Canterbury Wizards
JimmyNeesham – Otago Volts
George Worker – Canterbury Wizards
Ben Wheeler – Central Stags
Tom Latham – Canterbury Wizards
MichaelBracewell – Otago Volts
Adam Milne – Central Stags
Bevan Small – Central Stags
Tipene Friday – Wellington Firebirds

The new initiative will see the ten selected players commit to a 20 week training programme between 1 May and 30 September 2012 that also includes five camps at the NZC High Performance Centre in Lincoln.

NZC National Selection Manager Kim Littlejohn said: “The group includes a number of players have been part of the fast bowling camps along with other promising young cricketers who have been identified as future First-Class and potential international cricketers.

“During the winter they will benefit from specialist support through the high performance staff at NZC along with other experts.

“There is also an expectation that each player selected in the programme will also continue their work and commitment to develop a career outside the game by way of a part time job, study or work experience. This is an important aspect of the programme and will form part of the players individual performance plan.

 

[Immenso]

Hi. New to the forum – as there just isn’t enough domestic cricket discussion on ‘thesilverfern’. Despite me posting on Plunket Shield (can't think why ........)

Although I have been reading this site on occasion, and finding gems like Kippax’s video links.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Hey Immenso. Welcome to the board - which Province are you backing?

 

[Immenso]

New Zealand Cricket - Winter development contracts announced

It's a pretty good squad covering the obvious promising players. My comments on this is Corey Anderson does appear to be in need of some fitness tutoring. Really hope he ends up bowling again, as his bowling had just seemed to have 'clicked' before his injuries after a toughish start of his provincial career bowling-wise.

Also interesting that selectors at national level have included Friday while Siddons prefers Kuggeleijn. Both a similar age. Although there may be other factors such as study/work commitments, or if someone is playing League cricket etc in England over winter.

My totally unscientific concern is, I have a lot of trouble with the gathering of all our promising bowlers in the one spot to spend a winter pounding away on indoor concrete-based nets. If I had my way the top priority for NZC in terms of capital investment should be a grass indoor net at Lincoln using the same technology as the the Forsyth Barr stadium in Dunedin. It would basically just be a shed structure over some nets, not expensive except for that transluscent cladding

 

[Immenso]

Hey Immenso. Welcome to the board - which Province are you backing?

I'm Wellington based, but BOP raised. Backing ND.

 

[Flem274*]

Backing ND.

Another vote for evil.

 

[Immenso]

True, and on the back of 16 wickets @ 11 for "the worst-performed player" in the worst side of the HRV Cup, the Dom Post firing Gillespie up about a month ago.

His only 5fer in tests included Kallis, ABdV and Boucher, so despite the way Vettori used him as a tool to prove a point re: Chris Martin he could be just one injury to the pace quartet away.

It's very good timing for Gillespie to regather his mojo, and basically he needed to otherwise surely even his provincial career would have been at stake.

With NZ now having a preferred balance of 5 bowlers including 4 seamers; bowling depth is crucial.

Below the current 4, it's really unclear who is next cab off the rank (I assume it is Bates, Arnel, McKay - depending on the format).

The bowling depth will increase when Wagner is available, and hopefully Bennett returns next season.

But the young guys are still a long way off IMO. Milne and Small simply need to get through a season, then we can consider them in the mix for higher honours. Henry has handled the step-up in each format well, but even he has concerns over his back.

With Martin nearing the end of his career, I actually see in Gillespie a 'near' replacement if we want like for like. "Near' but not as good. Gillespie's natural ball is an inswinger to right-handers, like Martin but not as pronounced. This gives good variation in an attack already containing out-swingers in Southee & Bracewell (plus a left armer).

If Gillespie has got his fitness (both injuries and aerobic) under control. Has learnt more consistency gathered by age & experience since his last stint in the blackcaps, and is used well by his captain - then I think he will be an ok fit. Especially in a 4-prong attack where "off days" can be covered for.

What he doesn't need to do is;
- be used as a post-Bond "must bowl 145kph" strike bowler
- try to bowl miracle balls every over (despite having the best yorker in NZ cricket)

Edit: But for all the above to be relevant, Gillespie needs more than just 2 good games in a row, E.g. like the rest of the season ....

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Might head down to the Basin on Friday and get a look at the current incarnation of Mark Gillespie. Quite a large Wellington-based contingent on this site now.

 

[Immenso]

New Zealand Cricket - Winter development contracts announced

The other interesting part of this squad is that there are zero spinners. I would have thought a Vettori backup/replacement should be high on the list.

 

[SteveNZ]

There's a real dearth of young spinners at the moment. When I say that, I mean attacking spinners. I don't recall any U19 sides having any, and most of the ones going around the cusp of first-class are flat left-armer orthodox or flat right-arm offies.

There is a kid in NZ u19s this year, Ish Sodhi, who is a big, tall leg-spinner with a very well disguised wrong-un and can bat.

 

[Prince EWS]

The other interesting part of this squad is that there are zero spinners. I would have thought a Vettori backup/replacement should be high on the list.

Especially since Nethula doesn't actually have a national contract at the moment.

 

[Immenso]

There's a real dearth of young spinners at the moment. When I say that, I mean attacking spinners. I don't recall any U19 sides having any, and most of the ones going around the cusp of first-class are flat left-armer orthodox or flat right-arm offies.

There is a kid in NZ u19s this year, Ish Sodhi, who is a big, tall leg-spinner with a very well disguised wrong-un and can bat.

If I am to get all anoraky, Van Woerkam and Johnston have regularly done well at National U17, U18, U19 tournaments in the last few years, high on the wicket taker tables IIRC. Plus Johnston was NZ's top wicket taker in the last U19 world cup?

But I have no idea about how they bowl, apart from one being an left arm orthodox and the other an offie.

Young left arm orthodox (Wightman) debuted successfully for CD this week while another leftarmer Santner has debuted for ND this season. As to how attacking they are, no idea .....

But tbh, not sure how useful a winter training camp on indoor artificial pitches would be for young spinners anyway, plus spinners take longer to mature so it is Astle, Nethula etc that resources should be being expended on. But are the young batsmen going to face much spin bowling at this camp?

 

[Prince EWS]

Santner is more of a batting allrounder than a genuine spinner isn't he?

 

[Mike5181]

Tim Johnston bowled reasonably well against South Africa. He bowled Amla which is a pretty good effort.

 

[Howsie]

Santner is more of a batting allrounder than a genuine spinner isn't he?

For Hamilton yeah, but they can get away with that. If he's going to make it as a first class cricketer it'll be as a spin bowler who can bat. He's pretty raw as a slow bowler though, only took it up two or three seasons ago.

 

[Kippax]

But I have no idea about how they bowl, apart from one being an left arm orthodox and the other an offie.

Young left arm orthodox (Wightman) debuted successfully for CD this week while another leftarmer Santner has debuted for ND this season. As to how attacking they are, no idea

I can get you into NZC video if you have time for it, Immenso.

1) Sign up for the blackcaps.co.nz fanzone (New Zealand Cricket - Fans Home).

2) You then go here, say -
New Zealand Cricket -

3) Click on one of the video highlights links to those internationals, then copy & paste this link into the tab -
http://highlights.blackcaps.co.nz/matches.aspx

You can then watch most of the balls bowled by a domestic player this season if you want, clicking on his O column on any scorecard, or his W column for just his wickets.

 

[Immenso]

I can get you into NZC video if you have time for it, Immenso.

1) Sign up for the blackcaps.co.nz fanzone (New Zealand Cricket - Fans Home).

2) You then go here, say -
New Zealand Cricket -

3) Click on one of the video highlights links to those internationals, then copy & paste this link into the tab -
New Zealand Cricket - Welcome

You can then watch most of the balls bowled by a domestic player this season if you want, clicking on his O column on any scorecard, or his W column for just his wickets.

Brilliant, that is an absolute treasure trove.
I tried to follow your instructions a few pages earlier, but was redirected to the home page like others were saying. But the directions above work for me, couldn't be happier.

I have just watched Gillespie's 6-for v Canterbury. That is a top quality fast bowler's 6-for including 2 x cartwheeling stumps and a fending off an at-the-throat bouncer.

 

[straw man]

I can get you into NZC video if you have time for it, Immenso.

1) Sign up for the blackcaps.co.nz fanzone (New Zealand Cricket - Fans Home).

2) You then go here, say -
New Zealand Cricket -

3) Click on one of the video highlights links to those internationals, then copy & paste this link into the tab -
New Zealand Cricket - Welcome

You can then watch most of the balls bowled by a domestic player this season if you want, clicking on his O column on any scorecard, or his W column for just his wickets.

That is amazing. First time I tried access it I did something wrong, but second time I got it to work.

Just watched some highlights of Canterbury v Wellington. I really like the look of most of the Canterbury bowling attack even if very inexperienced.