New Zealand A Tour of India and Sri Lanka

[hendrix]

Where is the video?

check your visitor messages

 

[Flem274*]

"Adam Milne - off break bowler"

 

[Bahnz]

Wow, Milne has really filled out since last season. His neck looks about twice as wide as it used to be...

 

[hendrix]

Wow, Milne has really filled out since last season. His neck looks about twice as wide as it used to be...

yeah that was my other thought.

Seems to be a bit more convincing in his glare too. Taking notes from Pattinson I see. I'm not sure whether this is a good or a bad thing. He's probably got all sorts of domestic coaches telling him to "be aggressive" and all that, but tbh if it doesn't come naturally there's no shame in taking the Bond route and just doing the talking with the ball.

Nothing less intimidating than faux-aggression, IMO.

 

[Flem274*]

imo he will pay test cricket this season, fitness permitting. there is no way domestic batsmen will cope with 150kph swing bowling. they barely coped with 150kph moderately accurate straightish balls that angled in.

 

[Bahnz]

It's a real shame he's not going to Bangladesh tbh. That would be an ideal entry point for a young quick, and his extra pace would be useful in what promise to be pretty placid conditions.

 

[Flem274*]

he should. its ok though because bradburn informs us anderson and sodhi are ready for test cricket.

but milne's improvement should keep dougeh, wagner and gillespie looking over their shoulders, which can only be good for the team. pity henry got hammered the other day but he has more chances to impress on this tour. i hope wheeler starts the shield well too so we have left armer depth.

 

[hendrix]

imo he will pay test cricket this season, fitness permitting. there is no way domestic batsmen will cope with 150kph swing bowling. they barely coped with 150kph moderately accurate straightish balls that angled in.

Yeah.

I hate how much luck could come into it though.
Will his batsmen score enough runs?
Are the slip cordons going to be good enough to take catches at 150kph?
Might he run into Jesse Ryder in a rampant mood?
Are the bowlers at the other end going to be enough support?

 

[Mike5181]

Looks-wise Milne's really starting to look like a convincing fast bowler in the same mould as Steyn/Donald rather than the ridiculously skinny/awkward teenager we've been used to seeing. He's still got a lot of work to do but hopefully he can be our long-term solution to the Wagner/Bracewell problem. He should be in the squad instead of Dougie/Gillespie (unless he's completely fit) but I'm sure we'll see him at some point in the next six months.

Really think him and Ryder could add a lot to the test team.

 

[Immenso]

Also impressed with buff Milne with a dodgy haircut.

But as for test elevation, not yet. Some context - Jacob Duffy has already played more FC games than Milne (albeit less successfully). In 4 years he still has only 0.8 seasons worth of FC games under his belt. I'm a fan, but physical resilience is the next tick he needs before elevation.

 

[Bahnz]

Looks-wise Milne's really starting to look like a convincing fast bowler in the same mould as Steyn/Donald rather than the ridiculously skinny/awkward teenager we've been used to seeing. He's still got a lot of work to do but hopefully he can be our long-term solution to the Wagner/Bracewell problem. He should be in the squad instead of Dougie/Gillespie (unless he's completely fit) but I'm sure we'll see him at some point in the next six months.

Really think him and Ryder could add a lot to the test team.

Hmmm, maybe we'll see this team lineup v India?

Rutherford, Fulton, Williamson, Taylor, Ryder, McCullum, Watling, Vettori, Southee, Milne, Boult

The usual problems persist with the top 3, and wishing for a fit and pre-2012 form Vettori is probably asking for too much, but otherwise that looks a highly competitive side.

 

[hendrix]

Hmmm, maybe we'll see this team lineup v India?

Rutherford, Fulton, Williamson, Taylor, Ryder, McCullum, Watling, Vettori, Southee, Milne, Boult

The usual problems persist with the top 3, and wishing for a fit and pre-2012 form Vettori is probably asking for too much, but otherwise that looks a highly competitive side.

Lol. We're always at the "if we just get these 1 or 2 players into the team..." It never happens.

 

[Bahnz]

And people say I'm the pessimist.

 

[Kippax]

@captainshanky
India A opt to bowl in the 2nd one-dayer vs N Zealand A. Basant Mohanty relaces Wagh. For NZ- Anderson, Sodhi out. Gillespie, Astle in.

Tastle and Gillespie, that's sweet viewing.

Well there will be full bbb footage of these matches available eventually

Muted bbb footage of the 1st ODI has gone into the vault. Milne's overs will be added to that place later this afternoon.

 

[hendrix]

And people say I'm the pessimist.

Having watched much of the Ashes where a combination of selectorial incompetence and injuries made the lineups at least 2-3 players off what many would consider the optimal Australian side, I'm starting to see just how difficult it actually is to get the best team on the park.

As salivating as it would be to have both Ryder and Milne (not to mention Vettori) playing, the reality is that if we were to play a test match right now, our bowling attack would be Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Neil Wagner and Bruce Martin. Only one of those bowlers is test standard right now.

Moreover, our opening batsmen are still Peter Fulton and Hamish Rutherford, who are very unlikely to ever score runs against good bowling attacks. Kane Williamson hasn't come close to proving himself a test standard 3 and really should be batting 5 or 6. And our number 5 batsman may as well be Chris Martin when playing any decent spin bowler. Totaled, we have one good bowler, one good batsman, and a decent wicket keeper.

 

[Flem274*]

@ Bahnz: "should be competitive"

afaic we should be looking to ruin india on our own turf, just as they should always look to prey on us on theirs. give the pitches some bounce and a bit of fair movement off the seam and they'll be whinging as much as they did in 2002 (or after england in 2011).

no more red carpets like last time. if they put up a performance and start refusing to tour in future, call them cowards in the media.

but first we have to play them on their own pitches this summer iirc and they should quite rightly prepare the dustiest dustbowls that ever dustbowled to completely expose batsmen like brownlie, mccullum, rutherford and guptill. they should be looking to rip through us for less than 100 every innings barring taylor, williamson or watling rearguards provided they prepare the appropriate pitches.

 

[Bahnz]

Having watched much of the Ashes where a combination of selectorial incompetence and injuries made the lineups at least 2-3 players off what many would consider the optimal Australian side, I'm starting to see just how difficult it actually is to get the best team on the park.

As salivating as it would be to have both Ryder and Milne (not to mention Vettori) playing, the reality is that if we were to play a test match right now, our bowling attack would be Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Neil Wagner and Bruce Martin. Only one of those bowlers is test standard right now.

Moreover, our opening batsmen are still Peter Fulton and Hamish Rutherford, who are very unlikely to ever score runs against good bowling attacks. Kane Williamson hasn't come close to proving himself a test standard 3 and really should be batting 5 or 6. And our number 5 batsman may as well be Chris Martin when playing any decent spin bowler.

Disagree with this. Yes, Williamson's average of 31 is still disappointing, but we need to remember that that's partly a result of him having played a disproportionate number of matches away from home. If Williamson had the same ratio of home to away matches as Pujara has, he'd be averaging 40, and an average in the mid-30's would probably be a fairer representation of where he's at imo, and I fully expect him to start pushing his average in that direction over the course of the coming summer.

Also disagree that Fulton and Rutherford are unlikely to score runs against good bowling attacks given that they did just that last summer. FFS, stop making me defend the ability of our players!

 

[Immenso]

And people say I'm the pessimist.

I haven't been around that long, but even my eyebrows were raised in surprise when you got caught being optimistic.

 

[Flem274*]

KW has been disadvantaged by being given the hardest job in world cricket while he is still finding his feet at test level: batting number three in the new zealand top order

give him cook/root, smith/alviro, or even warner/rogers and he would be doing better. instead he has musical chairs.

 

[Kippax]

Tastle and Gillespie, that's sweet viewing.
.

Thought it was a bit too nonpartisan for a must-win Bradburn side. Actually it's Kuggs, they just got Tastle's hopes up to stamp on them.