***Official*** West Indies in New Zealand 2013/14

[Kippax]

Preparations going well in New Zealand | WEST INDIES CRICKET BOARD

West Indies Assistant Coach, Stuart Williams, has been in charge of the squad and they have been having outdoor sessions for the last week at the Lincoln University, 30 minutes outside of Christchurch.

“The guys have been working hard since we came here and they have been putting in a lot of good work as we prepare for the Test matches. It is cold over here but they guys have focussed on what is required,” Williams told WICB Media.

“The purpose for the guys coming here straight from India was to get acclimatised to the foreign conditions and that is exactly what we have done.

“We have been training and preparing really well but it is always good to get out in the middle and have a good game. As you are aware the One-Day team is over in India playing an intense series and after that the additional players will come over here and join this group that is here.”

The players in New Zealand are experienced left-hander Shiv Chanderpaul, off-spinner Shane Shillingford, pacer Shannon Gabriel, left-arm pacer Sheldon Cottrell, wicket-keeper Chadwick Walton and middle-order batsman Kirk Edwards.

 

[Kippax]

Cricket | Kane Williamson outside chance for first... | Stuff.co.nz

Williamson said yesterday he was still giving himself an outside chance of being fit, with the squad due to be named on Friday.

The 23-year-old had a net session in Hamilton today and expressed himself pleased with the progress, but felt fielding may be a problem.

"They said six weeks for it to fully heal, and it's been three and a half, so it is probably a bit early," he said of the still-bandaged thumb.

"But we'll see how it goes this week."

Williamson has been in regular contact with New Zealand Cricket's general manager national selection, Bruce Edgar, over his progress.

Should he be selected, Williamson would go into the test without any match practice, which he admitted wasn't ideal "but that's just the way it may work out".

Cricket | Plenty on Line For Some NZ Players | Stuff.co.nz

The West Indies only have their test specialists in the country and will play just six players. New Zealanders Aaron Redmond and Jeet Raval will open the batting for the tourists' side which is filled out by Sam Wells, Ili Tugaga and Tim Johnston.

The match was shifted from Hagley to Lincoln's Bert Sutcliffe Oval and has lost its first-class status, but will still be valuable for the home side.

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum hasn't played since leaving the ODI series against Bangladesh last month and has been recovering from a back injury.

He will lead the New Zealand XI and will no doubt be keen to spend time in the middle to play himself back into some red-ball form.

Likely test openers Peter Fulton and Hamish Rutherford will use the match for batting practice.

While Fulton has played in two Plunket Shield matches for Canterbury since returning from Bangladesh, Rutherford stayed with the national side and had a diet of white-ball cricket.

Fringe Black Caps Tom Latham and Dean Brownlie have a chance to improve their stock. When New Zealand played their last test in Dunedin, against England in March, Latham lost out to Rutherford in a trial match of sorts the week before in Queenstown.

With Kane Williamson in doubt for next week's first test, also in Dunedin, there is a spot at No 3 to play for, though Brownlie appears to have the inside running. The test side is named Friday morning.

For the rest of the New Zealand XI, and Kiwi members of the West Indies XI, it's a chance to show their wares as the national selectors watch.

At 27 and with just one test under his belt, Todd Astle is keen to make the most of every opportunity he gets.

The Canterbury leggie is bowling as well as he ever has, but he knows that may not be enough to force his way back into the test side. He seems to have slipped behind young Northern Districts spinner Ish Sodhi in the Black Caps selectors' thinking.

His one test, a win against Sri Lanka a year ago this week, only fuelled his motivation to play more test cricket but, in subsequent series in South Africa, New Zealand and England, the national side has needed only one spinner.

In Daniel Vettori's absence, that became Bruce Martin and now appears to be Sodhi, but Astle has worked hard on his game and it's paying dividends.

"The A tour was really good for me; I learnt a lot about what I'm doing and have made a few adjustments," he said.

Astle is bowling "a touch" quicker than he used to, but has also improved his control, a combination which has improved both his attacking and containing skills.

Having roomed with Sodhi on the A tour, where the pair worked together, Astle has also spent plenty of time with spin-coach Paul Wiseman and said he was also seeking feedback from batsmen about how best to bowl.

While it had been disappointing to be left out of the test squad to Bangladesh, Astle was as motivated as ever to continue improving his bowling.

"The last test New Zealand won, I was a part of that and I'd love to get back there but, for now, I'm loving the Canterbury environment and just enjoying my cricket."

New Zealand XI: Brendon McCullum (c), Todd Astle, James Baker, Dean Brownlie, Mark Craig, Peter Fulton, Tom Latham, Andrew Mathieson, Hamish Rutherford, Derek de Boorder, Anurag Verma.

Cricket | University Oval pitch should have zip | Stuff.co.nz

The University Oval pitch in Dunedin is expected to have some zip to it when New Zealand take on the West Indies in the first of the three-test series starting on Tuesday.

The pitch came under fire in March, when New Zealand and England played out a dull draw in which only 25 wickets fell in the 341 overs that were sent down over the five days.

At the end of the test, English commentator and former test batsman Geoffrey Boycott was one of the people to slam the University Oval pitch, saying similar pitches would kill test cricket.

"You could play a timeless test on that. You could play for 10 days and not get a result," he said.

Otago Cricket Association boss Ross Dykes said yesterday he expected a pitch with a bit more pace and bounce to it come the first test against the West Indies.

He said there was a fine line between in preparing a pitch that does not offer too much for the bowlers and one that is not a road where the bowlers are cannon fodder for the batsmen.

Dykes believes groundsman Tom Tamati was starting to get the right balance.

"The pitch looks in really good shape. If we get some warm weather between now and Tuesday, I think we'll have as good a pitch at University Oval as we've had," Dykes said.

"It looks like it might be a little quicker than normal with a bit more bounce, which it probably needs to have. I think what Tommy has done up here over the last three or four years has been taking the conservative route and say 'well I'm not going to be criticised for ending a game in two days' so he's probably flattened it out.

"But he's growing in confidence and he now understands what his grass and soil can do. Right now it's going to have good pace in it."

Dykes said he was unsure what sort of crowd numbers they would get over the five days but acknowledged there were some things stacked against them.

They included the fact the game started on a Tuesday and also that one of world cricket's most high-profile stars, Chris Gayle, would not be playing for the West Indies because he was injured.

For the March test between New Zealand and England, temporary seating was put in to increase the ground capacity to 4000.

However, Dykes said that same seating would not be put in this time around, with seating capacity at 3400.

Cricket | Brendon McCullum Faces up to Toughest... | Stuff.co.nz

Less than a week out from the first test against West Indies, pain lingers for New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, whose international career is nearing a crossroads.

The skipper is struggling with two protruding discs and arthritis in his back, which he'll test out for the New Zealand XI in a three-day tour match against a West Indies selection in Christchurch, starting today.

Usually upbeat and bullish, McCullum was distinctly low key about his chances of playing a full role in the tours by West Indies and India, let alone Tuesday's first test in his hometown Dunedin.

"I'm pretty confident but it depends how the next few days go. It's not going to feel amazing but it's not going to feel amazing for the rest of my career so I'm going to have to put up with that level of pain and push on," he said.

The tone in McCullum's voice is telling. Popping tablets at Headingley in May when he aggravated his back while keeping wicket was one thing, re-injuring it in Bangladesh last month after endless winter fitness work was another.

"I didn't enjoy playing on heavy painkillers. It's not how the game's meant to be played. It's meant to be fun, and in the grand scheme of life it's only a game. I don't want to completely break my body over the next little while so I can't enjoy the time I've got with my family, post-cricket."

That sounds almost like 32-year-old McCullum is bracing us for a major announcement about scaling back his playing commitments.

But for now he won't confirm anything and will fight on, with the World Cup in New Zealand and Australia in 15 months' time the big lure keeping him going.

He was at a low ebb after returning from Bangladesh for treatment, and coming to terms with the fact his wicketkeeping days may be over. The public barbs had more sting than usual.

"Comments that I pick and choose times that I want to keep wicket, and the role that I want to play, which I very much disagree with. It was more ammunition for people to go down that route and that hurt a lot.

"Combine that with the [back] injury, and obviously a loss of form as well. When you're captain you want to be leading from the front, and the public pressure and you start to wonder 'where to from here'. It was a pretty tough old trip back."

For now, McCullum is only casting his gaze as far as some confidence-boosting runs in Christchurch, then making the start line at University Oval and retaining his test place on form.

After an excellent home summer, McCullum scored 85 runs at 12 in his past four tests against England and Bangladesh but doesn't blame his bad back. He concedes he hasn't done his talent justice, averaging 35 from 79 tests, and the most recent of his six centuries was in India three years ago.

"It's certainly not through lack of trying. It's not over yet, and if I can average 40 or 50 over the last little while of my test career then I'll walk away with some pretty proud statistics and achievements."

He ruled out potentially handing over the captaincy to ease the burden as he seeks fitness and form. McCullum still believes the team can achieve "something special", almost a year after he succeeded Ross Taylor.

"I'm very determined to still lead this team strongly and leave the team in a better state than when I took over."

McCullum skippers a NZ XI including Dean Brownlie who appears the likely test replacement at No 3 for Kane Williamson (broken thumb). Just six West Indies test specialists, including the prolific Shivnarine Chanderpaul, will oppose them, topped up by locals.

 

[Kippax]

Scoring will be there later -
http://scoring.blackcaps.co.nz/livescoring/match1843/scorecard.aspx

 

[RxGM]

Stuff was reporting this morning that Rob O'Donnell was playing for the WIndies. I guess we will find out in a couple of hours

EDIT: Sorry was the herald, they also reported Johnston as playing for both teams

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/cricket/news/article.cfm?c_id=29&objectid=11163250

New Zealand XI: Brendon McCullum (c, Otago), Hamish Rutherford (Otago), Peter Fulton (Canterbury), Dean Brownlie (Canterbury), Tom Latham (Canterbury), Derek de Boorder (Otago), Todd Astle (Canterbury), James Baker (Northern Districts), Mark Craig (Otago), Andrew Mathieson (Central Districts), Anurag Verma (ND), Tim Johnston (Canterbury).

West Indies XI: Shiv Chanderpaul, Aaron Redmond (Otago), Jeet Raval (Auckland), Sam Wells (Otago), Robert O'Donnell (Auckland), Kirk Edwards, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Chadwick Walton, Shane Shillingford, Malaesaili Tugaga (Wellington), Tim Johnston (Canterbury.

 

[Flem274*]

O'Donnell is in.

 

[Flem274*]

Well this looks promising. Raval and Redmond like the single digit to Fulton's name no doubt.

 

[RxGM]

No Shillingford,
No matter how badly Fulton bats he will still start the first test.

 

[Meridio]

Think Fulton's position is under more threat than Rutherford's?

Anyway, important innings for Brownlie here.

Edit: and yeah, Fulton will definitely be starting the first Test anyway.

 

[hendrix]

Fulton out to Cotrell. Cotrell didn't look test standard in India but it might've been nerves and he could be in the Wagner range.

 

[hendrix]

Think Fulton's position is under more threat than Rutherford's?
.

Nah, no way. Fulton actually got runs in Bangladesh.

 

[Flem274*]

All will be forgiven if Brownlie tons up today. Fulton should start the series and be persisted with. I hope Raval takes the prime opportunity to ton up here though to keep the pressure on Rutherford and Fulton. Probably the most gentle pace attack he's faced so far.

 

[straw man]

Cricket | University Oval pitch should have zip | Stuff.co.nz

"But he's growing in confidence and he now understands what his grass and soil can do. Right now it's going to have good pace in it."

Very pleased to hear the groundsman is growing in confidence, but has he earned the right to prepare a good pitch?

 

[Beamer]

Cotterell cleans up two metre Peter with his first competitive delivery in New Zealand. He's going to have to have a really good tour if we are to win in the absence of Roach and Rampaul.

 

[Beamer]

Fulton out to Cotrell. Cotrell didn't look test standard in India but it might've been nerves and he could be in the Wagner range.

He's 5-10kph quicker than Wagner tbf. he just didn't move the ball around much in those conditions. Gibson says he can swing the ball around nicely but just didnt execute properly in India. So let's see what he can do in New Zealand.

EDIT: I see Rutherford is already tucking into him though. Short wide and quick is not going to get it done, I can pretty much picture those boundaries. Gabriel and Cotterell are quick but offer zero control. .

 

[straw man]

Rutherford does his see-ball-hit-ball routine and is 23(11). Would be nice if he doesn't go one shot too many and gift his wicket today.

 

[Flem274*]

Looks like Cottrell is bowling in the Rutherford zone.

Brownlie gone. The danger of him up the order is he doesn't get forward, so if he gets hit on the pads it looks grim. This side is very light on batting (and the seam attack is ND second XI). Would hate to see what the two sides playing up north would do to this team, let alone Chanderpaul and his mates.

 

[hendrix]

He's 5-10kph quicker than Wagner tbf. he just didn't move the ball around much in those conditions. Gibson says he can swing the ball around nicely but just didnt execute properly in India. So let's see what he can do in New Zealand.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I meant to say with the Wagner comparison. His first couple of tests he looked like he was trying too hard and hence his seam position was awful and he got no movement at all. He's still inconsistent in terms of getting swing but he occasionally gets some every now and then which makes him so much better than he initially looked.

Cotrell being 10kph quicker makes him quite a threat if he can get that swing.

 

[straw man]

Dean Dean Dean

 

[hendrix]

Hmmm, Brownlie in a distinctly poor run of form. Possible that hendrix's favourite could get the nod at 3?

 

[Flem274*]

If Latham tons up he will play. Redmond and Raval also a chance.