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*Unofficial* New Zealand Black Caps Thread

SteveNZ

Cricketer Of The Year
This is largely my view too. I would add that he also doesn’t seem to understand the complexities of the game, and can be terrible at reading it. In addition to the junk comments, my fingers down the chalk board moments are also where he patently gets something wrong.
Yeah you're right, he can't read a game. Which is OK if you're the host/ball-by-ball commentator who just sets up the experts to do the proper insightful stuff, but he quite often seems to be the guy doing the analysis, which is flat out wrong. I don't mind if he asks questions, states that someone has cover driven for four etc, but get the hell out the way when it's time to analyse what's going on. He seemed to know rugby, but not cricket.

I will never forget the night someone top edged a spinner quite fine over the circle, and Sumo went on the offensive on how he couldn't believe there wasn't a deep third man in
 

vandem

International 12th Man
... Neesham gave up his contract didn’t he?
No, was the other way around. NZC dropped Neesham from the contract list.

Neesham quoted in Cricinfo story linked below: "I had planned to accept a [NZ] contract offer in July, however since being left off the list I have committed to other leagues around the world. It was a difficult decision but I have decided to honour those commitments rather than go back on my word to re-sign with NZ Cricket. "

 
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thierry henry

International Coach
tbh I was leading the charge against Sumo a couple of years ago but I think that had something to do with with how he sort of positioned himself as this milquetoast centre-left "say the right things" guy and the smugness just dripped from him.

Lately I find his "faintly intellectual dorky do-gooder trying to act cool around the jocks but failing" vibe a mildly endearing contrast to the actual boofheads in the commentary box so I'm somehow finding him less inherently annoying.

Still just a guy who gives off the uncomfortable vibe of being out of place but really, really believing that he isn't out of place.

Is this kind of a kippax post btw? Agribusiness.
 

The Hutt Rec

International Vice-Captain
I’ll admit it was funny when he was commentating one of the recent tests and obviously watching the monitor as they replayed a wicket and yelled out “Got him, that’s the breakthrough, caught at slip!!!” going absolutely off on one when it was a replay ?

Wouldn’t have been as bad if the actual bowler who was mid-over hadn’t been a spinner and the replay was a fast bowler steaming in with slips way back lol.
 

TheBrand

First Class Debutant
I just think Spark have angled Sumo to be more of the 'host broadcast' role and I don't know if he overly suits it. I kinda like his weird quirks when he says bizarre things.
 

thundaboult

International Debutant
He can't be replaced for the ODI wc really...he's that essential. Can't really think of somebody who could fill those shoes at no.3 in SUBC conditions or any conditions really.
 

Flem274*

123/5
If he's out of the wc because he was busy playing complete dribble then NZC need to man up and get serious on retaining and policing the players we made.

Your spot not being safe or playing more than 2 seasons above a certain pay grade sees you slide down the contract list.

Idk, our players are not poor and KW is on half a mill per year. Perhaps the team could go sleep 6 to a van in a Manurewa carpark to learn about how privileged they are to be paid 6 figures to hit a ball for nz.
 

kaetor

U19 Cricketer
Hopefully it's not as serious as it looked but you get the feeling it could be a while before we get Kane back (again). Frustrating as his form had been so good.
 

Moss

International Vice-Captain
Kane’s suffered what looks like a very serious injury. if god forbid he is out till wc who do you guys would replace him with
Maddening, if this is the case. Was really hoping an IPL team wouldn’t pick him, but here we are. For a T20 world cup NZ would get by easily enough, but an ODI world cup in India is a different story.

If he doesn’t recover in time, I suppose we can look forward to another round of Young vs Nicholls.
 

Socerer 01

International Vice-Captain
If he's out of the wc because he was busy playing complete dribble then NZC need to man up and get serious on retaining and policing the players we made.

Your spot not being safe or playing more than 2 seasons above a certain pay grade sees you slide down the contract list.

Idk, our players are not poor and KW is on half a mill per year. Perhaps the team could go sleep 6 to a van in a Manurewa carpark to learn about how privileged they are to be paid 6 figures to hit a ball for nz.
worst part was that he injured himself trying to take a spectacular boundary catch by jumping over the rope and trying to toss it back in and landing awkwardly. completely avoidable situation
 

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