NZ Squad named - Franklin cut!

[Kent]

To make room for Kyle Mills, no less!

Stephen Fleming (captain), Nathan Astle, Ian Butler, Chris Cairns, Chris Harris, Hamish Marshall, Brendan McCullum (wicket-keeper), Craig McMillan, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Michael Papps, Scott Styris, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori.

Remembering these were the same two players that created the most embarrassment for Bracewell's test selections, this must've taken some serious stones. The Dominion Post even called it "one of the most predictable New Zealand cricket line-ups in recent history" this morning, only to get it wrong themselves.

Franklin can be expensive, but he's also more than capable of taking the top off batting lineups in UK conditions. Bracewell is still clearly loving Mills' death bowling, and also loving Butler's pace, despite what can only be called run-haemorrhaging for Kent recently.

[marc71178]

Doesn't make a lot of sense to me, especially as Franklin is currently playing in England.

[Tim]

it's strange considering Franklin & Adams have been bowling well for their respective counties.

Certainly I would have wanted to include one of those 2.
Other than that..yeah it was fairly predictable, with ?? over McMillan still.

[Mr. P]

Personally I think that Flanklin should have been included...i fail to see the NZtors logic...

[Craig]

Originally Posted by marc71178

Doesn't make a lot of sense to me, especially as Franklin is currently playing in England.

So is Adams, but as Bracewell said it is is a fairly settled line-up.

Michael Papps only real chance will be against the USA IMO.

[tooextracool]

im not surprised at all....he was wayward throughout the natwest series and was smashed all over the park in nearly every game.

[marc71178]

Originally Posted by Craig

So is Adams, but as Bracewell said it is is a fairly settled line-up.

But Franklin has played Internationals as well.

[Dar]

The funniest thing is they say Mills will "add more flexibility to the bowling". It makes no sense when Franklin is a left armer so surely he'd be the one adding flexibilty?????

[Tim]

Bracewell's reasoning was that Australia like to play on the on-side quite alot. Franklin tends to bowl into the legs so Bracewell believed Mills would be better suited to play against Australia.

[Arjun]

Bracewell is still clearly loving Mills' death bowling

Complete with no-ball six-balls?

[Nnanden]

adams` non-selection isnt too suprising, but franklins is slightly... i just wish bond was back!! ahhhhhhhhhh

[anzac]

like most others I'm also surprised to see Mills in the squad ahead of Franklin - yet again I don't think Franklin has been given enough time to settle into the squad & has been discarded too early again..............particularly as he is currently playing in the conditions & using the Duke ball - whereas I have no idea what Mills is up to...........

so far as Mills is concerned I presume he will be the back up seamer primarily as cover for Tuffey's injury.............

I'm begining to think that Butler may be a bit like Olsen Filipaina used to be for the NZRL - struggled for the club but grew another 10' taller wearing the silver fern...........or so I'm hoping..........

given the venue & likely conditions it is a predictable squad with Papps likely to be the batting cover...............

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Tim

it's strange considering Franklin & Adams have been bowling well for their respective counties.

9.5-60-1.
Franklin's figures in his season for Gloucs.
Brilliant!
IIRC Adams hasn't been very economical, either.
Andre Adams has had how many chances at the ODI level and has been found wanting almost exclusively, with the exceptions of the very bowler-friendly home series against England and India. Franklin has done even worse.

[Kent]

Richard, you've missed the point I think. NZ selection debates typically aren't about who'll never be world-beaters, they're about someone being more deserving of a particular place than someone else.

Right now, Franklin and Adams arguably have better cases to be options in our squad than Butler and Mills. Butler has been leaking runs at an alarming rate for Kent with only a handful of scalps in either form of the game, while Mills hasn't had a decent stretch of play since his unconvincing OD series against South Africa.

Mills has never been a bowler known for making deep inroads into top-orders in the past, and Bracewell's argument that he'll be suited to playing Australia (having barely played them to date) is a bold assertion.

[anzac]

my main concern regarding Franklin being dropped from the ICC OD side is that it may foreshadow his being dropped from the Test squads again as happened following the VB series in 2001 - IMO he is better suited to the longer game..............