***Official*** England in New Zealand series 2013

[Bahnz]

Am hoping for a more lively game at the Basin next, but with so little rain around, it's highly likely we'll get another belter of a track with little support for the bowlers. Still, hopefully there should be a little more bounce at least.

 

[straw man]

I think Boult in particular should benefit from a quicker pitch so he can skid the ball onto the batsman faster than they're expecting. He was getting the ball to nibble around a little in Dunedin but any movement either lost too much pace from the pitch or was from slightly too short to really cause the batsman problems (again, that's affected by the pitch).

Wagner's now going to have a reputation for 'running in hard' and it will no doubt be mentioned every match that he plays (probably every over he bowls). He could end up being a useful reserve and will probably play a fair few games on unhelpful wickets when someone else has a niggle. But unless he improves he shouldn't be a first XI regular. Given his build and lack of pace the main avenue for improvement must be reverse swing imo.

 

[straw man]

England in New Zealand 2012-13 : Doug Bracewell ruled out of second Test | Cricket News | New Zealand v England | ESPN Cricinfo

Bracewell: Still a dumbass.

Surely an unchanged eleven for Wellington then.

 

[Bahnz]

England in New Zealand 2012-13 : Doug Bracewell ruled out of second Test | Cricket News | New Zealand v England | ESPN Cricinfo

Bracewell: Still a dumbass.

Surely an unchanged eleven for Wellington then.

I don't know, if there's more pace in the wicket, you could opt to go for Butler over Bartin. Spinner's usually tend to do quite poorly at the Basin, and an extra strong armed fast medium to bustle up into the wind could be useful.

 

[NZTailender]

Was Butler one of those guys who went through the dodgy academy?

 

[Blain]

Hmm he would have been broken before that?? Early 2000's he snapped in half. Or was that about when it happened..

Is this the main reason everyone around that 30yo mark atm have dissapeared? And who are the main ones to have been screwed? Sherlock?

 

[Flem274*]

In terms of the genuinely fast guys Richard Sherlock, Te Ahu Davis, Hamish Bennett and another guy whose name escapes me all played for the New Zealand Academy and all broke.

They're all in the 26 - 29 age bracket. Butler may have been one of them I guess.

 

[Kippax]

Burtt and Bennett were a bit later through the Academy than Sherlock. Taraia Robin was the other one O'Brien called out -
Iain O'Brien: New Zealand's young attack a product of injury crisis | Cricinfo Magazine | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[Kippax]

Some Bennett comeback footage - YouTube

 

[Kippax]

Other comeback updates...

Mar 8 Mitchell McClenaghan ‏@Mitch_Savage
Half way there and feeling strong! Then onto the weights and core! #dedication #wantitmorethanever

Mar 7 Dija ‏@DijaRyder
13+ thank you 1 from 1 #Bunnies

Mar 8 Dija ‏@DijaRyder
Come on manly

 

[Prince EWS]

England in New Zealand 2012-13 : Doug Bracewell ruled out of second Test | Cricket News | New Zealand v England | ESPN Cricinfo

Bracewell: Still a dumbass.

Surely an unchanged eleven for Wellington then.

I don't know, if there's more pace in the wicket, you could opt to go for Butler over Bartin. Spinner's usually tend to do quite poorly at the Basin, and an extra strong armed fast medium to bustle up into the wind could be useful.

The next Test is at the Basin Reserve?

Recall Chris Martin.

 

[Prince EWS]

New Zealand should seriously play every single one of their Tests there though; what a ground.

 

[Bahnz]

new zealand should seriously play every single one of their tests there though; what a ground.

+1

 

[hendrix]

why didn't we play an actual test in Queenstown? I'm sure the poms would've loved that

 

[Furball]

I don't understand all the hate for the wicket. Yes, I've seen livelier tracks, and even at the University Oval, but the match lasted 340 overs. If it had gone the full 450, it seems like there would have been a result, though it's possible Bell, Prior, Broad and Anderson might have batted long enough to ensure a draw.

I knew it wouldn't be easy but I was a little disappointed by the bowlers. Did anyone bowl a decent yorker all day for instance?We just didn't have anyone capable of doing something out of the ordinary. Can't help feeling even an Astle (Nathan) / Coney type of bowler to come on and wobble the ball around a bit might have made life difficult for Finn.

A result would only have been possible because England batted like spastics in the 1st innings.

 

[wellAlbidarned]

TLDR edition: this is a pitch where James Anderson couldn't dismiss Peter Fulton.

edit: cheaply

 

[Jezroy]

why didn't we play an actual test in Queenstown? I'm sure the poms would've loved that

I reckon Boxing Day test in Wellington, New Years test in Queenstown should be the norm.

 

[Binkley]

I reckon Boxing Day test in Wellington, New Years test in Queenstown should be the norm.

That would be awesome, but we struggle to attract teams over that time of year - and when we do the NZC priority appears to be their bottom line, which means ODIs and T20.

 

[Jezroy]

That would be awesome, but we struggle to attract teams over that time of year - and when we do the NZC priority appears to be their bottom line, which means ODIs and T20.

True.

It would be rotate Windies/Bangladesh Rahim/Zimbabwe/Sri Lanka/Pak wouldn't it?

We'd never get Eng/Aus/SA/Ind at those times.

I just want to see a test in Queenstown TBH

 

[straw man]

Not quite what I was expecting - Cricket | NZ v England: Slow Pitch To Aid Home Side... | Stuff.co.nz

New Zealand are likely to get their wish at the Basin Reserve with a slower than usual pitch against England as they look to break a run of six winless tests in Wellington.

"It won't be as quick and bouncy as the South Africa test last year. There's quite a bit of scarring from the first-class matches. The block has copped a fair bit of traffic and it's ripped a bit of grass off," Sipthorpe said.

Sipthorpe likened the current pitch to the one where New Zealand and India played out a draw in April 2009.

I don't understand talk of winning and the slowness of the pitch in the same sentence. Seems like we're targeting a boring 0-0 series draw.