*Official* India Tour of New Zealand 2019

[Athlai]

Munro hasn't #earnedtheright

 

[Athlai]

Not sure why folks are only judging McCullum's record on his last 2 years either tbh. He opened in ODI from around 2008 didn't he?

Late 2007 was when he started to do it fairly regularly, but he only went full meme Baz in the last 2 years.

 

[Zinzan]

I'm prepared to give Munro more rope than most.

McCullum was basically in the team as a pure meme slogger in the latter part of his career and Munro clearly is the best equipped person we have to carry out that role. Has had tremendous success domestically in all formats and playing T20s both internationally and at franchise level, basically being a memey slogger. I'm not sure there is anything in particular about ODI cricket that is causing him to struggle, it still feels more like an outlier given the nature of his batting?

Pretty much my view on it, although that rope is shortening.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

This Shankar is a true trundler

 

[Bahnz]

Why are people discounting McCullum vs. SL? SL were legit in those years. Same goes with Bangers and Munro.

Haha, no.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

If Ryder hadn't 'Rydered", McCullum probably would have batted 5 in the last World Cup and the hairy javelin wouldn't have been recalled

 

[Zinzan]

Late 2007 was when he started to do it fairly regularly, but he only went full meme Baz in the last 2 years.

Sure, but everyone seemed perfectly happy with him opening in the 2007-2014 period, when he record was only marginally better than Munro's, but anyway..

 

[Athlai]

Sure, but everyone seemed perfectly happy with him opening in the 2007-2014 period, when he record was only marginally better than Munro's, but anyway..

We weren't a world class team then.

Edit: also it seemed like before the two new balls came in, that totals were lower? And batting was harder?

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Yeah just checked. It was Guptill-Ryder opening and McCullum at 5 when India were here in 2014

 

[Bahnz]

Not sure why folks are only judging McCullum's record on his last 2 years either tbh. He opened in ODIs from around 2008 didn't he?

It's only really post Ryder's axing that McCullum started treating ODI's like T20's though. His first turn as an opener was much more orthodox.

I just raised the last two years, because if we're talking about Munro's ability to make a contribution to the 2019 World Cup, then I figured it was worthwhile considering the actual role that McCullum played in the run up to and during the 2015 World Cup, which is clearly streets ahead of what Munro is currently offering.

 

[thierry henry]

Pretty much my view on it, although that rope is shortening.

I'm just not sure there is any particular technical or mental reason why Munro would specifically struggle in ODIs? This is anathema to my usual mode of separating the formats, but this really feels like a case where given his overall body of work, the role we want him to do, the (still smallish) sample size of ODIs and how far short he is falling of requirements (25 average vs 32 average, maybe?): it just kinda feels like he is fully capable of doing what we want and it's pretty much just by chance that he has saved his failures up for one level of one format?

 

[thundaboult]

might be a bit late to blood a new player now...but will young is promising.

 

[thundaboult]

Oh thank god.too close.

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Good shot for nothing

 

[thundaboult]

NZ will need all the batsmanship, big hitting and inventive hitting to do good from here.39 for 2 in 12 overs...in 2019...with a team like india chasing. Nerves.

 

[Bahnz]

I'm just not sure there is any particular technical or mental reason why Munro would specifically struggle in ODIs? This is anathema to my usual mode of separating the formats, but this really feels like a case where given his overall body of work, the role we want him to do, the (still smallish) sample size of ODIs and how far short he is falling of requirements (25 average vs 32 average, maybe?): it just kinda feels like he is fully capable of doing what we want and it's pretty much just by chance that he has saved his failures up for one level of one format?

Maybe he's just not good enough?There've been plenty of cricketers who've been beasts at domestics but have been unable to step up (Chris Lynn a reasonable example in Australia - though that's probably partially injury related). I also wouldn't call 47 ODI's a particularly small sample size, nor an average of 22 against the top sides to be at all close to the standard required (especially given that Munro's strike rate just isn't that flash to begin with). This all seems very charitable.

 

[Bahnz]

Will Young did brilliantly for NZ A in list a games in UAE and NZ, got picked in the test squad then forgotten for the ODIs.

His last 3 T20 games have been 43 off 28, 33 off 32 (only chasing 113), and 89 off 50

Yeah would've loved Young to have had a proper go at some stage this, though it's probably getting too late in the piece now. Latham probably the best 11th hour switch option we have at this point.

 

[thundaboult]

Time to pick this newbie off now. Hopefully kane and ross continue this.

 

[thierry henry]

Maybe he's just not good enough?

Not good enough at what?

Munro has been around the proving himself plenty good enough at standing and biffing against most attacks. Yes you could say he is not good enough at "ODI batting" but what does that mean exactly, if his role is basically "stand there and do a Munro"? I'm assuming (and hoping) there is no confusion about his role within the team, because he clearly has a mode that has worked well for him around the world (and which can be directly compared with McCullum's "mode" late career).

I definitely am being a bit charitable to Munro, and I think he deserves it, because few players have been less charitably treated across the formats by NZ selectors given their overall career exploits.

 

[thundaboult]

Well. S**t.