***Official*** New Zealand Domestic Season 2016/17

[SteveNZ]

Because he's played a lot more first class cricket. Seifert is five years younger and has a lot more going for him, number one being talent. He's right up there with Brendon McCullum afaic. This would've been the perfect game to give Seifert some exposure against a proper attack, although in saying that he has already scored a ton against Pakistan before....

14 FC games, not really 'a lot more'. One season's worth, give or take.

Look, maybe Seifert is the future and Blundell's not. Maybe you'd pick for the future, not for next week (that's what they're doing - they're saying Blundell is more experienced and if Watling/Ronchi were out, he'd be in). But it's fairly easy to see the merit of picking Blundell given his record with the bat was better last year and as I said, his keeper is renowned to be better than Seifert's. It's a split decision on how mature they are today, their run-scoring output in the longer form, and I'd suggest strongly on glovework. Blundell was the choice. All in all it's a fair choice, a close choice but fair. Not outrageous, Wellington bias etc.

None of this should be used to suggest I don't rate Seifert. He's clearly a talented guy, probably a higher ceiling than Blundell. He's just raw which at 21 is understandable. As was Brendon, which is why he wasn't looked at for higher honours in Tests until 2 years after his ODI debut (when I think from memory Robbie Hart had the gloves)

 

[Meridio]

Blundell's plenty talented tbh. He's one of those guys that are just naturally good at a sport - though I always thought he needed to settle down and pick one discipline to really excel at. Batting was always his best suit, but in the field one day he'd bowl off spin, the next day leg spin, then he'd keep for a game or two. Seemed like it all came easily to him, and I got the impression that he wasn't really sure what his best option was. I did like watching him bat too, though am not such a fan of his setup these days. He was very quick on his feet, had an excellent pull shot, and just had a nice kind of flow to his batting. What I think he lacked with the bat - though hopefully last season has gone a way towards improving it - was maybe that real hunger and desire to score big runs. I remember him making plenty of pretty 70s in club cricket, but not a huge number of hundreds.

tbh I never really felt like he was an absolute gun in the making, just a pretty good player; on the other hand I have heard people rave about Seifert. I haven't really seen a lot of him yet but there's still a long way to go, he's only 21 or something, let him develop in domestix for a while yet plz.

 

[Flem274*]

i was pretty impressed to see seifert not play his natural game the other day, if scorecard and highlights are anything to go by, with that slow score

 

[Kippax]

Leopard coming in for Wheeler tomorrow.

Auckland Aces v Wellington Firebirds at Eden Park Outer Oval

Auckland Aces: Rob Nicol (c), Cody Andrews, Brad Cachopa (wk), Mark Chapman, Colin de Grandhomme, Donovan Grobbelaar, Martin Guptill, Michael Guptill-Bunce, Shawn Hicks, Dane Hutchinson, Tarun Nethula, Jeet Raval. Coach: Mark O'Donnell

Wellington Firebirds: Michael Papps (c), Brent Arnel, Hamish Bennett, Tom Blundell (wk), Matt McEwan, Iain McPeake, Hamish Marshall, Stephen Murdoch, Jeetan Patel, Michael Pollard, Matt Taylor, Luke Woodcock. Coach: Bruce Edgar


Northern Districts v Canterbury at Seddon Park

Northern Districts: Anton Devcich (c), Corey Anderson, James Baker, Dean Brownlie, Joe Carter Zak Gibson, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Bharat Popli, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee. Coach: James Pamment

Canterbury: Andrew Ellis (c), Todd Astle, Michael Davidson, Cam Fletcher (wk), Peter Fulton, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Johnston, Ken McClure, Cole McConchie, Henry Nicholls, Ed Nuttall, Henry Shipley. Coach: Gary Stead


Otago Volts v Central Stags at University of Otago Oval

Otago Volts: Brad Wilson (c), Michael Bracewell, Neil Broom, Derek de Boorder (wk), Jacob Duffy, Josh Finnie, Anaru Kitchen, Jimmy Neesham, Hamish Rutherford, Christi Viljoen, Neil Wagner, Sam Wells. Coach: Rob Walter

Central Stags: Will Young (c), Doug Bracewell, Tom Bruce, Dane Cleaver (wk), Liam Dudding, Greg Hay, Christian Leopard, Ajaz Patel, Navin Patel, Mitch Renwick, Ben Smith, Blair Tickner. Coach: Heinrich Malan

Howsie to give me his Wheeler replacement for our draft comp.

 

[SteveNZ]

Auckland coach drops his son. Spose it saves a phone call.

 

[straw man]

Brownlie looked very relaxed defending against Jamieson there; pity about losing his off-stump. Really don't want to be getting bowled so often as an opening batsman.

Jamieson looks good though - a little more pace and he'd be a beast with that height. Got Popli too.

 

[Bahnz]

I doubt he'd be regularly much above 125. Wonderful natural attributes, but just no momentum through the crease.

Meanwhile, Southee still drifting into the pads far too often for my liking.

 

[SteveNZ]

I doubt he'd be regularly much above 125. Wonderful natural attributes, but just no momentum through the crease.

Meanwhile, Southee still drifting into the pads far too often for my liking.

I'm yet to see Jamieson bowl live but I love watching him in the vault. Real prospect with his height, the natural length he bowls and looks like he's got a predominant away shape as well. Love to see him come on very strongly in the next 2 seasons, play NZ A and start to really assert himself.

 

[straw man]

Yeah, the trick will be gaining that extra momentum through the crease and extra pace without losing the seam position and swing like so many others do. Here's hoping.

 

[SteveNZ]

Shane Bond...Shane Bond...as I've been saying for ages, just employ the bloke to work with guys either during the home summer or by Skype. Guy lives in Chch does he not, he can do some work at Lincoln, buy him a massive arse TV to watch footage on, whatever. Just get him back.

 

[Athlai]

There's the double for Woodcock and Wellington declare.

 

[sonnench]

Aces fans, any young talent worth keeping an eye out for over the next couple of years? Possibly from the A' squad? No better young bowlers than Hutchinson or Andrews in the Auckland area?

 

[SteveNZ]

None that I know of. The strategy going forward for Auckland might be as they've done this year, import bowlers from elsewhere. And even that might become harder with the issues associated with living in that city. Brett Randell was an okay prospect, no idea what's happened to him.

All the future is in the batting. Phillips (Dale, the younger bro is a gun too), Chapman, O'Donnell, Finn Allen etc.

 

[jcas0167]

Guptill and Raval going head to head. Leopard batting at 10 for CD. Nice to see Josh Finnie making an impact this season.

 

[vandem]

None that I know of. The strategy going forward for Auckland might be as they've done this year, import bowlers from elsewhere. And even that might become harder with the issues associated with living in that city. Brett Randell was an okay prospect, no idea what's happened to him. ....

"New Kaipara Flats recruit Brett Randell will also make his debut, but brings a wealth of experience to [Northland]."

Cricket: Northland primed for Auckland challenge - Sport - Northern Advocate News

 

[sonnench]

None that I know of. The strategy going forward for Auckland might be as they've done this year, import bowlers from elsewhere. And even that might become harder with the issues associated with living in that city. Brett Randell was an okay prospect, no idea what's happened to him.

All the future is in the batting. Phillips (Dale, the younger bro is a gun too), Chapman, O'Donnell, Finn Allen etc.

Well, least the future of batting for Auckland looks bright. Should look to SA, there should be a few young guys wanting to more opportunity. Especially in the fast bowling department.

 

[SteveNZ]

Well, least the future of batting for Auckland looks bright. Should look to SA, there should be a few young guys wanting to more opportunity. Especially in the fast bowling department.

Good point, I reckon they might - Mark O'Donnell coached over there and no doubt has links. Plus Hicks, de Grandhomme, Grobbelaar, Munro, Phillips, Cachopa are all African. Throw in Raval, Chapman and Nethula, it's a real ethnic blend.

 

[sonnench]

Good point, I reckon they might - Mark O'Donnell coached over there and no doubt has links. Plus Hicks, de Grandhomme, Grobbelaar, Munro, Phillips, Cachopa are all African. Throw in Raval, Chapman and Nethula, it's a real ethnic blend.

Very representative of Auckland, that is for sure. Most of those are genuine immigrants though right? As in, moved when they were young, or immigrated for other reasons than cricket.

 

[SteveNZ]

Very representative of Auckland, that is for sure. Most of those are genuine immigrants though right? As in, moved when they were young, or immigrated for other reasons than cricket.

De Grandhomme emigrated for cricket, the rest of them yeah they did their schooling in Auckland (apart from Grobbelaar who came after schooling around 19-20 I think, and was largely uninterested in cricket/playing lower grades for Howick Pak). Auckland, the age-group development system and their respective clubs can claim to have made all of them, including Colin de.

 

[SteveNZ]

I find it amazing that there are so many Saffers in our domestic mix, then with Wagner, Elliott, Watling in the national side and anyone else I'm not thinking of straight away, but there are next to none in rugby - which is an equal if not stronger code in SA. Can't understand why they come and play cricket, but generally don't come and play rugby. Only one I can think of is Greg Rawlinson but again he was purely for rugby, not for a better life as a young person.