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**Official** New Zealand v Australia

Cam7

School Boy/Girl Cricketer
Play to restart at 1:10pm. Still looking very dark above, though!... I reckon we're in for more of the wet stuff. Could be a very frustrating afternoon!
 

MoxPearl

State Vice-Captain
its a bit overcast up the coast now.. althou does not look like rain..

Good to see the cricket has satrted thou.. let the onsluaught begin :P
 

FaaipDeOiad

Hall of Fame Member
Top bowling today from Kasprowicz to the left-handers as usual today, and Warne has been his usual excellent self, working batsmen out on a pitch which isn't exactly spinning a lot for the fourth day. New Zealand look like they'll have to face plenty of overs in their second innings today, weather permitting. I can't see O'Brien lasting too long.
 

telsor

U19 12th Man
Can someone explain to me while McMillan and O'Brien are in the NZ team?

At best they're both 'ordinary' in their chosen disipline and have little in the way of all-round skills.

OK, NZ has been hit by injuries and all, but surely if you've got people just filling places in the team it would be better to take a punt on a youngster rather than 2 players with little apparant upside.
 

FaaipDeOiad

Hall of Fame Member
telsor said:
Can someone explain to me while McMillan and O'Brien are in the NZ team?

At best they're both 'ordinary' in their chosen disipline and have little in the way of all-round skills.

OK, NZ has been hit by injuries and all, but surely if you've got people just filling places in the team it would be better to take a punt on a youngster rather than 2 players with little apparant upside.
McMillan I don't know about, I think he should be dropped for someone with a bit more potential. Marshall and Cumming are both doing well, why not give James Marshall or Fulton or someone a go ahead of McMillan?

O'Brien isn't bad at all. He suffers a bit from a severe lack of pace - not in the McGrath category of simply not being "fast", but from being a genuine medium pacer bowling in the low 120s and having it negatively impact on his ability to take wickets. He is however very accurate, especially for someone in only his second test, and if Pollock can take wickets bowling only a touch quicker than that O'Brien can too, if he's patient. Remember that he is playing against the best batting lineup in the world. He's an awful batsman though.
 

Smudge

Hall of Fame Member
FaaipDeOiad said:
McMillan I don't know about, I think he should be dropped for someone with a bit more potential. Marshall and Cumming are both doing well, why not give James Marshall or Fulton or someone a go ahead of McMillan?

O'Brien isn't bad at all. He suffers a bit from a severe lack of pace - not in the McGrath category of simply not being "fast", but from being a genuine medium pacer bowling in the low 120s and having it negatively impact on his ability to take wickets. He is however very accurate, especially for someone in only his second test, and if Pollock can take wickets bowling only a touch quicker than that O'Brien can too, if he's patient. Remember that he is playing against the best batting lineup in the world. He's an awful batsman though.
Not too sure where you're coming from in regards to O'Brien's supposed lack of pace. This test may not be a good example, as I believe he was given the "into the wind" duties. But at Christchurch he got some into the mid-high 130s, which isn't too bad.

Don't know if he should necessarily be perservered with.

As for McMillan, the clock is ticking furiously.
 

Tim

Cricketer Of The Year
1 day to go, 10 wickets in hand, 326 still required to make Australia bat again..can we hold out? I don't think so....
 

Dydl

International Debutant
Unfortunatel. He might go and play county cricket to freshen up for the ashes. Not too much rain yet to be declared a draw... A draw would win the series for Australia.
 

FaaipDeOiad

Hall of Fame Member
Voltman said:
Not too sure where you're coming from in regards to O'Brien's supposed lack of pace. This test may not be a good example, as I believe he was given the "into the wind" duties. But at Christchurch he got some into the mid-high 130s, which isn't too bad.

Don't know if he should necessarily be perservered with.

As for McMillan, the clock is ticking furiously.
Did he? The average speed I've been seeing from him is 120-122, which is Manjarul Islam sort of pace. Maybe I just haven't been paying attention to the speed reading when he has been at his quickest.

Martin and Franklin are also a bit quicker than they are given credit for. Martin gets his average up to 138-140 at the peak of his spell, and Franklin is only a few kph slower.
 

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