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*Official* Sri Lanka in New Zealand 2022/23

Nintendo

Cricketer Of The Year
With it seeming likely bracewell will play his 8th test with a batting average of 20 and a bowling average of 45 after being selected as a 32 yo fc player with a batting average in the low 30's, a part time bowler and coming off a plunket shield season where he averaged sub 30 with the bat, thought it'd be interesting to discuss some of NZ's worst selection calls in the past year.

A: Persisting with Henry N. Nicholls is averaging 20 in the past little bit, while in that same time glenn phillips made 296 runs @49 batting at 3 in the 2021/2022 plunkett shield season, made a 100 in one of the two county div one games he managed to fit in last county season and has made 347 runs @69, also NZ's leading run scorer at the last t20 wc and made a 50 on debut vs ***-starc-pattinson-lyon in AUS. Mark chapman in that same time made 175 runs @43 in the NZ-A tour of india recently, 256 runs @37 in the 2021/22 plunket shield season and 222 runs @111 this plunkett shield season. TBF to nicholls he made 297 runs @ 49.5 in the 2021/2022 plunkett shield season and 207 runs @ 41 in the 2022/23 season so he's clearly not out of form in fc stuff, but given his recent form it's probably fair that one of chapman get a look-in. NZ had a home series vs Sri lanka after already being knocked out of the WTC and yet decided not to give either a go.

B:Scotty K selection; Persisting with wagner/tickner was a bit odd, but there's atleast some reason behind those selections, scotty K was just mind boggling. Scotty K averages 27 with the bat and 32 with the ball in fc cricket, and in the 21/22 season took 4 wickets at 50 and didn't make enough runs to be on cricinfo's run scorer list, in 2023/23 he took his wickets @60 and didn't make enough runs to be on the cricinfo list. In that same time, henry shipley took 16 wickets @13 and made 228 runs @32.5 in the 2021/22 season and in 2022/23 he's taken 19 wickets @27 and has 233 runs @ 33. Shipley is younger then scotty k, was fit and unlike scotty K doesn't have the whole morally questionable rape thing going on behind the scenes/

C: Bracewell getting selected over phillips/ravindra in england. Can't be bothered digging up the stats on this, but at the time phillips had county runs, was younger, had better fc batting and bowling stats, had actual international performance under his belt, and better batting + bowling returns in the 21/22 plunkett shield season and got ignored for bracewell.

There's been a ton of other wierd calls, like not picking shipley in his best format in india etc, but these 3, particularly the last 2 really stand out to me. In the latter two cases the players where better in every way at the time and in the case of A/B there's been perfect time to make the changes vs sri lanka (shipley for wagner), but new zealand has done nothing. None of the guys mentioned are world beaters, and the selection decisions mentioned won't suddenly make the team better, but it's so frustrating seeing decisions like these be made when they are so counter intuitive in every way and don't make sense/come across as blatant nepotism in the case of Bracewell in red ball.
 

James

Cricket Web Owner
Can't help but ask, but is it really sensible given what Wellington weather is like to hold a Test here this late in the season? 2012 was the last time they hosted a Test at the Basin this late, and that ended in a draw as well.
 

Fuller Pilch

Hall of Fame Member
With it seeming likely bracewell will play his 8th test with a batting average of 20 and a bowling average of 45 after being selected as a 32 yo fc player with a batting average in the low 30's, a part time bowler and coming off a plunket shield season where he averaged sub 30 with the bat, thought it'd be interesting to discuss some of NZ's worst selection calls in the past year.

A: Persisting with Henry N. Nicholls is averaging 20 in the past little bit, while in that same time glenn phillips made 296 runs @49 batting at 3 in the 2021/2022 plunkett shield season, made a 100 in one of the two county div one games he managed to fit in last county season and has made 347 runs @69, also NZ's leading run scorer at the last t20 wc and made a 50 on debut vs ***-starc-pattinson-lyon in AUS. Mark chapman in that same time made 175 runs @43 in the NZ-A tour of india recently, 256 runs @37 in the 2021/22 plunket shield season and 222 runs @111 this plunkett shield season. TBF to nicholls he made 297 runs @ 49.5 in the 2021/2022 plunkett shield season and 207 runs @ 41 in the 2022/23 season so he's clearly not out of form in fc stuff, but given his recent form it's probably fair that one of chapman get a look-in. NZ had a home series vs Sri lanka after already being knocked out of the WTC and yet decided not to give either a go.

B:Scotty K selection; Persisting with wagner/tickner was a bit odd, but there's atleast some reason behind those selections, scotty K was just mind boggling. Scotty K averages 27 with the bat and 32 with the ball in fc cricket, and in the 21/22 season took 4 wickets at 50 and didn't make enough runs to be on cricinfo's run scorer list, in 2023/23 he took his wickets @60 and didn't make enough runs to be on the cricinfo list. In that same time, henry shipley took 16 wickets @13 and made 228 runs @32.5 in the 2021/22 season and in 2022/23 he's taken 19 wickets @27 and has 233 runs @ 33. Shipley is younger then scotty k, was fit and unlike scotty K doesn't have the whole morally questionable rape thing going on behind the scenes/

C: Bracewell getting selected over phillips/ravindra in england. Can't be bothered digging up the stats on this, but at the time phillips had county runs, was younger, had better fc batting and bowling stats, had actual international performance under his belt, and better batting + bowling returns in the 21/22 plunkett shield season and got ignored for bracewell.

There's been a ton of other wierd calls, like not picking shipley in his best format in india etc, but these 3, particularly the last 2 really stand out to me. In the latter two cases the players where better in every way at the time and in the case of A/B there's been perfect time to make the changes vs sri lanka (shipley for wagner), but new zealand has done nothing. None of the guys mentioned are world beaters, and the selection decisions mentioned won't suddenly make the team better, but it's so frustrating seeing decisions like these be made when they are so counter intuitive in every way and don't make sense/come across as blatant nepotism in the case of Bracewell in red ball.
Also weird twice picking Bracewell as a specialist spinner at 8. Ajaz (not at 8) should've been picked in England, and Sodhi got a rough call missing out back here after performing really well in Pakistan. Duffy also should've played at Mount Maunganui. We needed a swing bowler to support Southee under lights with the pink ball. (But definitely agree about Shipley as well).
 
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TT Boy

Hall of Fame Member
Turned ESPN on to watch the cricket, daughter giving me daggers. Saw it is raining and we're now watching a Jean Pascal undercard which appears to be in front of a few hundred people at an ice rink on a Thursday. No cricket this morning as well. Good stuff.
 

HeathDavisSpeed

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Can't help but ask, but is it really sensible given what Wellington weather is like to hold a Test here this late in the season? 2012 was the last time they hosted a Test at the Basin this late, and that ended in a draw as well.
March has been a decent month weather-wise in Wellington for a while. This year hasn't been a good year for the weather at any time, really. We've had some really decent April weather in the last few years tbh.
 

The Hutt Rec

International Vice-Captain
Can't help but ask, but is it really sensible given what Wellington weather is like to hold a Test here this late in the season? 2012 was the last time they hosted a Test at the Basin this late, and that ended in a draw as well.
Weather is usually great in Wellington in March, the whole country has been wet this summer though.

Wellington usually has a decent climate these days. People always very quick to rip into it though.
 

The Hutt Rec

International Vice-Captain
You heading along tomorrow? In fact, if anyone is heading along tomorrow, give me a PM and I'll shout you a beer.

@SteveNZ needs to make it to the Basin at some point given his deeply expressed love for the place.
Nah, I probably should have scheduled it in for the weekend, but since I ended up selling the tickets for day one of the England test I thought I still deserved a Friday off to go to a day of cricket!

2:10 start of play, blackcaps twitter is saying ?

Also I should mention the Basin got two tests this season because the second South Africa test got taken away last year because of covid or something.
 

Fuller Pilch

Hall of Fame Member
I can't remember a statistically worse NZ bowling attack in the last 25 years. These are the bowling averages for the NZ "attack"

Southee: 29.10
Henry: 38.02
Tickner 41.25
D Bracewell 38.83/Kuggleijn 40.25
M Bracewell 44.89
Mitchell: 109.33

When all but one bowler averages over 38, it isn't pretty reading.
 

Bahnz

Hall of Fame Member
I can't remember a statistically worse NZ bowling attack in the last 25 years. These are the bowling averages for the NZ "attack"

Southee: 29.10
Henry: 38.02
Tickner 41.25
D Bracewell 38.83/Kuggleijn 40.25
M Bracewell 44.89
Mitchell: 109.33

When all but one bowler averages over 38, it isn't pretty reading.
Tbf, Henry's averaged 28 since taking over new ball responsibilities v SA last year.
 

Nintendo

Cricketer Of The Year
Tbf, Henry's averaged 28 since taking over new ball responsibilities v SA last year.
What's southee's average like in that time? It was hovering around 50 since taking the captaincy before the england series. He took 5fer last game so it's probably improved but i'de say its above 30 in the same time and worse then his career average, would roughly even out.
 

Bahnz

Hall of Fame Member
What's southee's average like in that time? It was hovering around 50 since taking the captaincy before the england series. He took 5fer last game so it's probably improved but i'de say its above 30 in the same time and worse then his career average, would roughly even out.
Yeah, he's averaging 36, he got absolutely bazooka'd in the 2nd and 3rd England tests which kinda blew out his record over that time.
 

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