Haven't been able to play in a while because of disk drive issues (bloody Vista) but am up to the 2021 season. Once I get my disk fixed I'll be able to play again. At the moment to procrastinate from study I'll talk about my team. Here's the first 11:
Timothy Roth* (right hand bat)
Scott Wall (left hand bat)
Nathan Anderson (right hand bat)
Mark Plummer (right hand bat)
Jonathan Morris (right hand bat)
Warren Ellison (right hand bat, right arm fast)
Nathan Middleton+ (right hand bat)
Tim Liddell (right arm fast)
Hamish Evans (leg break)
Kurt Moncur (left arm medium fast)
Trent Andrews (leg break)
You'll notice a lot of new names there. I'll go from player to player and talk about how they are.
It feels like only yesterday Timothy Roth was the 19 year old wonderboy making Ricky Ponting scratch his head like a trained monkey, and now the CD opener is captain of his country. Since Roth took over the captaincy NZ have only lost one series to England and another in India and have become pretty much unbeatable. The best teams can come up with is drawn series. We've finally gotten over our SL jinx and raped India at home. Since taking the captaincy Roth's batting has skyrocketed in form. He's played 100 tests and is only 32. By the time he retires he's going to hold a lot of records.
Scott Wall is still the all or nothing player he was, but its effective considering the power of the batting below, and considering his bad days consist of a 20-40 score. Off memory he still has way more centuries than he does fifties, including three double hundreds. 272 vs Zimbabwe, 224 vs India and 262 in the recent test vs Pakistan.
Nathan Anderson has gone from being very, very good to absoultely brilliant. After 31 tests he averages 71 and is the backbone of NZs batting. Some say he's the reason NZ are so hard to beat: you have to get through the brick wall of Andersons scrappy streetfighter bat first. An opener converted to number three, he ensures NZ posts a decent total every time.
Mark Plummer is a young opener brought into the NZ middle order in the wake of Williamson after being recognised as a spin specialist, therefore able to adapt to the number four position. On debut he scored 155 vs Sri Lanka in a positive and aggressive manner. I like the look of this guy as our number four for quite a while.
Jonathan Morris, if we discount Anderson's charge to the top of the ICC rankings as a purple patch, is the best batsman in the world and probably NZs best ever. Down at number five, this master batsman can enter the fray either in the time of NZs direst need or when the batsmen are going in for the kill. Whatever the situation, he seals the deal. He recently left ND for another county stint with Worcestershire.
Warren Ellison was promoted to number six after the retirement of Jesse Ryder. His batting came on leaps and bounds after he scored a fighting 122* vs Bangladesh when NZ were in big trouble. His career has taken a stride after leaving Wellington for a county stint with Hampshire. His bowling however, has gotten worse and worse and after his great start with the ball he provides a problem for the selectors: is his batting worth the ineffective bowling, especially considering NZ plays two spinners every game?
Nathan Middleton is the nest in line of wicketkeepers trying to fill the void left by McCullum. The 20 year old Wellingtonian has kept impressively so far, though his batting has left something to be desired. He is the best keeper batsman in the domestic scene though, so hopefuly that will transfer.
Tim Liddell gets a second chance at international cricket after topping the domestic bowling charts last season and Wade Garretts loss of form. The fast bowler is now combining economy with the ability to take wickets, but it remains to be seen if this is a purple patch or Tim Liddell mk II.
Hamish Evans is a young legspinner from Northern Districts who impressed at an early age. Until the retirement of Ryder and the promotion of Ellison up the order, Evans was always left on the sidelines despite impressing in every opportunity he got. He took 5/26 on debut against Pakistan and since gaining a constant place in the first team has performed well, if inconsistently, in partnership with Trent Andrews.
Kurt Moncur is the best seamer in NZ by a considerable distance. The left armer takes the new ball for NZ and has stepped up to the plate in the absence of Wade Garrett. Still young, he has a big future ahead.
Trent Andrews is the senior bowler and best bowler in the NZ side. The 32 year old leg spinner has over 250 test wickets and has come a long way from the useless pie chucker he was back in the early days. The guy has just gotten better and better.
Other players:
Kane Williamson after poor form has been moved on, probably for good. The 36 year old is back on the domestic scene this year and was a valuable number four for New Zealand in his time. He will be remembered for his consistency and ability to dominate spin bowling, a trait his successor Mark Plummer has inherited. His only limitation was his conversion rate with only five centuries from 60-70 tests and over 30 fifties. (note, this isn't THE Kane Williamson, he's a regen who was called K Williams that was a middle order star for ND, so I made some changes
)
Wade Garrett, now 34, has declined in the past two years. He isn't the bowler he was so back to Otago for him. He was a lethal bowler at his peak and a must have in the NZ team. Its disappointing he didn't get to bowl alongside the new tyro Kurt Moncur but there's still time for one last hurrah if he gets his act together.
