Okay, so who's gonna win?

[vic_orthdox]

Pretty self-explanatory, really.

'Tis a public poll, so we'll be able to see the idiots who go for Zimbabwe or Kenya.

That makes me "uber-idiot"

[Richard]

Might just be bias, but yes. They are ranked four in the world and this, fitness permitting, will be the strongest team NZ have had in a World Cup since 1992.

We'll choke again under the pressure towards the end of the tournament, but I do believe we'll play very well until then.

IMO nowhere near as strong as 1999.
Vincent - glorified slogger
Fleming - middle-order player not opener
Astle - other way around
McMillan - barely in the picture, needs to be
Styris - better than he used to be, obviously, but I still find it hard to understand how he gets the success he does
And the bowling-attack, Vettori apart, is nothing close to 1999 when you guys had Allott, Nash, Cairns, Larsen, Harris.
Have NZ ever looked like replacing Roger Twose?

[Richard]

You rate NZ below SL at the moment?

I rate SL the stronger side, and certainly the side who's more likely to get it together in time, even if their recent form pre-VBS was woeful.

[Richard]

Do you watch cricket?

Or go outdoors for that matter?

Yes and yes.

[SJS]

INDIA


Anyone can vote Australia......
..... Even my wife would.

[_Ed_]

And the bowling-attack, Vettori apart, is nothing close to 1999 when you guys had Allott, Nash, Cairns, Larsen, Harris.

A fully fit attack of Bond, Mills, Adams, Oram, Vettori and Styris would be stronger than 1999 IMO. Allott was excellent, so was Cairns, but Nash wasn't as effective in ODIs as in tests, and Larsen and Harris although effective lacked the brilliance of Adams and Oram.

[Blaze]

and Larsen and Harris although effective lacked the brilliance of Adams and Oram.

You can't be serious? Gavin Larsen is one of our best ODI bowlers of all time, to even name Adams in the same sentence as him is a disgrace.

[Sir Redman]

IMO nowhere near as strong as 1999.
Vincent - glorified slogger
Fleming - middle-order player not opener
Astle - other way around
McMillan - barely in the picture, needs to be
Styris - better than he used to be, obviously, but I still find it hard to understand how he gets the success he does
And the bowling-attack, Vettori apart, is nothing close to 1999 when you guys had Allott, Nash, Cairns, Larsen, Harris.

Sorry, did I read that right? You think that McMillan needs to be in the team for NZ to have a decent chance? There's no way that McMillan would make our full-strength XI right now, and I'd be disappointed if he even made the World Cup squad.

Have NZ ever looked like replacing Roger Twose?

It looked as though Hamish Marshall was filling up that role, but sadly he has been playing like crap since the Zimbabwe tour and at this rate might not even make the squad.

[_Ed_]

You can't be serious? Gavin Larsen is one of our best ODI bowlers of all time, to even name Adams in the same sentence as him is a disgrace.

You're right...I can't really remember seeing him bowl at his best (although he was still excellent in the 99 WC) so it wasn't the most informed post ever, and I can't stand his commentary so there was some bias against him there too. Looking at his stats, he was exceptional.

But I still believe that overall this bowling attack compares very favourably to that one.

[Blaze]

I am pretty much the same, I can't stand his commentary yet he was my favourite player whilst he was in the BLACKCAPS.

I think he ended up with an RPO of 3.76 or something. Remarkable.

[Blaze]

IMO nowhere near as strong as 1999.
And the bowling-attack, Vettori apart, is nothing close to 1999 when you guys had Allott, Nash, Cairns, Larsen, Harris.
Have NZ ever looked like replacing Roger Twose?

Allot - Bond
Nash > Mills
Cairns > Who knows?
Vettori(99) < Vettori (2007)
Larsen > Styris
Harris - Patel/ Harris/ Astle

The 1999 attack was a lot better IMO.

Roger Twose was a highly underrated (and often forgotten about) ODI batsman. Look for Ross Taylor to take over his role in 2007 Richard.

[adharcric]

INDIA


Anyone can vote Australia......
..... Even my wife would.

Come on, have some faith. Please ask your wife to do the same. India will prevail.

[Richard]

A fully fit attack of Bond, Mills, Adams, Oram, Vettori and Styris would be stronger than 1999 IMO. Allott was excellent, so was Cairns, but Nash wasn't as effective in ODIs as in tests, and Larsen and Harris although effective lacked the brilliance of Adams and Oram.

Adams and Oram, brilliant?
IMO both are pretty average, Larsen was a top-drawer ODI bowler and Harris was a pretty reasonable one (indeed, still is).
Nash bowled pretty well in WC99 from what I remember.
I'd back most teams to have few problems with any of Mills, Adams, Oram or Styris, whereas, as I said, in 1999 there was quality pretty much throughout the attack.

[Richard]

Sorry, did I read that right? You think that McMillan needs to be in the team for NZ to have a decent chance? There's no way that McMillan would make our full-strength XI right now, and I'd be disappointed if he even made the World Cup squad.

McMillan is a decent ODI player as far as I'm concerned, and I somehow doubt Fulton, How or anyone of that ilk is as good.

It looked as though Hamish Marshall was filling up that role, but sadly he has been playing like crap since the Zimbabwe tour and at this rate might not even make the squad.

TBH I never thought Marshall was even in the same class.

[Richard]

Allot - Bond
Nash > Mills
Cairns > Who knows?
Vettori(99) < Vettori (2007)
Larsen > Styris
Harris - Patel/ Harris/ Astle

The 1999 attack was a lot better IMO.

Vettori didn't even play in 1999, though obviously he will now.
It's hard, because in 1999 NZ had 5 bowlers who almost always did the bulk of the work - these days that rarely happens, least of all in NZ.

Roger Twose was a highly underrated (and often forgotten about) ODI batsman. Look for Ross Taylor to take over his role in 2007 Richard.

Twose has to be about the most hard-done-by batsman during my time of watching World ODIs. For a time he was IMO a better ODI batsman than anyone bar Bevan.
Is Ross Taylor THE most promising one-day batsman to come out of New Zealand? I can't think of anyone else who averages over 40 - even Glenn Turner didn't.