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Your New Zealand World Cup Squad if selected today...

Dan

Hall of Fame Member
This fifth/sixth bowler problem and our openers are our glaring weaknesses. PEWS's side is what I'd like to pick though Anderson having to bowl 10 every match is disaster-city, let alone that there's no leeway if a front line bowler has a bad day. Perhaps McCullum rolling his arm over in the UAE a sign that he thinks he'll need to in the World Cup too. Guptill to chip in with a couple of overs and Taylor to add to his seven career ODI overs too, so as to confuse the opposition with the number of bits and pieces we direct at them.

There's no obvious good solution though. Dan to champion Neesham as opener under the 'solve both problems badly' principle.
Nah, not in this case.

It's a weakness every team in the World Cup is going to have -- I mean, look at the options for fifth and sixth bowlers for each Top 8 side:

- AUS: Marsh/Maxwell + Watson
- ENG: Bopara + Moeen
- IND: Jadeja + Rohit/Kohli
- NZ: Anderson + Williamson
- PAK: Hafeez + Alam
- SL: Mathews + Dilshan
- RSA: Duminy + de Villiers/du Plessis
- WI: Bravo + Samuels


None of those 5th/6th combinations exactly inspire confidence; only Australia and arguably SL have 6th bowlers of any note whatsoever, and Watson's ODI bowling has regressed dramatically anyway. Basically, if a bowler from any team has an especially bad day, they're ****ed. It isn't endemic to NZ at all. Which is why ensuring your bowlers don't have a bad day is crucial to this tournament IMO.

Incidentally, that's why I would consider dropping half of the Australian bowlers on offer or Mitch M, in particular. Both go missing way too often, even if they are deadly on their day.
 

straw man

Hall of Fame Member
Nah, not in this case.

It's a weakness every team in the World Cup is going to have -- I mean, look at the options for fifth and sixth bowlers for each Top 8 side:

- AUS: Marsh/Maxwell + Watson
- ENG: Bopara + Moeen
- IND: Jadeja + Rohit/Kohli
- NZ: Anderson + Williamson
- PAK: Hafeez + Alam
- SL: Mathews + Dilshan
- RSA: Duminy + de Villiers/du Plessis
- WI: Bravo + Samuels


None of those 5th/6th combinations exactly inspire confidence; only Australia and arguably SL have 6th bowlers of any note whatsoever, and Watson's ODI bowling has regressed dramatically anyway. Basically, if a bowler from any team has an especially bad day, they're ****ed. It isn't endemic to NZ at all. Which is why ensuring your bowlers don't have a bad day is crucial to this tournament IMO.

Incidentally, that's why I would consider dropping half of the Australian bowlers on offer or Mitch M, in particular. Both go missing way too often, even if they are deadly on their day.
Hrmm, interesting. If Williamson is allowed to bowl and can do so without too much loss of effectiveness, I'll be comfortable with our side. Yes he and Anderson may go for runs but there's a little redundancy there. It's just if he can't that we have a real balance problem, worse than probably any other team you've listed.

Think we definitely need to pick Mitch M as well. Because X-factor. X-FACTOR. But seriously we need to beat some teams that are a little better than us most days, so need to have a couple of players capable of having a great day. Mills and Southee are the other likely seamers and they're fairly reliable. Mitch M provides a cutting edge. The X-Factor cutting edge.
 

kiwiviktor81

International Debutant
McClenaghan has a better strike rate than Shane Bond had and an average of 23, there's no way we're not going to pick him.
 

Dan

Hall of Fame Member
Nah Andereson isa worse ODI bowler than Bopara, Bravo, Duminy and Hafeez too.
Bopara and Duminy can generally keep it tight, yeah, but Duminy isn't hugely suited to NZ conditions. Bravo can either bowl a brilliant set of 10 or go for 80+, and Hafeez may not be bowling by that point. I'd have them all about level with Anderson, IMO.
 

hendrix

Hall of Fame Member
McCleneghan isn't half the bowler Shane Bond was.

I know he has good stats but so does Ravi Ashwin as a test allrounder. I just don't think he's a better bowler than the others.
 

ohnoitsyou

International Regular
Bopara and Duminy can generally keep it tight, yeah, but Duminy isn't hugely suited to NZ conditions. Bravo can either bowl a brilliant set of 10 or go for 80+, and Hafeez may not be bowling by that point. I'd have them all about level with Anderson, IMO.
Good call on Hafeez. The pitch is irrelevant to Duminy, darts are darts anywhere. I just feel that Bravo is a better bowler than Anderson, hits the right areas more consistently, has more bounce to him and is a fair bit quicker.
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
Duminy doesn't bowl darts, and twenty overs of spin split evenly between a batsman and an inconsistent leggie, with no backup bowler, is a really dangerous call in Aus/NZ.
 

Zinzan

Request Your Custom Title Now!
McCleneghan isn't half the bowler Shane Bond was.

I know he has good stats but so does Ravi Ashwin as a test allrounder. I just don't think he's a better bowler than the others.
Clearly he's not quite in Bond's class, but the guy must have something going for him being the 2nd/= quickest of all-time to reach 50 ODI wickets, especially considering most of his games have been against the top sides.

Definitely the first ODI bowler on the sheet for me these days, I would have said Mills 2 years ago, but sadly I think he's on the decline somewhat.
 

Zinzan

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Duminy doesn't bowl darts, and twenty overs of spin split evenly between a batsman and an inconsistent leggie, with no backup bowler, is a really dangerous call in Aus/NZ.
Agree, Duminy's more than useful with the ball, quite underrated actually.
 

ohnoitsyou

International Regular
Duminy doesn't bowl darts, and twenty overs of spin split evenly between a batsman and an inconsistent leggie, with no backup bowler, is a really dangerous call in Aus/NZ.
Sure he's not afraid to flight the ball, so darts is an exaggeration, but he certainly isn't afraid to bowl fast and flat. I guess they just have to rely on the three quicks to take wickets up front. If they can create some pressure then De Villiers can bring himself on, and 20 overs of spin won't be a problem. If the batting team gets of to a flying start, well every team is going to struggle then.
 

Prince EWS

Global Moderator
I'll put it this way -- I'd much rather have Anderson and a nerfed Williamson as my fifth and sixth bowlers in Oceania than Duminy and de Villiers. Duminy and Anderson are similar quality bowlers IMO but unless South Africa play four a fourth quick instead of Tahir, I don't thnk their balance will be right for the conditions given they'll essentially no backup options.
 

Kippax

Cricketer Of The Year
Cricket: Filling vacant spot order of day - Cricket - NZ Herald News

Call it the drive for five or the fix for six.

The demise of Jesse Ryder's World Cup chances and likelihood Brendon McCullum will open for New Zealand at one-day international cricket's showpiece means, with 83 days until the tournament starts, there's a situation vacant at No 5, or possibly No 6, in the order.

Originally finding a second opener to join Martin Guptill was the problem but, with all indications McCullum is keen to jump back up the order, the 'situation vacant' is now further down.

With Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor ensconced at Nos 3 and 4, Corey Anderson at either five or six in the order and an XI completed by Luke Ronchi, Daniel Vettori or Nathan McCullum and three pace bowlers, that leaves one hole.

Tom Latham and Jimmy Neesham and to a lesser degree BJ Watling look the obvious contenders with Dean Brownlie, Colin de Grandhomme and Colin Munro worth watching on the current New Zealand A tour.

Latham featured in the middle order against South Africa last month when he contributed 29 off 38 and 16 off 28, so has the inside running. He has also impressed with his test performances, and last week scored a second test century in just 12 innings with a classy 137 against Pakistan in Dubai.

Circumstances have changed a little since the South Africa series, when Neesham was used as an opening experiment in that series, which now appears less relevant if McCullum shifts.

Neesham's bowling capability could give him an advantage and he has the strongest batting strike rate of the leading contenders with 92 - Latham's is 73 and Watling 69.

Watling has, however, worked hard on that aspect of the abridged formats. He averaged 38.60 as skipper on the New Zealand A tour of England, with a strike rate of 137, when he was picked specifically to close out an innings from the middle order. He also conceded no byes and took 19 catches with the gloves, meaning he continues to challenge Ronchi.

Complicating matters is that someone will need to fill an opening gap against Pakistan. McCullum is expected to head home after the tests as part of a rotation phase with the likes of Tim Southee and Trent Boult. If that occurs, Williamson will lead the side with Taylor also staying for more white-ball cricket.

Brownlie might be a suitable opening stop-gap, given his stated intention to perform that role more in shorter forms. Anton Devcich could also lay a claim.

Form will play a big part but irrespective, there will be three or four tough calls when the eventual squad is named on January 8.

Possible World Cup squad: Brendon McCullum (c), Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Jimmy Neesham, Corey Anderson, BJ Watling, Luke Ronchi, Daniel Vettori, Nathan McCullum, Tim Southee, Kyle Mills, Mitchell McClenaghan, Trent Boult.
 

hendrix

Hall of Fame Member
I like McCullum moving back up but Latham must be the reserve opener, IMO. He shouldn't be a middle order player in any format. He has the technique for the top order.
 

otagoman

School Boy/Girl Captain
Guptill
Williamson
McCullum
Taylor
Anderson
Neesham
Ronchi
McCullum
Southee
Henry
Boult

Vettori
Latham
McClenaghan
Mills - Although if Williamson can bowl then Munro becomes an option
 

Kippax

Cricketer Of The Year

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