Sports 🏏 Black Caps

[Ever Hopeful]

The defensive tactics have worked. Frustrated the wicket out. NZ obviously not wanting to ride it out on a batting day.

 

[Inruin]

I think Wagner would have been a good option on this pitch

 

[Ever Hopeful]

I think Wagner would have been a good option on this pitch

It needs an old ball grafter, but I'm interested to see what Santner has to offer. I think he is a better player now than his last long test stint. He spins the ball more now, and contrary to many, I do believe he is the best slow bowler in the country at present.

This pitch looks a bit old school NZ. Tough to score fluently. Dibbly Dobbler territory

 

[John Nick]

It needs an old ball grafter, but I'm interested to see what Santner has to offer. I think he is a better player now than his last long test stint. He spins the ball more now, and contrary to many, I do believe he is the best slow bowler in the country at present.

This pitch looks a bit old school NZ. Tough to score fluently. Dibbly Dobbler territory

Be interesting to see how the wicket holds up. Could be difficult batting for SA on the final day.
I am picking it will be a spinners dream.

 

[watcher]

I feel like there is no more doubt who is the best NZ batter of all time. 1) Williamson, 2) Daylight, 3) Taylor.

Williamson is 7 international 100s away from 50x 100s in all international formats.

Bert Sutcliffe, Martin Donnelly, John Reid, Geoff Howarth, Glenn Turner, Martin Crowe, Andrew Jones. Kane is right up there.

 

[Inruin]

Nicholls played his last test after this Ravindra innings?

 

[Wrighty]

Also how the hell is the radio commentary team of Ian Smith, Jeremy Coney and John Bracewell not the front and centre of TVNZs commentary......those guys are absolute gold.....instead we've got some numpties that are boring as shit......apart from Rigger.

Is there commentary on the radio? What station?

 

[watcher]

Personal left field favourite - Andrew Jones. Not in the Williamson/ Crowe level but Test average of 44.27 put him up among the best (Crowe 45.4, Taylor 44.7, Turner 44.6)

And those statistics are even more impressive when it was a low point in New Zealand cricket where we won only six of his 39 Tests. More than stats he was a gritty player that was mentally tough and held the innings together on many occasions.

Williamson 54.5 average is way out in front

Andre Jones was picked late at about 29 too I believe.

 

[Spence]

Is there commentary on the radio? What station?

SEN. I’m listening online, but I believe they are 1476 AM.

 

[John Nick]

Nicholls played his last test after this Ravindra innings?

Do you think that the same goes for Conway??

 

[tyrael]

I feel you are right, but there is a still a big case for MD Crowe as our best ever. Fast bowling in the 80's and 90's dominated cricket, easily the best era for bowling (Marshall, Holding, Garner, Mcdermott, Wasim, Waqar, Imran, Kapil, Botham, Lillee, Thommo etc and thankfully for us Paddles) and Hogan at the peak of his powers was unrivalled, coupled with an elegance that suggests he really was born to bat and made it an art form. Lastly, he has a first class average of circa 56.02!! This has him in the top 20 first class average of all time!!

What a lovely debate to have, 2 outstanding Kiwi cricketers that have bought generations immense happiness and pride. Just chuffed I have been lucky enough to watch both careers!

Also, Glenn Turner has definitely got to be in the mix. He had a falling out with NZ cricket and never really played as much for NZ as he should have, he played most of his cricket in England for Warwickshire (I believe) and is only 1 of 25 cricketers in the history of the game to have scored a hundred first class hundreds!!! let that sink in, that is an incredibly amazing achievement and one that doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

Not arguing about the fast bowlers at the time but who are the top tier batsmen of crowes time (I don't know that era) and how does he compare to them?

Williamsons stats in this era is world class and will compete with all the best, Kohli, Warner, Smith etc

 

[JaggedJ]

Not arguing about the fast bowlers at the time but who are the top tier batsmen of crowes time (I don't know that era) and how does he compare to them?

Williamsons stats in this era is world class and will compete with all the best, Kohli, Warner, Smith etc

I'd say pretty favourably, but maybe not top 4 like Williamson is. Crowe did have some overlap with some truly great players as his time was nearing its end as well so not sure how to factor it in.

Guys he played the majority of his career against you'd have to say are up there would be Allen Border, Javid Miandad, Viv Richards while there's other guys who were around the level of Crowe who you could debate about depending on what country you support.

Guys like Tendulkar and Lara came along in the 90's as Crowe was starting to head into his injury affected later years so I wouldn't really consider them the same era.

PS. Get Warner out of that list of greats. Great short form player, doesn't deserve to be mentioned with the greats at test level.

 

[tyrael]

PS. Get Warner out of that list of greats. Great short form player, doesn't deserve to be mentioned with the greats at test level.

His stats are good though?

 

[JaggedJ]

His stats are good though?

View attachment 5043

Scroll down to home and away stats. A guy who can only bat in favourable conditions isn't a great imo.

 

[BangBro's (still banging)]

Do you think that the same goes for Conway??

No! He still has an excellent record. Can't drop him for his first slump. He has to work his way out of this.

 

[Ever Hopeful]

It will be interesting to see how this progresses as the game goes on. It has the hallmarks of a dead rubber, though how the inexperienced SA batsman play will be the variable.

I need to go out and am just waiting for Ravindra to get the last 4 runs for his double century...I have been waiting 30 minutes...

 

[WA Warrior]

Last thing you need when you’re on 199 is a guy at the other end with so much nervous energy looking for suicidal singles.

 

[wizard of Tauranga]

It will be interesting to see how this progresses as the game goes on. It has the hallmarks of a dead rubber, though how the inexperienced SA batsman play will be the variable.

We will be aiming for 500+ and hope to not bat again.

3 days to bowl out their B team twice should be doable.

 

[Ever Hopeful]

We will be aiming for 500+ and hope to not bat again.

3 days to bowl out their B team twice should be doable.

I have seen this pitch a couple of times before at Mt Maunganui. The unfortunate combination of hard to score runs, but also hard to get out. I can see the Saffas being very conservative and sucking the life out of the game. If they can occupy the crease in their first innings then this test may run out of time. But yes, odds on to NZ at present.

I think NZ will have to bat again. NZ need to score the next 100 very quickly

 

[tyrael]

Can Ravindra best 302....