Sports 🏏 Black Caps

[John Nick]

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

When do you expect the declaration
I am thinking about an hour into the last session.
Just my thoughts
That changes the thinking

 

[Ever Hopeful]

When do you expect the declaration
I am thinking about an hour into the last session.
Just my thoughts
That changes the thinking

I think so. They need to progress the match at this point. No threat of bad weather on the horizon helps everything. The run rate was under 3 when Ravindra was nearing 200. They have upped it to 3.4.

Tomorrow will be another batting day, so I think they would have liked to have the ball fairly new to have started the morning, but things haven't quite progressed that way.

 

[John Nick]

I think so. They need to progress the match at this point. No threat of bad weather on the horizon helps everything. The run rate was under 3 when Ravindra was nearing 200. They have upped it to 3.4.

Tomorrow will be another batting day, so I think they would have liked to have the ball fairly new to have started the morning, but things haven't quite progressed that way.

Starting to turn already

 

[Ever Hopeful]

Santner won't like getting bowled, but he might not mind the way it happened.

 

[Ever Hopeful]

Nice. There is a big difference between 500 at 3.5 compared to 500 at 3.0 on a non-threatening wicket.

 

[John Nick]

Nice. There is a big difference between 500 at 3.5 compared to 500 at 3.0 on a non-threatening wicket.

Especially when we are expecting no weather interruption

 

[tyrael]

Jamieson on

 

[Ever Hopeful]

Jamieson on

It is remarkable how often he bowls balls that would hit the stumps from his height.

 

[Wah's Up]

Wow, Conway what a catch

 

[Ever Hopeful]

That was a catch of nightmares for Henry. It brings back the ptsd from my cricketing days!

 

[Boats n Hoes]

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.

No doubt Kane is our greatest, but Martin Crowe wasn't too far off, his career ended prematurely really and by the end of it he was batting on one leg and still scoring centuries. Aesthetically his stroke making was more pleasing on the eye than Kanes
If you haven't witnessed a Martin Crowe on drive or hook and pull shot Google it.....just oozes absolute class. As for Kane he's like a metronome, unflappable and just a run making machine.

 

[Wrighty]

No doubt Kane is our greatest, but Martin Crowe wasn't too far off, his career ended prematurely really and by the end of it he was batting on one leg and still scoring centuries. Aesthetically his stroke making was more pleasing on the eye than Kanes
If you haven't witnessed a Martin Crowe on drive or hook and pull shot Google it.....just oozes absolute class. As for Kane he's like a metronome, unflappable and just a run making machine.

I could easily make a case that Crowe was better than Kane

Crowe had harder bowlers to face including the 1980s Windies
Without looking up the stats to back this up Crowe had a good record against Australia in Australia while Kane has done nothing of note in Australia.

 

[Boats n Hoes]

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

Mighty effective and consistent batsman. Ugly technique tbh.....perfected the jump 2 feet off the ground on drive. I remember when he first came on the scene the Aussie commentators just tearing him to pieces for his technique. By the end of that summer he had shut them all up....so much so the Aussies had to cheat to get him out.

 

[Wrighty]

After much consideration I have decided I don't rate Rachin's double century.
I put it alongside Guptil's 188 vs Bangladesh and Matthew Hayden's 370 vs Zimbabwe

He gave a dolly of a chance at 75 and South Africa B fielder dropped a soda and he frequently edged through the vacant 3rd slip area.
There was a bit of horseshoes about Rachin's inning.
The bowling attack he faced was pretty rank. The clear best bowler was de Swardt and he is not test match standard.

I am glad he got the runs - but his next test match century against real opposition will be his real first century in my opinion.

That stone thrown against his inning aside....he spent time at the crease in a test match and survived when the pitch was green. Without him and Kane in the team we would have made less than 250 notwithstanding the fact it was a B team attack.

 

[John Nick]

After much consideration I have decided I don't rate Rachin's double century.
I put it alongside Guptil's 188 vs Bangladesh and Matthew Hayden's 370 vs Zimbabwe

He gave a dolly of a chance at 75 and South Africa B fielder dropped a soda and he frequently edged through the vacant 3rd slip area.
There was a bit of horseshoes about Rachin's inning.
The bowling attack he faced was pretty rank. The clear best bowler was de Swardt and he is not test match standard.

I am glad he got the runs - but his next test match century against real opposition will be his real first century in my opinion.

That stone thrown against his inning aside....he spent time at the crease in a test match and survived when the pitch was green. Without him and Kane in the team we would have made less than 250 notwithstanding the fact it was a B team attack.

Fair enough but as an ex cricketer I would have been very excited about scoring a double century in any test match.
I was excited for the guy and hopefully he kicks on.
Aussie will be a different story for him but he can only bat against the opposition of the day

 

[WA Warrior]

After much consideration I have decided I don't rate Rachin's double century.
I put it alongside Guptil's 188 vs Bangladesh and Matthew Hayden's 370 vs Zimbabwe

He gave a dolly of a chance at 75 and South Africa B fielder dropped a soda and he frequently edged through the vacant 3rd slip area.
There was a bit of horseshoes about Rachin's inning.
The bowling attack he faced was pretty rank. The clear best bowler was de Swardt and he is not test match standard.

I am glad he got the runs - but his next test match century against real opposition will be his real first century in my opinion.

That stone thrown against his inning aside....he spent time at the crease in a test match and survived when the pitch was green. Without him and Kane in the team we would have made less than 250 notwithstanding the fact it was a B team attack.

Wrighty, first you called Mitchell a dud and now not rating an international double century.
Against a weaker SA side I get it but I will not be anything than positive for an innings like that

 

[John Nick]

Wrighty, first you called Mitchell a dud and now not rating an international double century.
Against a weaker SA side I get it but I will not be anything than positive for an innings like that

I can't believe the down playing of our cricketers recently. Nicholls, Conway , Mitchell and now Rachin.
Must have been some hellishly good cricketers on this forum

 

[Wrighty]

My ranking of the South African bowlers

De Swardt
Olivier
Daylight
Moreki
Daylight
Daylight
Paterson
Brand's nude spin


Paterson was a real let down. And did not reward his country for his selection. Went through the motions and bowled without courage or fighting spirit. The game was lost before it started as far as he was concerned.
The other bowlers gave it 100% Moreki in particular really bent his back
Olivier could have had 4fer on another day,
DeSwardt was a revelation of kinds but really bowled poorly to Darryl Mitchell and had the wrong game plan to him. I smiled when Darryl bitch slapped him for six back over his head. His tactic to Mitchell was clean bowl him or trap him in front lbw. That was a lack of respect to our number 5 batsman because even though I don't rate Darryl he has a decent front foot defence and who does de Swardt think the fuck his is with his 120,kmh bowling that he can clean bowl one of our top order batsman.
He should have been using negative bowling to Darryl and bowling at 7th or 8th stump. Darryl's six was the best thing he has done in his career as far as i a concerned.

 

[Wrighty]

Fair enough but as an ex cricketer I would have been very excited about scoring a double century in any test match.
I was excited for the guy and hopefully he kicks on.
Aussie will be a different story for him but he can only bat against the opposition of the day

Agreed and well said.

 

[John Nick]

Agreed and well said.

Hahaha. Mine are only words from my keyboard. Rachin has just scored a double century and very early in his career and he deserves accolades