Story A Journey with the Blackcaps **New Zealand vs Australia: 1st Test**

[Jaztheman]

Good start to the story ,Tom, looking forward to seeing this once the matches have started.

Australia's team is looking much stronger than I expected, but with you in charge at the helm, New Zealand could revolutionize their game and take it to the Aussies. Vettori will be key with the ball and with his decisions, but I reckon he'll be quality.

 

[Highlander999]

Australia Prepare and South Africa name squad​

Today, the Australian team touched down in Auckland. They were greeted by an army of photographers and reporters shoving microphones under their noses. Despite this, the Australian team looked very upbeat and were all smiles as they descended through the media. One surprise was to see Matthew Hayden walking with the players and it is understood that he will be there to help work with some of the younger guys who might not be used to all the attention surrounding them.

There was a slight scare as it appeared that Brad Haddin and Brett Lee actually missed the flight and happened to board a flight to Adelaide. However, they turned up that evening after catching a late flight from Adelaide airport. You can expect that they will struggle to live that one down

Clarke and Hayden are all smiles as they arrive in New Zealand :cool:

Meanwhile, as the Australia team settled down to life in Kiwi land, the South Africans named their 20 man squad that will be competing in the ODI tri series. Here it is:

G. Smith (C)
M. Boucher (wk)
R. Peterson
P. Harris
M. Morkel
H. Gibbs
J. Kallis
JA. Morkel
D. Steyn
M. Ntini
M. Zondeki
J.P Duminy
H. Amla
N. McKenzie
A. Prince
AB de Villiers
JL Ontong
L. Tsotsobe
Imraan Khan
J. Botha​

So there is the South African squad. It must be said that it looks incredibly strong. The number one pace bowler in the world, Dale Steyn, is included and every single batsman will be fearing the pace and swing of that man. J.P Duminy is also included. He is one of the brightest prospects for South Africa in a very senior squad. He made his mark in Australia, in very difficult circumstances and bowlers from both Australia and New Zealand will be looking to pick up his scalp. Finally we come to Graeme Smith. One of the best openers in world cricket, he has made so many runs, he probably counts runs scored instead of sheep to fall asleep Not only is he a superb batsman, he is also a cracking captain. He has led South Africa superbly these last few years and recently has put South Africa in a real position to take the number one spot off Australia. This South African squad is one that has a real chance of winning this series.

Australia have now set about their preperations for their first tour match, a 4 day match against the Northern Districts. You only have to see them in the nets to see the bowlers really charging in there and the batsmen totally focused on their task. It does highlight how good team morale is that everyone is putting in 110% and enjoying their cricket. Ponting will have a bit of trouble choosing the XI for these couple of tour matches and then for the first test.

It is expected that for the first tour match, Australia will name the side most probable to play in the first test, but so many rumours are flying around that you should take this with a pinch of salt. There can be no denying though that Australia certainly are taking this 3 match test series very seriously and are looking like a very strong team.

 

[Roofrom50]

Man that South Africa team looks solid doesn't it. I like the inclusion of Duminy, as he should tear it up, in New Zealand.

Good to see Haydos come along with the Aussie team and share some experience with the younger player, mainly batters im guessing, but he can in-light anyone. It's just who Haydos is

Wonderful update mate, keep it up

 

[bladescape]

Youch,that SA squad is strong,good luck to defeating them both.(Aussies and SA)

 

[Highlander999]

Australia get their tour underway​

Northern Districts vs Australia: 4 Day tour match at Seddon Park


Australia got their tour underway today in very mediocre fashion against the Northern Districts. Ricky Ponting and Tim Nielsen announced the side that were going to take on the Northern Districts in a joint press conference. It was a very strong looking side, with Australia opting for Siddle, Hilfenhaus and McDonald over Lee and Clark. Marcus North and Phil Hughes also got the nod and will be looking to cash in on some runs against a weak Northern Districts bowling attack.

For the Northern Districts there are some names which stand out. Hopkins, Ryder and Vettori are all in the New Zealand test squad, whilst Scott Styris and Hamish Marshall have played for New Zealand, proving that they would not be a push over and hopefully shake Australia up before the 3 match test series.

Here are the two sides:


Northern Districts

Australia

The pitch at Seddon Park was a rock hard baked surface, due to weeks of sun. This did mean that on the fourth day, there should be lots of cracks in it for the spin bowlers. There was no rain predicted for the four days and on the first day under a blazing sun, Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat first.

As Phil Hughes and Simon Katich walked out to the middle, they would have been hoping to get the tour of to a great start for Australia and get their own tours of on the right foot. Things went pretty well for Australia and they were going along at a nice steady rate. However, Michael Mason soon struck for the Northern Districts when he got Simon Katich to edge a ball into the slips after a brisk 28. Things suddenly went downhill very quickly for Australia as they soon lost Ricky Ponting and then Michael Clarke who threw away a good start.

After the lunch break Phil Hughes and Mike Hussey rebuilt the Australian innings, before Michael Mason struck again when Hughes looked to hit over the top but edged it instead. Marcus North fell cheaply, before Haddin came out for a brisk cameo but then spooned an attempted sweep straight back to Daniel Vettori. The Australian tail tried to hang around with Hussey, and McDonald and Hussey did put together a good partnership, but eventually the Northern District bowlers got Australia all out for 306 with Hussey left on 83 not out.

It was a disappointing start to the tour for Australia, with Katich, Clarke and Haddin all making starts but failing to convert them. Hughes played very well at the top of the order and Hussey looked in fine touch with the bat. It was now the turn of the Aussie bowlers to see what they could do, on a pitch which had quite a bit of bounce.

Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle were too share the new ball, however the first wicket was slightly farcical. Setting off for a quick single, Hopkins soon found himself being sent back by his partner, but he was metres out when Haddin whipped of the bails. In the second over, Siddle struck straight away having Hatwell caught in the deep when he top edged a hook shot. Jesse Ryder then fell two balls later trying to flick one across the line, then Marcus North chipped in with his spin to remove the dangerous Marshall.

From there on in, it was all Northern Districts. Scott Styris and Daniel Vettori settled down for a long time and the Australian bowlers never looked like they were going to get them out. Both made centuries with Vettori showing that he is truly a quality batsman with a superb knock of 132, when Katich eventually got him with his part-time spin. The Northern Districts tail then wagged in style taking them past 450, so that they ended up on 460 all out. It had been a superb job by the middle and lower order batsmen, leaving the Australian bowlers tired after a long time out in the middle.

For Australia, the pick of the bowlers was Peter Siddle who returned impressive figures of 4-66. McDonald and Johnson bowled pretty well, but were unlucky at times. Hilfenhaus, however, looked very weak and it looks very likely that he will be replaced with Lee in the first test. All that remains to be seen, is whether McDonald can keep Clark out. Katich and North also bowled well, showing that between them, they can sure up the spin problem that has faced Australia ever since the loss of Warne.

It was late on Day 3 when the last Northern Districts batsman fell, so the Aussie batsmen had pretty much a day and a bit to bat out. It was going to be crucial that they did this and not collapse, resulting in an embarassing draw.

The Australian innings didn't get of to the best of starts though. Simon Katich perished early on, with Michael Mason once again showing what talent he has. Luckily for Australia, Ricky Ponting, and once again, Phil Hughes, dug in till the end of the day's play, to leave Australia only one down heading into the final day but still trailing the Northern Districts.

The start of Day 4 was all Northern Districts though. Unusually Scott Styris opened the bowling with Daniel Vettori, but they both struck early on to get Ponting and Hughes, who were both very close to their half-centuries. Clarke and once again, Mike Hussey, dug in and played very sensible innings to take Australia into the lead and also take so much time that the chance of a result vanished. Clarke once again fell to Styris, and Hussey fell in the nervous 90's. North and Haddin fell without much resistance, before the Northern District bowlers swept through the Australian tail to leave them 336 All Out. Once again the innings was full of positives and negatives. Ponting and Clarke found some form, whilst Hughes and Hussey continued their good run in this match. North will be a slight concern to the selectors as he failed in both innings so there will be a big question mark hanging over his place in the team.

Overall, the match was undoubtedly useful for the Australian's. The bowlers got plenty of time out in the middle, bowling, and it helped to show which ones were up to the task. The batsmen also got a good work-out, and Australian fans will be pleased to see Hughes really settling into the void left by Hayden. Perhaps having the man himself on the tour is helping the youngster. Mike Hussey was superb and was named Man of the Match for his two high quality innings.

The next tour match is a one day affair, between South Africa and Canterbury. It will be interesting to see what side South Africa name as they prepare for the ODI-tri series.

 

[Prithvi]

great match mate...
I wish good luck for Proteas..!! they are going to bag the trophy..!!

 

[Roofrom50]

Mate, its going to be a struggle for you to defeat both these strong squads from Australian and South Africa.

But with Styris and Vettori looking in good batting form, maybe anything is possible. Love the presentation mate

 

[saladguy]

Yeah, I agree with Roo. I think that the power of the Aussies and the Saffers will be too much for the Kiwis to handle.

Liking this Tom :cool:

 

[Gurjot95]

Great Update Tom but it will be great if there will be T20 matches also.

 

[Highlander999]

"What they had to say?"​

Ricky Ponting: Well we went into this match, looking for the win and I won't deny that we aren't slightly disappointed that we couldn't achieve that. Vetorri and Styris really held us up and once they got set it was always going to be difficult to get them out. I think we didn't bat as well as we should have on this pitch. Phil (Hughes) and Mike (Hussey) batted very well, but too many of us, threw our starts away, including myself. I was realy impressed with the way Peter (Siddle) bowled and Mitch also looked quite threatning

Question from the press: What about your own form Ricky? It has been a long time since you scored a century.

Ricky Ponting: Yeah, I feel like I am just a few innings away from making a big score. I am seeing the ball well, out in the middle, I just seem to have got into a rut where I keep getting out after making starts.

Question from the press: Do you think you can win the Test and ODI series?

Ricky Ponting: Short answer. Yes

Daniel Vettori: I've got to say it was quite a nice feeling playing for the Northern Districts again. Due to the busy international schedule, I rarely get a chance to play for them, but they have an awesome work ethic and it is always good fun to play for them. It was good to be playing with Scotty (Styris) again and that partnership we had was very enjoyable indeed. It was great to get a real long period of time out in the middle. The ND bowlers did a fantastic job as well, getting Australia out twice. Special credit to Mike (Mason) who got some massive wickets for us at crucial parts of the game and without them, I suspect Australia could have posted two very big scores.

Question from the press: How do you feel about your own form?

Daniel Vettori: I feel in fantastic form at the moment. I feel that I am bowling and batting at the best standard of my career so far. I just seem to be getting a good grip on the ball and a nice amount of turn out of the pitch. I have worked really hard on my batting as well, and that 100 from the last match just summed up all the hard work for me.

Question from the press: Have you settled into the captaincy and what do you reckon of New Zealand's chances in this series?

Daniel Vettori: I feel that I have settled into the captaincy pretty well now. I speak to Stephen (Flemming) quite a bit and he is always willing to give me a few pointers. But yeah, I think I have now managed to get to the stage where I have the captaincy in one hand and my own personal form in the other. Regarding this series, we know it is going to be a tough one. These are the two best sides in International cricket and we are going to have to be in the form of our lives to win this. That said, I still think we have a good chance of winning this.



So there we have it. Vettori is feeling pretty confident about New Zealand's chances for this series, plus seems to feel he is in the form of his life. Australia will be slightly disappointed about this result as they should really have been looking to roll over this Northern Districts team.

Meanwhile, South Africa have been hard at work for their one day match against Canterbury. With such a strong batting line-up places are limited, and they also have a lot of young bowlers coming through, with great potential.

Graeme Smith really does have a strong squad available for this series, and will face a difficult time trying to select an XI as deserving players are always going to be left out. We should find out soon though who Smith has faith in, as the match against Canterbury is looming up on us. Stay tuned...

Highlander999 added 1 Minutes and 45 Seconds later...

Great Update Tom but it will be great if there will be T20 matches also.

I don't like T20

 

[KBC]

Ah! I'm feeling like I'm in New Zealand. :cool:

Great updates Tom.

 

[Roofrom50]

As damned as im going to be for saying it. New Zealand need as much confidence as they can get if they want to think there going to win a match against Proteas and Australia.

Good update tom, loving the presentation

 

[Funknath]

Good update tom KUTGW. I wish you luck. Go and defeat those aussies.

 

[saladguy]

Nice work on the interviews there. I hope that Ponting gets a century against you mate

 

[King Cricket]

Good update, decent start, and best of luck. To you and also to Vetty.