England in New Zealand

[irottev]

There seems to be some calling for Mustard to be dropped. I find that absurd. He's had 2 matches. You guys need to give the players a chance. Things haven't gone well in the ODI's so far. England may as well keep the same team for the next 3 adding Masca for Bopara, because Bopara looks like a club cricketer. At least they can't do any worse then being bowled out in 35 overs, only making 158 and then being creamed all over the park and losing by 10 wickets. Can't blame Mustard for his shot either. Hes out there to get a good start and helped get one. England need someone who plays like that.

England didn't put enough runs on the board. They got half what they should have. New Zealand proved it was easily a 300 pitch and they were going the way of scoring 400 quite easily.

 

[Kev]

It is absurd, welcome to the world of an England supporter

 

[Sureshot]

A) He's had 7 matches not 2.
B) I'm basing him on the fact I feel he was picked as a 'hot pick'. He's simply not good enough to make it at this level. His keeping is fine but his batting just needs to much work, I want someone who we don't have to spend 2/3 years working on their batting. Why I think Ambrose should get the berth, I also think the selectors are desperate to play Davies but they lack the nerve to, due to his age. I just don't think he's good enough, simple as.

 

[irottev]

He's had 2 this series. 7 still isn't many. His batting seemed to work fine in the Twenty/20s.

You know more about him then me, but it just seems silly for England to keep changing the team around all the time. Key word "team". It's hard to build a team if it's a revolving door. England need to pick their 11 best players. Full stop. If Mustard isn't the best guy they have, then they should have started with the other guy in the first place. Otherwise he deserves a decent crack.

 

[vaibhav mehta]

Its because England lost so everybody after Mustard..If they would have won nobody cares about that one catch!!!What Mustard did when everybody ran like school boys in 1st ODI!!and even colly,what he was doing today???
You can't change player by every match,you have to give them time.and anyway on 1st ODI Mustard played average not that bad...You not goona have another Respected A.STUART so you need to be Gentle...
I am still with England...Hoping for 3-2 England win.

 

[freddiw]

its like the old england, you simply cant just change your side around.

I cannot believe that mascharenas has not been playing, bopara is poor and dimi gives the bowling an extra option and could maybe open in my eyes.....dont know what anyolne else thinks

What about the bowlers i knw the batting is poor but both games we havent done anything, is there anyone else in the books??

 

[Sureshot]

He's had 2 this series. 7 still isn't many. His batting seemed to work fine in the Twenty/20s.

You know more about him then me, but it just seems silly for England to keep changing the team around all the time. Key word "team". It's hard to build a team if it's a revolving door. England need to pick their 11 best players. Full stop. If Mustard isn't the best guy they have, then they should have started with the other guy in the first place. Otherwise he deserves a decent crack.

It is silly that we keep changing, we don't give guys long enough, both the selectors and the fans. However, I never thought Mustard was good enough. he doesn't average over 30 in any form yet he's opening the innings? For me I'd like to see Key open in ODIs, he's done quite well for Kent there and he is a much under-rated player. Of course he isn't on the tour so it's irrelevant.

 

[cheese]

I think McCullum made the case last night for having a Keeper who is genuinely a keeper. Very helpful that McCullum can bat as well. Yeah, Bopara out, Dimi in. Bopara didn't look comfortable at all. Mustard looked good till you screwed himself over, really needs to sort out that if he is going to go for it, he really has to. He hit his one to Vettori, not trying to hit over, or through.

To be fair, McCullum grew into the role as well. He was an out and out batsman when he first started. He got dropped, picked up gloves for domestics, then came back into the team when our batting really needed help. He stayed in the team despite poor form with the bat, with the pretense that he's a 'keeper'. He worked hard to be a good keeper, having said that. His batting improved out of sight due to our consistent failures at the top, so he always had to bat to save us games at number 6 and 7 positions. Promotion came to the top and he's expressed the desire to open, and stayed there since.

Says something about the lack of depth in new Zealand cricket, and also why it's important to persevere with a player and groom them into the role. Cricketers' form peak with age, and McCullum (now 26) has had 5-6 years experience before he will potentially become as good as a Sanggakara or a Gilchrist with the gloves and bat.

It also half explains why most of our bowlers can bat like a batsman. Vettori became an all rounder thanks to him having to bat a lot of overs during (And in some cases still is) Black Caps' lean period with the top 4 batting. It says a lot about a side who has NO ONE in the top 20 in ODI rankings in batting but still ranks as the top 3 ODI nation.

 

[vaibhav mehta]

Ya as far as team combination is concerned DIMI must be in playing 11.but if batsman still gonna run like blind tortoise then dimi presence won't make any difference.everybody favours to drop mustard,to bring dimi but first batsmans in the team needs to go.Nobody gonna make difference if they continue to do what they were doing in 2ODI.

 

[.Mob]

Bopara is not good enough rather, to be honest. His bubble just burst, and what a spectacular burst it has been.

I still believe that Mustard has what it takes.

 

[SciD]

If England will drop every keeper after 2 games then soon there will be noone left in county circuit to try and some batsmen from 15 member squad will have to do it.

 

[vaibhav mehta]

At last Its conform,I just saw at Sky news...DIMITRI In BOPARA out...Actually nice reasons given for Exit of BOPARA at cricinfo__
He chipped a full toss to midwicket to end a tortuous innings of 23 at Hamilton, having run out England's top-scorer, Cook, with a dreadful call for a single.
Full artical http://content-www.cricinfo.com/nzveng/content/current/story/336561.html

 

[RoboRocks]

It is silly that we keep changing, we don't give guys long enough, both the selectors and the fans. However, I never thought Mustard was good enough. he doesn't average over 30 in any form yet he's opening the innings? For me I'd like to see Key open in ODIs, he's done quite well for Kent there and he is a much under-rated player. Of course he isn't on the tour so it's irrelevant.

I didn't think Mustard was the right choice when he was named but I can see he has talent and abilty to the job. He now needs some time to learn his role and the way he should go abut it. Hopefully we'll see some scores from him in the next few games. Of course if he continues to fail we have no choice but to give Ambrose a go when the tests come. I hope Mustard can make a few scores since really we want one keeper in both forms of the game.

---------------------------------------------

Right decsion to bring in Dimi instead of Bopara. His form has been shocking lately and Dimi did really well in the Twenty20 games. It sad because Bopara did well at various times and I hoped he would go on.

 

[Sureshot]

Ravi has the character to bounce back. The Sri Lanka tests were too early for him, they've damaged him and they damaged Englands performances in the series itself.

Given I have a bad chest infection atm (self-diagnosing ftw) I could well spend tomorrow night/Friday morning up watching this.

Of course what England must do is change their lengths, you can't bowl short in New Zealand, pitches are often too slow and the boundaries short enough so you can be punished.

 

[vaibhav mehta]

Looks like bopara was the only failure in both ODI?and DIMI presence going to make them play their full overs.you need to stick basic atleast,they didnt play 50overs in 1st ODI,didnt play even 36 overs...i think they lost their way and these all are self-created problem for england.hope they will find solution early!