New Zealand Domestic Season

[Ari]

5 games is enough to show how overated you are.

 

[Howsie]

Winner: Central Districts
Runner-Up: Northern Districts
Most Runs: Probably Ross Taylor, but I'm going to guess at Ravi Bopara or Shannon Stewart
Most Wickets: Ewen Thompson
Worst team: Wellington
Flop: Owais Shah

Picking CD to do very well with the likes of Taylor, Ingram, Sinclair, Oram, Thompson, Napier and Diamanti in the XI. They'll have plenty of bowling options.

I'm hoping and really think ND will do well this year, we have one of the better bowling line-ups and quite possibly the best 20/20 bowler in the world with Vettori. If we can do well for the first 5-6 games until Dilshan get's here I could see us getting pretty far.

Picking the worst team is pretty harsh, but I just don't really like their bowling attack and can see them giving up 180+ totals quite a lot.

 

[Ari]

Most Wickets: Ewen Thompson

The thought had crossed my mind as well I just couldn't bring myself to put his name down.

 

[Howsie]

The thought had crossed my mind as well I just couldn't bring myself to put his name down.

Haha yeah I didn't like it tbh. It was a toss up between him and Napier for me though, I just think with CD's batting line-up teams will always have to go for it really hard at the top of the innings and a guy like Ewen Thompson could prosper with his slower balls and what not.

 

[-D-S-B-]

Winner: Central Districts
Runner-Up: Otago (not sure, a little biasedness)
Most Runs: Ross Taylor
Most Wickets: Neil Wagner (keeping the faith)
Worst team: Wellington
Flop: Owais Shah/Yasir Arafat

The teams all have their strengths, and I wont be suprised if my predictions are completely wrong.

 

[Ari]

Not long to go now

Auckland have won the toss and are bowling.

 

[Howsie]

The pitch is looking pretty slow, anything over 140 will be good IMO.

 

[Howsie]

Par score IMO, well have to bowl well. Bruce Martin, Kane Williamson and Daniel Vettori will be the keys.

And what was up with Bopara's 5 step run up, looked out of it tbh.

 

[Ari]

I was wondering how long it would take for either Bopara or Shah to run someone out. :laugh

 

[-D-S-B-]

Northern are playing bloody good.
Loving the pink! :laugh

 

[aussie1st]

Geez Vettori is brilliant, saw the highlights and that was some dam good hitting.

 

[CG123]

That was a great game first up, even thou it was a crap result.

Vettori was too good with both bat and bowl, but after all he is the best player in the world...

I was actual said Hopkins would do well when he came to the wicket, but he got out just at the wrong time. Bopara really has to do more with the bat, as our overseas player. I hope Guptill's injury wasn't to serious, as he is probably our best batsman and fielder.

 

[Ari]

Wellington team for the game against CD tomorrow.

Matthew Bell (Captain)
Dewayne Bowden
James Franklin
Paul Hitchcock
Mark Houghton
Andy McKay
Cameron Merchant
Chris Nevin
Jeetan Patel
Neal Parlane
Owais Shah
Luke Woodcock

No Ryder, No Elliott we are so screwed. Going to need Franklin, Shah and Patel to really step up if we are to stand a chance.

 

[-D-S-B-]

Wellington team for the game against CD tomorrow.

Matthew Bell (Captain)
Dewayne Bowden
James Franklin
Paul Hitchcock
Mark Houghton
Andy McKay
Cameron Merchant
Chris Nevin
Jeetan Patel
Neal Parlane
Owais Shah
Luke Woodcock

No Ryder, No Elliott we are so screwed. Going to need Franklin, Shah and Patel to really step up if we are to stand a chance.

A few good idividual players, but definately missing Ryder and Elliot. Gonna be extremely hard for Wellington to win.
I hope Arafat can turn things around tomorrow, he's more than capable with the bat, but his bowlingg has been a faliure so far... Oh well I can't wait for the game.

 

[Howsie]

Yeah I can't see Wellington winning with that line-up, although it is 20/20 so you never know.

On todays game, I thought ND were pretty good. The batting fell away at the end kind of but the bowling (for the most part) and the fielding was excellent.