New Zealand in England

[angryangy]

Has to be the best draining venue in the world

According to the Lord's groundsman Mick Hunt (good thing he opted against 'Mike') the Lord's drainage is about 2 inches per hour, or 50mm.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...efit-as-drainage-takes-the-strain-458125.html

According to HG Turf, the drainage rate of their HPG system is 100mm per hour (4 inches). This system is employed at the MCG and Gabba in Australia, plus Eden Park in NZ.
http://www.hgturf.com.au/sfd_hpg.html

 

[angryangy]

Hmm, well everyone must be on the edges of their seats. 2/52 is not a great session, but NZ will be content to be edging forward, while you'd think England would be a bit irate.

 

[irottev]

If England want us to score some runs they're fully entitled to bowl a bunch of loose deliveries. I have to say, the fields haven't been attacking enough all through the innings.

 

[Sureshot]

Looks like Sidebottom has found his rhythm again.

 

[Gilly Fan]

I wish I could watch this. Dont have Fox Sports.

I guess Highlights will be enough.

Who is televising this in England?

Watching the highlights, some of the New Zealanders must've thought it was still IPL with some of their shots. Especially Ross Taylor. Terrible shot to get out.

 

[Highlander999]

Sky Sports televise nearly all cricket in England. I can see this being a draw, as they are currently off for bad light.

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This is stupid whenever I say anything the opposite happens.

Players have just returend to the pitch and Sidey has bowled Southee and with Martin next in the England innings should be starting soon

I PREDICT ENGLAND WILL NOW LOSE!!!

 

[zub2005]

got to give credit to new zealand to atleast get to where they are.

 

[Owzat]

Fortune favours the brave.

Which would you rather watch, a good attacking knock that gives a few chances or a boring drag to score 25 runs in a session and eke out the runs? That's why I prefer good bowling wickets, the batsmen could block and get a ripper to remove them or go on the attack and worry the fielding side with some streaky fours. Runs have high value, bowlers have to bowl well or they'll give away easy runs and that can cost them the game. And a late order waft can see 40 or 50 crucial runs added and change the complexion of the game, 400+ most innings is just tedious.

There have been way too many Test triples in recent times, pitches are too flat and that can only favour the side batting first

According to the Lord's groundsman Mick Hunt (good thing he opted against 'Mike') the Lord's drainage is about 2 inches per hour, or 50mm.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...efit-as-drainage-takes-the-strain-458125.html

According to HG Turf, the drainage rate of their HPG system is 100mm per hour (4 inches). This system is employed at the MCG and Gabba in Australia, plus Eden Park in NZ.
http://www.hgturf.com.au/sfd_hpg.html

Do you know what the drainage figure is for old trafford? 100mm per day probably

 

[zub2005]

its going to be a real hard test for NZ

 

[King Pietersen]

Cook and Strauss looked in good knick in the period that they batted. Strauss made very few mistakes, only 1 in the period that i watched, and that was only because of a cracker of a ball from Martin which seamed away. Cook had the 1 edge which went through the vacant 3rd slip area, but other than that he looked in fantastic form, some lovely shots off Southee. Southee really didn't look as good as his debut performance. He looked poor with the bat again, like the first innings of his debut, and didn't bowl well, although his figures are down to that 1 decent over from Cook. I think he's been rushed into test cricket too early. Hopeful for a good day tommorow, if Cook and Strauss could put on 150-200 that'd be a real boost, then with Vaughan, Pietersen, Collingwood, Bell, Ambrose and Broad, we should be able to put on 450-500 and have a really good chance of bowling NZ out without reaching our runs. Going to be a tough series for New Zealand.

 

[irottev]

I hope there's bad weather and we can restrict England to around 300. Come on the draw.

Of course it's gonna be a tough series. Always was.

Good to see Sidebottom get 4 wickets at the end. Thought he might go wicket-less when we were 6 down. Ends up with the last 4 and pretty good figures. He's my favorite England bowler but then again, there's not much competition. The rest are poofters. Especially Broad, he needs to get a man's haircut.

 

[Sureshot]

A very odd day, lots of breaks for bad light. Definitely our day though, good base set by Cook and Strauss, Cook looking in very good touch.

My article has been updated with today's thoughts.

http://www.planetcricket.org/forums/showthread.php?t=43245

 

[MUFC1987]

Couldn't disagree more. McCullum has to play his natural game. He is an agressive player and it's his natural instinct to attack. It won't work for him or the team if he tries temper that too much. He looks to change the momentum of a game by taking the game to the bowlers and putting pressure on them.

He does look to do what Gilchrist has done for Australia, but often he has to do it to turn a game around rather than build on what his top order has done. No disrespect to Gilchrist (he's been an awesome player and has revolutionised the keeper/batsman role), but McCullum has a far more difficult task because he doesn't have the batsmen around him. He also has to play most of his cricket in New Zealand on our bowler friendly wickets rather than the fast wickets in Aus.

I'm not saying he shouldn't be positive, but the ways he's going he's going to fail more times than not. I mean look at the innings he played yesterday, he was going well got a bit of luck and then hoicks at Panesar and gets bowled, if he's going to bat in the top 5 he needs to learn to get big scores. On this sort of pitch the bowlers are going to be able to gets batsmen out, but when a batsman gets himself out, a la Ross Taylor as well as McCullum, there is no excuse.

Regarding the Gilchrist point, he not only added to a total, which he did a lot, but at times he attacked to turn an innings around, which is all well and good, but as I said, batting at 5 McCullum needs to show that he can mentally cope with Test cricket.

 

[vaibhav mehta]

saddest person on the earth now.I have missed two days due to extreme busy schedule.
Hope because of Saturday and Sunday I can catch some of the action.
Just looking at score card and I think England is in command as I guessed.
Its tough for NZ to make return in to the game unless England would hurt themselves.
Just wanted to check How Strauss has played?
But I am at wrong place as nobody going to describe here truth.
I want a brief 100 from Both Cook and Strauss.

Strauss made very few mistakes

I don't know any Test innings without edges toward third man.
If thats the marker to check Batsman quality then Dhoni should never allow to play test cricket as He nicks 4 balls out of 6 if Lee is bowling toward him.

 

[m_vaughan]

I thought Sidebottom was unlucky on day 1, so for him to get four today was well deserved. He has been England's most consistent performer in recent times.

I think to talk about 450-500 at this stage is a bit premature. A few wickets could really change the complexion of the game. England need to first get past the Kiwiz score and then try and build their lead from there on.