New Zealand in England

[vaibhav mehta]

YA Karl I was just reading that article over Cricinfo that Vaughn has backed up Flintoff.

 

[karnog]

It's going to be an interesting series, but I think the fact that the NZ team is going to be apart for so long without any of the top players and captain could really work in England's favour. England's players have been allowed to go away and play some proper cricket. The likes of Flintoff, Hoggard, Anderson, Strauss, Vaughan etc etc etc have all been playing county cricket, 4 day cricket, aswell as the odd 50 over FP Trophy game, they're just going to be much better prepared than the NZ players who are out playing in a Mickey Mouse Twenty20 competition. I don't think it's going to do the NZ team any favours at all. Apart from the in the T20 game

Definetly for bowling but fielding and batting are certainly gaining favours. Most of the NZ players have performed well with the bat (ok only Mcculum with a few quick fire 40s from Ross Taylor) and that would make them far more confident. Playing against bowlers like Gul, Mcgrath, Lee, Sharma Warne, etc. etc. is definetly an added bonus. I can't say any of the English bowlers at the moment can compare to them except Sidebottom. As for fielding well i think Twenty20 helps that way. Now if only Bond returns...

Yeah im worried about their bowling (mind you i'm impartial in this series). Interesting to see how Vettori and Oram adjust. While O'brien and Mason maybe performing its not enough to remove the top 6 of England. Its certainly going to be interesting. I'm hoping Southee (common english name eh) gets a spot.

if cook doesnt play then i would like to see key in there as well, with vaughan at 3, vaughan is also hinting that flitoff may be back for the first test soon which would be a massive boost for england!

Thats a huge boost but has there been any confirmation that he's 100% (fitness wise). I heard his bowling has been exceptual in the past few games (actually according to Langer). Another bloke possibly making a comeback from poor form (and no not Harmison) is Hoggard. Heard he took 8 wickets in an innings. Boy if he finds form England are light years ahead of NZ.

 

[lancashire666]

Thats a huge boost but has there been any confirmation that he's 100% (fitness wise). I heard his bowling has been exceptual in the past few games (actually according to Langer). Another bloke possibly making a comeback from poor form (and no not Harmison) is Hoggard. Heard he took 8 wickets in an innings. Boy if he finds form England are light years ahead of NZ.

well ive not seen him live myself so far this year, not been to any games yet, and sky have put on hardly any cricket! but my dad has seen him twice and said that he has had the batsman in lots of trouble both times, hes also been bowling a fair amount of overs as well as picking up a few wickets and had lancashires most economical rate i think, all the reports arre saying hes in good form as well, but his bowling always is, i still beleive he is englands best bowler and he normally is back on the money very quickely, but his batting is totally different, takes him a while to get form with the bat, so if he does play dont expect anything special with the bat from him

 

[Sureshot]

Flintoff's bowling is not a problem. It's his batting, that is the problem and he isn't capable of batting in a test top 7 at the moment.

I don't think Hoggard ever had 'bad form', a poor game or two. Hoggard, Sidebottom, Broad and Panesar should destroy New Zealand this summer.

 

[MUFC1987]

Hoggard had a bad game and a half and was turfed out.

Regarding Flintoff, I agree that he's not good enough to bat in the top 7, which means that he has to be fit enough to get through 20 overs in a day, which I'm not sure that he is. He shouldn't be rushed back for me. When you look at the team that finished against New Zealand, it's only really the third seamers place that should be up for debate in my view. Sure switch Vaughan down the order but you shouldn't be dropping anyone from the top 6.

So leave Flintoff and see how he goes, he either needs to show he can bowl a lot, or suddenly find form from a few years ago with the bat to get back in the team.

 

[lancashire666]

i dont think flintoff has to fnd form with the bat to get into the team, glennmcgrath never had to play well with the bat did he, if he can bowl 20 overs in a day then he is in the team no matter how he does with the bat, and the reports form lancashire this year so far is that he can bowl 20 overs at full pace already, i think he could get throught the first test easyly at the moment

 

[angryangy]

its the first step to international cricketers putting money over playing international cricket

1978

 

[karnog]

i dont think flintoff has to fnd form with the bat to get into the team, glennmcgrath never had to play well with the bat did he, if he can bowl 20 overs in a day then he is in the team no matter how he does with the bat, and the reports form lancashire this year so far is that he can bowl 20 overs at full pace already, i think he could get throught the first test easyly at the moment

True but then i guess it unbalances the selector's side. I feel for Hoggard as he was coming back from injury but somehow i think being dropped has created "the hunger for success". As for Harmison....

God i wished Ramprakash got a call up- pieterson gets injured and Mark gets a call up. Mind you Shah deserves the spot. As for the kiwis well i can't say much for their top order but it seems Marshall has gotten some runs under his belt. Him and Redmonds open with How at 3. Mcculum at 4 people. NZ need someone dynamic at the top. Ross Taylor at 5... never gonna happen i know.

 

[MUFC1987]

Regards Flintoff, lets not forget that the only thing saying he's back to his best is people saying 'Yeah he's as fast as he ever was' etc, because he certainly hasn't lit up the CC in terms of performance with the ball as of yet. Sure he needs to be fit, but he also needs to take wickets. Hence why I'd leave him out of the NZ Tests, he needs time to get back to his bowling best.

 

[Sureshot]

i dont think flintoff has to fnd form with the bat to get into the team, glennmcgrath never had to play well with the bat did he, if he can bowl 20 overs in a day then he is in the team no matter how he does with the bat, and the reports form lancashire this year so far is that he can bowl 20 overs at full pace already, i think he could get throught the first test easyly at the moment

So has he actually got through 20 overs in a day?

 

[0601731]

kiwis have their task cut out,they need to play out of skins if they have to score an upset.

 

[irottev]

I wouldn't say we played out of our skins, but we got the win. Mason has staked a strong claim for a starting position over Mills.

Last warm-up game i'd like to see Martin and Southee given a go.

 

[lancashire666]

So has he actually got through 20 overs in a day?

hes deffo bowled 16 at least, against somerset at old trafford when they were bowled out in the first innings for 238. his stats were 16-6-40-2 with the 2nd wicket being his 300 first class wicket. lanc ended day 1 on 60/0 after bowling them out, so im pretty sure he would of gone on to bowl a few more overs if they hadnt of been bowled out.

 

[angryangy]

I wouldn't say we played out of our skins, but we got the win. Mason has staked a strong claim for a starting position over Mills.

Last warm-up game i'd like to see Martin and Southee given a go.

I didn't see a case for dropping Mills, though. Mason might have played his one blinder for the tour, but Mills was still effective. Who sustains form against the Lions will be important.

 

[lancashire666]

Lions team

MA Carberry, RWT Key, OA Shah, RS Bopara, MJ Prior, LJ Wright, GP Swann, AU Rashid, CT Tremlett, MJ Hoggard, G Onions

New Zealanders team

JAH Marshall, JM How, JDP Oram, AJ Redmond, IE O'Brien, DR Flynn, CS Martin, TG Southee, LRPL Taylor, JS Patel, BB McCullum

thats a strong looking lions team to me, lions won the toss and are batting, currently 26/0