New Zealand Tour of England - 2021

[Satan666]

Little less than an hours play me reckon! Eng still with 7 wickets in hand!

 

[Ed Smith]

Zak Crawley averaging 10.6 since his 200. Reached double figures twice in ten innings

Spoiler: Poor

Almost as if he's not actually a Test match No 3

 

[CerealKiller]

NZ are obviously playing for the draw!

You mean England?

 

[Velocity]

What is with New Zealand and their love for two match test series?

 

[Satan666]

You mean England?

No, NZ. Had they declared the inns earlier, a victory would have been a possibility. Had it not been for the rain a weakened England squad wouldve been victorious.

Match drawn first test and NZ looked very unimpressive to me!

Post automatically merged: Jun 6, 2021

What is with New Zealand and their love for two match test series?

Nothing with NZ or Eng for that matter. This is a result of the arrangements India have with Australia and Eng where the ‘big 3’ play the most matches amongst themselves, similar to the colonial period we learnt about in school, my bad forgot youre still a young lad at school.

 

[CerealKiller]

No, NZ. Had they declared the inns earlier, a victory would have been a possibility. Had it not been for the rain a weakened England squad wouldve been victorious.

Match drawn first test and NZ looked very unimpressive to me!

Didn’t Kane set them 270 in 70 overs?

 

[Satan666]

Didn’t Kane set them 270 in 70 overs?

Way too much runs in a 4th inns in English conditions and it this situation anything over 200 wouldve been game on, perhaps 220-240. Albeit this is my first match I have followed on English soil well over some years.


I think the issue with most of you guys here on the Cricket Discussion threads is yall thinking being skewed by the fast food T20 cricket. Its not an attack on any member at all just something that I am noting, where many members are falling prey. Test cricket is a whole different ball and game and rarely matches are decided by luck and chance!

 

[CerealKiller]

Way too much runs in a 4th inns in English conditions and it this situation anything over 200 wouldve been game on, perhaps 220-240. Albeit this is my first match I have followed on English soil well over some years.


I think the issue with most of you guys here on the Cricket Discussion threads is yall thinking being skewed by the fast food T20 cricket. Its not an attack on any member at all just something that I am noting, where many members are falling prey. Test cricket is a whole different ball and game and rarely matches are decided by luck and chance!

It was definitely chaseable.

 

[Bevab]

No, NZ. Had they declared the inns earlier, a victory would have been a possibility. Had it not been for the rain a weakened England squad wouldve been victorious.

Match drawn first test and NZ looked very unimpressive to me!

Post automatically merged: Jun 6, 2021

Nothing with NZ or Eng for that matter. This is a result of the arrangements India have with Australia and Eng where the ‘big 3’ play the most matches amongst themselves, similar to the colonial period we learnt about in school, my bad forgot youre still a young lad at school.

You really need to watch some of those impossible run chases over the last two years to realise that even this could have been chaseable. No team is going to set low targets to chase anymore given the miracles previously seen. A certain Asian team with a captain who loves intent would have certainly gone for the win first before trying to save the game.

Also we get it, you hate NZ, there's no need to be subtle about it.

 

[Bevab]

Way too much runs in a 4th inns in English conditions and it this situation anything over 200 wouldve been game on, perhaps 220-240. Albeit this is my first match I have followed on English soil well over some years.


I think the issue with most of you guys here on the Cricket Discussion threads is yall thinking being skewed by the fast food T20 cricket. Its not an attack on any member at all just something that I am noting, where many members are falling prey. Test cricket is a whole different ball and game and rarely matches are decided by luck and chance!

Gabba-2021 has spoilt us. While we kept waiting for a Rishabh Pant to show up, this England side had one Pujara too many. But cricket, and in particular Test cricket, owe New Zealand a great deal. Remember, this series means nothing; it's not even a part of the next WTC cycle. They could've easily treated this as a practice net, batted out the day, shut shop, gone boring, blamed it on the rain. Instead they've risked running their bowlers to the ground with an intense workout, given that the next Test is only three days away. They risked everything. If only England were half as brave. If

- Cricbuzz.

 

[Satan666]

You really need to watch some of those impossible run chases over the last two years to realise that even this could have been chaseable. No team is going to set low targets to chase anymore given the miracles previously seen. A certain Asian team with a captain who loves intent would have certainly gone for the win first before trying to save the game.

Also we get it, you hate NZ, there's no need to be subtle about it.

You are completely right about that Britty! Had it been Virat he would’ve gone for the jugular! Clive/Steve/Ricky wouldve done the same too.

Yeah I am lacking some crucial games the last couple years, to go through them now is very difficult but I take your point on teams being less risky.

Certainly not I do not hate NZ at all. Lets just say in this set up I am favouring England. Just because I am happy a side does not win, means that I hate them.

 

[Velocity]

You mean England?

Uhh no obviously not, if NZ hadn't been putting that ball just outside off tempting the bat and bowling in good areas they could've easily won!

In all seriousness, that was a very boring second innings form England. There are definitely other teams who could've gone for it like a certain Asian team like Bevab said. But at the same time, England have got nothing to lose because of the series relevance to the WTC, but losing the first match of a two test match series takes out a series win out of the equation. Which pretty much explains England's approach. They've never replicated their aggressive intent in ODIs in Tests under Silverwood and Root, and it may be for the better, once the match winner in Stokes comes back and maybe an aggressive Buttler. Didn't expect them to go for the win with your slow accumulators at the top with Burns and Sibley.

NZ did bowl well, they lacked a decent spinner in that innings with the visible turn on offer. Santner split his finger on his bowling hand gave too many freebies, and he's never been a very good spinner in Tests anyway. It might be a good idea to bring in Ajaz Patel who may come in handy if the pitches become spin friendly on days 4 or even 3 for the next test and the WTC final as well.

 

[CerealKiller]

 

[Satan666]

Latham to lead NZ for 2nd test as Kane is out!https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/...and-tom-latham-to-captain-new-zealand-1265697

 

[Aislabie]

Let's look at some England batsmen!

OPENING BATSMEN

Rory Burns

Range	Batting Statistics	VARP
Last 10 Tests	562 runs @ 33.05 (1 century, best 132)	0.51%
As Opener	1448 runs @ 32.90 (3 centuries, best 133)	25.07%
Career	1448 runs @ 32.90 (3 centuries, best 133)	25.07%

Recently, Rory Burns has been almost exactly average but he certainly ought to be persisted with - especially after he re-established himself with a century in the first Test. I also see him as the next England captain.

Zak Crawley

Range	Batting Statistics	VARP
Last 10 Tests	613 runs @ 34.05 (1 century, best 267)	27.22%
As Opener	265 runs @ 20.38 (best 66)	40.04%
Career	687 runs @ 31.22 (1 century, best 267)	3.98%

Early signs (like slapping 267 in the last Test of last summer) suggest that Zak Crawley might be a Test-quality batsman. What he clearly is not is a Test-standard opener. More on that later though when we look at top-order batsmen.

Keaton Jennings

Range	Batting Statistics	VARP
Last 10 Tests	458 runs @ 25.44 (1 century, best 146*)	22.41%
As Opener	755 runs @ 25.17 (2 centuries, best 146*)	28.91%
Career	781 runs @ 25.19 (2 centuries, best 146*)	26.75%

I am by no means suggesting Keaton Jennings as a solution. But he is at least pretty consistently inconsistent.

Dom Sibley

Range	Batting Statistics	VARP
Last 10 Tests	354 runs @ 22.12 (best 87)	53.55%
As Opener	942 runs @ 31.40 (2 centuries, best 133*)	27.59%
Career	942 runs @ 31.40 (2 centuries, best 133*)	27.59%

I like Dom Sibley a lot, but VARP does not. It is worth noting that VARP does not reward crease occupation, which is Sibley's main quality, but regardless of that he has established himself as a below-average Test opener.

TOP ORDER BATSMEN

Jonny Bairstow

Range	Batting Statistics	VARP
Last 10 Tests	391 runs @ 21.72 (best 52)	41.11%
As Top-Order	421 runs @ 28.07 (1 century, best 110)	17.09%
Career	4,197 runs @ 34.12 (6 centuries, best 167*)	2.74%

It's not that Jonny Bairstow isn't just a Test number three, or that he's only just about a replacement-level Test batsman, it's that his Test batting has been in a tailspin for years. I'm glad I gave myself this reminder actually; it gets even worse too - the Test before the 10-Test window, he managed an eight-ball pair against Ireland, and the last time he scored more than 52 was his angry innings in Sri Lanka in 2018.

Zak Crawley

Range	Batting Statistics	VARP
Last 10 Tests	613 runs @ 34.05 (1 century, best 267)	27.22%
As Top-Order	421 runs @ 52.63 (1 century, best 267)	93.32%
Career	687 runs @ 31.22 (1 century, best 267)	3.98%

I hesitate to use #Rootmaths here but it is undeniable that Zak Crawley's Test numbers are severely propped up by one huge and anomalous innings. If excluded, his averages are 20.00 (overall), 20.35 (last 10 Tests), 20.38 (as opener) and 22.00 (in the top order). Those are consistent numbers. If that is his level then it's not good enough.

Joe Denly

Range	Batting Statistics	VARP
Last 10 Tests	597 runs @ 33.16 (best 94)	18.68%
As Top-Order	639 runs @ 29.05 (best 74)	45.23%
Career	827 runs @ 29.53 (best 94)	22.88%

Going back to Joe Denly probably isn't the answer is it. Especially not in his most-batted position in the top-order. He's less below-average as an opener, but still not fantastic.

Joe Root

Range	Batting Statistics	VARP
Last 10 Tests	970 runs @ 57.06 (3 centuries, best 228)	136.59%
As Top-Order	6211 runs @ 46.70 (13 centuries, best 254)	50.87%
Career	8699 runs @ 49.43 (20 century, best 254)	62.03%

The obvious first name on the team sheet, Joe Root has benefitted from the purple patch to end all purple patches on spinning tracks in the winter. However it is interesting to note that he is not being used in the position that necessarily makes most difference for the team, as his very good record in both the middle order and opening positions shows. But Root is England's best batsman - if he wants to bat at four, let him bat at four.

I was going to do middle-order batsmen too, but I'm not feeling it right now.

I guess where I'm going with this is that England still have some big problems with their top-four. And also the middle-order if Ollie Pope insists on continuing to bat like a Mark Ramprakash clone. For what it's worth, here's my best-effort at an England batting order:

Pos	Best XI	IPL/injury replacement
1	Rory Burns	none
2	Dom Sibley ?	none
3	Zak Crawley ?	none
4	Joe Root	none
5	Ben Stokes	Ollie Pope
6	Jos Buttler	Dan Lawrence
7	Ben Foakes	Sam Billings?

As you can see, the injuries and unavailabilities are a real problem for England at the moment, especially as I'm entirely unconvinced by the idea of James Bracey, Test keeper-batsman. Speaking of unconvincing keeper-batsmen, Jos Buttler makes this side as a specialist batsman at number six because he averages 51 batting there with both of his Test hundreds and a 50+ score every three innings across the 21-innings sample, and because there's not a better option available at present.