New Zealand

CG123

Chairman of Selectors
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Squad:

Ross Taylor (c) ? Central Stags
Doug Bracewell ? Central Stags
James Franklin ? Wellington Firebirds
Martin Guptill ? Auckland Aces
Roneel Hira ? Canterbury Wizards
Rob Nicol ? Canterbury Wizards
Brendon McCullum ? Otago Volts
Nathan McCullum ? Otago Volts
Kyle Mills ? Auckland Aces
Adam Milne ? Central Stags
Jacob Oram ? Central Stags
Tim Southee ? Northern Knights
Daniel Vettori ? Northern Knights
BJ Watling ? Northern Knights
Kane Williamson ? Northern Knights

We've still got a couple of warm-ups to go, but you'd have to think that Bracewell, Hira, Milne, and Watling will be the ones missing out. Therefore our line-up will probably look like:

1. Nicol
2. Guptill
3. B McCullum (wk)
4. Taylor (c)
5. Williamson
6. Franklin
7. Oram
8. N McCullum
9. Vettori
10. Mills
11. Southee

We'll have plenty of bowling options and a deep batting line-up, but the big test will be whether one of our top four can go on and make that crucial big score that you normally need to build a good T20 innings, like McCullum did in India.
 

CG123

Chairman of Selectors
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Nicol's gone for another duck... Why didn't we take a proper back-up batsman over over there? (I assume Watling's in the squad as a back-up keeper considering McCullum's injury history)

Watling's come and gone first ball, so our squad definitely looks a batsman short now.
 
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CG123

Chairman of Selectors
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I know this is probably just going to turn into a thread where I vent my frustration, because I know there's not much interest in New Zealand around here, so I might as well get started now.

If our full strength top six (with Watling in-place of McCullum) falls to 59 for 7 off 12.4 overs against one of the worst Australian bowling attacks I've seen in my time following cricket, we're in real trouble. It looks like our batting's going to pretty much all come down to if McCullum or Taylor can make a score, and then hope that one of our all-rounders can play a cameo down the order.

Also I'm really struggling to figure out what Williamson's purpose is in the team. He was one of the form T20 bowlers in the HRV Cup and he couldn't buy a run for ND, and he gets picked here as a specialist batsman...? That's New Zealand Cricket for you.
 

Chewie

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Still, not like Nicol would have scored anything anyway :spy
 

CG123

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Still, not like Nicol would have scored anything anyway :spy

True, although no one other than him, McCullum, and Taylor have got past 30 for us in our two warm-ups and the India T20I.

Including the India tests Guptill has only got past 16 once in seven innings, although he does like bashing up the lesser nations so Bangladesh could be his cue to fire. Franklin's probably due with the bat after three failures as well.

And then there's Williamson and Watling... Probably the lesser time they spend in the middle the better, considering how slow they're going to score their runs at, with the exception being when Williamson has someone scoring at the other end like he did in the India T20I with McCullum.

Assuming Franklin ends up opening with Guptill, and McCullum and Taylor bat at three and four respectively, we're going to have without doubt the least destructive five/six combination in the history of of T20I cricket, unless they just don't even bother with Watling and move Oram up to six.
 

ferg512

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I still can't understand how Watling and Williamson are selected, but then again there really isn't anyone who is going to do much better sitting back home. I think our only chance is probably bowling first and restricting teams to around 130-140, which is a real possibility with our attack.
 

CG123

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I still can't understand how Watling and Williamson are selected, but then again there really isn't anyone who is going to do much better sitting back home. I think our only chance is probably bowling first and restricting teams to around 130-140, which is a real possibility with our attack.

In terms of runs scored in the HRV Cup they were 29th and 30th respectively, so I'd have a lot more confidence in a host of other players ahead of them.
 

ferg512

International Coach
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I'm looking through the list now and out of the ones above them (that aren't already in the squad) the only two I would contemplate would be Broom and Worker probably. In fact Worker probably did deserve a shot now that I remember how well he did last season.
 

badvintage

International Cricketer
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If those top order batsmen don't work then you can say New Zealand won't work at all.
 

spooony

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NZ lost by nine runs. Morkel smashed the last 3 balls of the 20th over for 14. Which cost them the match. NZ bowling would be more concern than the batsman. As chasing huge scores any batting line up no matter how good will struggle
 

Chewie

BCCI President
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I still can't understand how Watling and Williamson are selected, but then again there really isn't anyone who is going to do much better sitting back home. I think our only chance is probably bowling first and restricting teams to around 130-140, which is a real possibility with our attack.

I think this is the main problem, we don't really have any else that I would back to do better. Williamson is fine at rotating the strike but we never get into a situation where he is able to do that effectively and we have to rely on him for a lot of runs which he can't do quickly
 

CG123

Chairman of Selectors
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NZ lost by nine runs. Morkel smashed the last 3 balls of the 20th over for 14. Which cost them the match. NZ bowling would be more concern than the batsman. As chasing huge scores any batting line up no matter how good will struggle

In that South African warm-up four out of of what imo were our five first choice bowlers weren't playing playing; Mills, Southee, Vettori, Oram, (and McCullum who was playing).

Milne has been the standout bowler for us in our two warm-ups however, so he's probably forced his way into my 1st XI, especially because of Southee's health, Mills' injury, and Oram's permanent niggles.

In saying that Nicol and Southee have both joined up with the rest of team now, although I'm not sure whether they're been considered to play or not.
 

spooony

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In that South African warm-up four out of of what imo were our five first choice bowlers weren't playing playing; Mills, Southee, Vettori, Oram, (and McCullum who was playing).

Milne has been the standout bowler for us in our two warm-ups however, so he's probably forced his way into my 1st XI, especially because of Southee's health, Mills' injury, and Oram's permanent niggles.

In saying that Nicol and Southee have both joined up with the rest of team now, although I'm not sure whether they're been considered to play or not.

Mills Econ rate 8.39
Southee 8.49
Oram 8.63
Vettori 5.50

Apart from Vettori your first choice bowlers do not seem to do much better going for over 8 a over compare to most others going for 6.5 to 7 a over. So you start with a 40 run deficit almost everytime
 

CG123

Chairman of Selectors
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Mills Econ rate 8.39
Southee 8.49
Oram 8.63
Vettori 5.50

Apart from Vettori your first choice bowlers do not seem to do much better going for over 8 a over compare to most others going for 6.5 to 7 a over. So you start with a 40 run deficit almost everytime

I never said that they were any good, I just said that they are our first choice bowlers which imo they are.

Oram was one of the best, if not the best bowler in the SLPL. Southee and Mills pretty much only bowl in the powerplay and at the death, which is part of the reason why their economy rates are so high. Obviously I'm being bias, but I do think that all three of them are better bowlers than their economy rates suggest.

FTR most other pace bowlers don't go for 6.5 to 7 an over. Ignoring the minnows only four pace bowlers who have taken 20+ wickets operate at under seven; Sammy, Razzaq, Steyn, and Morkel.
 
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