Story The ICC World Test Cricket Medal: ***Day Four Highlights***

[just_cricket]

 

[Biggy]

A true underdog story. :

 

[Jaztheman]

Strange idea but hopefully it can go well and see England crowned Champions at Lords.

Good start.

 

[surendar]

Good luck to this story I like Kiwis but they coming to no :1 needs more luck. How many semi finals Kiwis have reached in Wcups but still no luck

Anyways, looking forward to this story.

 

[OffCutters]

Good start, strange to have a world cup for tests but looks good so far.

 

[just_cricket]

Fixtures Announced:

The ICC have also released a copy of the draw on Cricinfo:

Bangladesh will get more cricket than many of the countries, contrary to what they though earlier, as the ICC have arranged for them to tour both South Africa and Australia, to give the top guns some practice before the semi finals:

There is some truth in the claim that the Rules and Regulations are a little boring, so instead of being posted on Cricinfo, the ICC has posted an attachment on Planetcricket.
Please be aware that what is to come will be far more exciting...​

 

[just_cricket]

Broadcasting Rights

Broadcasting Rights Announced​

No sooner than news of the ICC World Test Cricket Medal was announced , the fight was on for the big broadcasting companies, as they fought to gain telecasting rights for the tournament.
The ICC, in response to the overwhelming number of companies that sought the rights, have decided that a different company will be given the rights for each 'series' in each country.

have won the rights to broadcast all games held in the UK.

have won the rights to broadcast all games held in Sri Lanka, and the semi final in South Africa.

have won the rights to broadcast all games held in New Zealand.

have won the rights to broadcast all games held in India, and the United Arab Emirates.

have won the rights to broadcast all games held in the West Indies.

The tournament kicks off on the 24th March, at Lords. This opening game will be brought to you by Sky Sports on International Television.

 

[just_cricket]

The Newbies

A 24 yearold South African import, Wagner is finally eligible to play for New Zealand in 2010. This left arm quickie has been impressive on the NZ domestic scene from the outset, with 110 first class wickets at an average of just 21. He is possibly the quickest bowler in New Zealand first class cricket, bar Shane Bond, and can swing the ball both ways, and bowl a skiddy bouncer. A real handful when he gets it right.

Another Left Arm Fast bowler, Trent Boult has really worked hard and as a result has turned himself into a real speedster. He was named in 2009 Chappell Hadlee Series but never played, and now has his second shot at International Cricket. 13 First class wickets at 30.84 don't flatter him, but the New Zealand selectors are obviously prepared to take a gamble. He swings the ball in to the right hander, on on his day can be almost unplayable.

Kane Williamson was labelled a name for the future even before he made his first class debut at the age of 17. The now 19 year old was a prodigious talent in his teen years, many coaches said he was the best young batsman they'd ever seen. An average of 45.22 at first class level proves what he is capable of, and many people- even Australians- are predicting that he will be one of the great batsmen in years to come.

26 year old Anaru Kitchen has earnt his chance through sheer weight of runs and the consistency at which he has scored them. Promising in his early years but hardly a star, Kitchen has
a first class batting average of 55.25, which is some achievement playing on NZ pitches. A number 3 batsman, Kitchen will probably struggle to find his way into the team during this tournament, but his selection signals the fact that it is a matter of when, not if, he makes the Black Caps.

 

[surendar]

Its going to be tough for those new rookies to participate directly in a big competition i believe. :cool: Good luck though.

 

[Highlander999]

Good to see Shane Bond being selected and NZ defying the evil ICC A lot of potential in that NZ team, hopefully they will do well

 

[brock.crowley]

Looks....interestin,I wanna see what this turns out like

 

[just_cricket]

Welcome to Lords for the opening match in the inaugural ICC Test Cricket World Medal, between England and New Zealand. It promised to be an exciting game, to kick off what promises to be an exciting series. What do you think Michael Atherton?

Thanks, David- well the statistics definitely favour England, with New Zealand having just one solitary victory over England at the home of cricket, back in 1999. Out of the other 14 games, England have won 6, with 8 being drawn.

That's right, Michael, but thankfully for the Kiwis, history and statistics now mean nothing. How do you think the teams are shaping up for this match?

Well, David, the squad of New Zealand players is fairly inexperienced. Captain Daniel Vettori is the most experienced, but none of the remaining players could really be considered veterans. Keeper Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor, Jamie How, Daniel Flynn, Tim Southee, Jacob Oram and Chris Martin were all here when these two sides last met at Lords in May 2008, but it is unlikely that all of them will make the playing side for this match.

What of the Englishmen?

Well you'd have to say that, like New Zealand, England has really been under performing lately. Their last series win was in fact their win over the New Zealanders back in 2008. However, there is real talent in the England camp, and the competition is there for the taking if they perform to their potential. The batting is one of the best in the world, with world class openers Alastair Cook and captain Andrew Strauss heading the lineup, and from there Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Andrew Flintoff can all score big runs against any team. There is speculation on the topic of England's wicketkeeper today- I think the selectors will choose Matthew Prior, who is a well accomplished batsman and is improving with the gloves, rather than Tim Ambrose who is also a tidy wicketkeeper, although probably not as good a batsman as Prior. On the bowling front, what do you think, David?

Well, Michael, Ryan Sidebottom is back to his best and you'd think would be an automatic selection for this test. From there, I think Steve Harmison is also bowling very well, so he should make the team as well. Flintoff is also getting the ball through well, so the final pace bowling slot will be filled by either Stuart Broad or Matthew Hoggard, as James Anderson is out with a knee injury. Both Broad and Hoggard are well equipped to take the spot. Graeme Swann and Adil Rashid have been bowling at a good standard lately, but I think Monty Panesar is bowling well enough again, and certainly has the x-factor, to be a key spinner for England.

Well, all will be revealed in about ten minutes, but in the mean time let's cross to David Lloyd for a report on the pitch.

Thank you, gentlemen and let me tell you about this strip. The groundsman says he has gone to great lengths to provide a pitch that will ensure exciting test cricket- hard and fast. I have seen nothing to dispute his claim, as the pitch is very hard, and will be helpful to pace bowlers with plenty of pace, bounce and carry. The spinners should also get a bit of assistance, as the ball will bounce and the pitch is not absolutely flat, so the slight uneven patches could play into the spinners hands. The groundsman here has done a great job in providing us with a pitch that is fair for a game of cricket and should see a result inside five days.

I think you've got to win the toss and bat on this pitch, because the pitch will be at its best today. Batting first, I think anything over 350 would be a competitive score. The weather is very good, just a few clouds about, and the expected high is 26 degrees. Back to you, Athers.

Thank you very much, David, and now, David Gower tells me, we can look at the teams, as they've just been announed.

That's right Michael, our viewers should be able to see them up on their screens now:

Well, where can we start? Predictably, Strauss, Cook, Pietersen, Bell and Collingwood made the side as batsmen, and Flintoff will bat 6, and Prior has been chosen ahead of Tim Ambrose. But the bowling lineup is very much 'old look' in stark contrast to the bowling attacks we've seen turn out for England lately. What I called the 'new look' bowling attack had James Anderson (who is out injured), Stuart Broad, Darrin Pattison and Graeme Swann. However, we are very much back to 2006/07, with Harmison, Hoggard and Sidebottom as the quick bowlers, and Panesar as the spinner. What are your thoughts, David?

I think the England selectors have done a fair enough job here. Harmison has been bowling particularly well for Durham lately, and I think Sidebottom and Hoggard are back around their best. The same goes for Panesar, who to be fair is the best spinner in the country. The old stages have warranted selection.

And for the New Zealanders, Jamie How is back again, this time with batting partner Martin Guptill, someone who England won't have seen much of. Daniel Flynn is playing, no James Anderson for England! He of course was hit in the face by Anderson back in 2008, and lost a few front teeth, but he recovered well and did look a well accomplished player.

Taylor, Oram, McCullum, Vettori and Franklin are well known to us, but the surprises are young Kane Williamson, who will be making his debut today at the age of just 20, batting at 5. And Tim Southee is back from last year, he'll be someone to watch out for- named Player of the Series back in 2008 in the ODI series. Shane Bond is another big name- New Zealand will be thrilled to have him back. The ICC of course released the former ICL players to play in this tournament.
So all is set for an enthralling contest, join us after the break for the toss...

 

[Jaztheman]

Great presentation mate, very good analysis and graphics looking good too.

I think England are going to win in my opinion as people like Williamson will crumble under the pressure. New Zealand need the likes of Vettori, Oram and McCullum to perform very well if they want a chance.

 

[harrisb]

looking forward to reading about england demolishing the new zealand bowlers

KIU

 

[surendar]

Kiwis are looking stronger on cards to me.. Look at their batting line up, if they fail even now.. there is no excuse really. Com'on kiwis

Lovely presentation