Posts
Loading ...new-zealand
« Previous EntriesLearn to bat like Chris Martin
By Will 1 month ago, 3 Comments »
Quality video. Click here if you can’t see it below.
3 Comments »Average batting or brilliant bowling?
By Will 2 months ago, 7 Comments »
What on earth is going on? I spent last night in a public house and got a text message at 21.35 saying “Broad out first ball of the day”. Any lingering temptations I had of finding another pub with Sky went straight out the window…so I’m finding it hard to believe the scorecard this morning. Sidebottom seven-for, and England have a lead?
Having not watched any of it, I’m trying to work out if this Test has been crap batting or brilliant bowling. It seems to be a mixture of the two, though heavily swayed in favour of the former. Amazing, isn’t it? Give two teams a cracking surface and they all collapse like a pack of cards, though no one predicted this pitch would offer so much movement.
Sidebottom’s 7 for 47 was England’s best since Steve Harmison’s 7 for 12 at Sabina Park four years ago. He’s not only passed 50 wickets in quick time, but has taken 23 wickets in this series. 23! England now lead by 176 but there’s absolutely no point in me sticking my neck out and making a prediction. So it’s up to you lot.
7 Comments »New Zealand v England, 3rd Test, Napier
By Will 2 months ago, 2 Comments »
The third and final Test of this series is intriguingly poised. Out go Jacob Oram and Kyle Mills for New Zealand, in come Tim Southee - a promising nineteen-year-old swing bowler - and Grant Elliott, a South African-born allrounder. On paper, England are favourites, but the pitch at McLean Park is as flat as an ironing board (so say the experts) and, although five days is a long time (cliché alert), all indications point to a run-feast of a draw.
There is plenty to play for - not only for this series, but the return series in May. As one of New Zealand’s lot said, they’re treating this match as the third of six, which is an interesting way of looking at it. Here’s the scorecard for when play gets underway in a couple of hours.
It’s Stephen Fleming’s 111th and final Test, and he still needs another 113 runs to achieve his ambition of averaging 40 in Test cricket. He couldn’t have a better pitch on which to give it a fair crack. It’s also Christopher Martin-Jenkins’ last Test as The Times’ cricket correspondent. He’ll still be commentating, and occasionally writing the odd feature (for Cricinfo, hopefully), but it brings to an end a fine and distinguished reporting career by one of the most respected writers in the industry. Cheers to CMJ.
2 Comments »New Zealand v England, 2nd Test, Wellington
By Will 2 months ago, 8 Comments »
To windy Wellington we go for the second Test, with England lacking two of their most experienced fast bowlers, Matthew Hoggard (err - what?) and Steve Harmison. I’d have agreed with dropping Hoggard - if only to send shockwaves through the team that anything other than an excellent performance simply won’t suffice. But this is meant to be a green, seam-friendly swinger in Wellington - and as “talented” as Michael Vaughan thinks James Anderson is, reliable he is not. It’s all or nothing.
On that merry note, join us at Cricinfo for a full package of joyous fun and analysis and occasionally laughter. And, in between drinking yourself into a depressed stupor, leave a comment or three below.
8 Comments »A deserved outcome
By Will 2 months ago, 7 Comments »
New Zealand deserved to beat this frightened, meek England side. It all happened so quickly, and I’ve had five (sorry to moan) hellishly awful nightshifts that I cannot string a proper sentence together. So - leave your more erudite offerings below. I’m off to sleep for three glorious days until Wellington.
7 Comments »Catching into contention
By Will 2 months ago, 5 Comments »
What a genuinely extraordinary day of Test cricket. My boss and I meandered through proceedings much as England did, as Stephen Fleming and Jamie How looked increasingly confident, before an hour of brilliance took over. New Zealand’s bravado cost them dear. (scorecard)
So flat did England look that New Zealand confidently mucked around with their lineup in an attempt to chivvy their run-rate. But in doing so, they let England through the backdoor and allied with some astonishing catching - the like of which I haven’t seen an England side take for years - we’re in for a corker of a final day.
Matthew Hoggard’s catch to dismiss Jamie How was a wonderfully athletic salmon-leap at deep midwicket. A Youtube classic for sure. But the real sensation - and that is what his catching has been in this Test - was Alastair Cook who added two more snaffles to his three in the first innings, one of which was an outstanding two-handed leap to his left. When an average fielder pulls off a fine catch, we all dismiss it as a) marvellous / wonderful / slightly hilarious and b) a fluke to be savoured, not expected. But when has one fielder, who was previously considered nothing short of a liability, taken so many corking catches in a Test? Remarkable.
However, isn’t it odd that a flurry of catches can make an average team look really rather good? England, as Andrew Miller points out in his verdict, probably don’t deserve to be in this situation; they bowled like drains in the first innings and their batsmen have showed all the urgency of an asthmatic mole.
Some of you will no doubt tick me off for not praising England - and yes, Ryan Sidebottom richly deserved his hat-trick - and you’re quite welcome to call me a cynical old bugger. But for now, let’s just savour the fact that a dead Test match has fizzed into life with one day to go. Who needs one-dayers?
5 Comments »England aren’t kidding anyone
By Will 2 months ago, 5 Comments »
Judging by the way England’s batsmen pottered and tottered today, it’s clear their self belief has reached a depressing new low. Even Kevin Pietersen, for all his bravado in saying his 131-ball 42 was “one of his best innings”, struggled more than I can ever remember and New Zealand’s patience paid off. They nagged and nagged and waited and waited and each England batsman succumbed. Daniel Vettori bowled beautifully - and I’ve always rated Jeetan Patel, who looks like he belongs in Test cricket - but rare was the sight of a spitting delivery off a length. It was all about patience. New Zealand had plenty, England none. Their brand of aggressive Australian-style batsmanship, born in their successful run-up to the 2005 Ashes, is so utterly misplaced nowadays that when they encounter a low-and-slow surface, they have no answer other than to block.
Patrick Kidd wondered the other day what England’s lineup might be for next year’s Ashes, but I’m rather more concerned with the selection dilemma they face for New Zealand’s return trip here next month.
5 Comments »Alastair Cook shocks us and himself
By Will 2 months ago, 9 Comments »
Although it was slow going at times, the first day in Hamilton was quite engrossing. Both teams sparred in the first session, then New Zealand threw away a number of their wickets with some dreadfully sloppy shots, and they go into the second day pretty much on level footing with England. England don’t quite have their noses in front…though perhaps one nostril.
What a day Alastair Cook had, and how entertaining it was to watch the surprise on his face at each of his three catches. The first was a lifter in the gully which almost knocked him backwards - not a difficult chance but nevertheless expertly taken. His second, a salmon-leaping effort in the gully to dismiss Stephen Fleming, was an absolute corker (it’s not on Youtube yet - do leave a comment if you find it). Plucking it one-handed to his right, he threw the ball away in that nonchalant fashion which has become popular, but even he couldn’t believe he’d held on. Since his debut, Cook has looked more arthritic than athletic in the field, but perhaps this is the turning point. England need a good gully - Ashley Giles was as safe as houses there.
England’s outfielding was generally over zealous - overthrows galore and stupid shies at the stumps - but their catching today was faultless and as good as I’ve seen since the 2005 Ashes.
But it was a curious day, and not just for Cook’s catching. Steve Harmison rarely reached 80mph; Paul Collingwood averaged above 75mph; Ryan Sidebottom was comfortably the fastest with a mean mean of 86mph and Matthew Hoggard bowled like a drain. Sidebottom is decidedly slippery nowadays - what the hell’s going on?
9 Comments »New Zealand v England, 1st Test, Hamilton
By Will 2 months ago, 9 Comments »
Ah, Test cricket. We welcome it back with open arms, albeit wiping the sleep from our eyes as we prepare to reverse our body clocks in the pursuit of sport and entertainment. Still - it could be worse (it could be 12 months ago when we were weeping our way through the depression of the Ashes) and England have an excellent chance of gaining an upper hand over New Zealand.
Of course, New Zealand can never be written off or dismissed entirely. Like a particularly hardy breed of mosquito, they’re rather hard to swat; what they lack in quality they more than make up for in grit and a never-say-die attitude. However, with the absence of Shane Bond - who’s deserted them for the wallet-swelling lure of the Indian Cricket League - New Zealand’s attack looks flimsy at best; only Daniel Vettori and Chris Martin can boast 50 Test wickets to their name. That is a worryingly weak statistic.
So do chat away. We’ll be doing all we can at Cricinfo to a) stay awake during the inevitable rain delays and b) keep you amused on commentary, so keep an eye on us. I’ll leave this open for the Test for you night owls to dissect the teams’ performances.
9 Comments »‘Jesse the tosser’?
By Will 3 months ago, 9 Comments »
A couple of weeks ago there was an indication - however fleeting - that Jesse Ryder, New Zealand’s troubled young batsman, might have overcome the mental woes which once threatened to cut short a highly promising career. He was walloping England all over the place, proving that under the flab lay a wonderful eye and an appetite (for want of a better word) for runs.
But it’s all come crashing down to earth with the news that he put his hand through a window after one too many pints, severing the tendons, which required a visit to the hospital. In his local casualty, he then abused the staff - “Don’t you know who I am? I’m New Zealand cricket” was one of the politer offerings - and will be out of the game for three months.
He is an extraordinary character. I remember putting up this story last May that Ryder was to turn his back on New Zealand and commit his future to Ireland, to whom he had signed for 2007. Accompanying the release were these oddly detached quotations from him which, even then, suggested he held a fuzzy view of his own future. “I didn’t want to play for them for another year,” he said. “I have told New Zealand Cricket. It didn’t go down well, I had a few phone calls. I am still pretty young. Every now and then you do some stupid things - but I am still scoring runs and taking wickets.”
The very next day, however, it emerged that Ryder had failed to turn up for Ireland after missing his plane. It effectively ended his association with the country, and so it was a surprise to see his name included in New Zealand’s one-day squad a few weeks ago. He looked an extreme talent then…but it’s all gone full circle and he’s back “soul searching”, asking himself “serious questions” and all that malarkey.
Who knows what will happen with him, but can New Zealand really afford to tolerate such a maverick? Can cricket? Part of me loves the story - and regardless of your opinion of him, it’s a cracking tale - but mostly I find it pathetic that such a talented cricketer can be allowed to drift like this.
Lastly, a quote from Steve Deane in the New Zealand Herald:
“Those actions suggest that, beneath the veneer of Jesse the Lad, actually lurks Jesse the Tosser.”
So which is it to be? Talented hero or timewasting tosser?
9 Comments »New Zealand v England, 1st ODI, Wellington
By Will 3 months ago, 2 Comments »
England enter the one-day series against New Zealand not only in winning form, but as favourites. What on earth is going on? Me and my boss, Martin Williamson, will be covering the game on ball-by-ball and bulletin throughout the night at Cricinfo. Read Peter Burdon’s preview and join us over there for analysis and humour.
2 Comments »Richard Boock, the fence-sitter
By Will 3 months ago, 8 Comments »
There’s a strong chance Richard Boock, the New Zealand journalist, may never leave Australia alive - assuming, that is, he ever receives an invitation to visit the country. Yesterday, he launched a stingingly hilarious rant on Australia’s media following the recent monkey-business:
Then there was the Australian cricket media who, with a few notable exceptions, appear to be the most sycophantic group of arse-crawlers ever assembled in one nation, to the extent that it was impossible last week to gain any sort of accurate or at least balanced picture of proceedings.
New Zealanders really know how to wind up the Aussies. Read the full piece here.
8 Comments »The New Zealand Black Cocks
By Will 3 months ago, 4 Comments »
Now this, you couldn’t make up:
We all know the All Blacks and cricket lovers know that these days the Kiwis like to be known as the Black Caps. But did you know that the national football team were the All Whites?
And what about the basketball team, the Tall Blacks? Then there is the national bowling team who are known, believe it or not, as the Black Jacks.
But the prize for the best name of any sporting team surely anywhere in the world goes to the New Zealand badminton team. Now, bearing in mind what badminton players use instead of a ball, can you come up with their handle? Yes, that’s right. The New Zealand badminton team are known as the Black Cocks. I kid you not.
Too. Many. Jokes. From Paul Newman’s enjoyable tour diary.
4 Comments »Brendon McCullum in a hurry
By Scott last year, at the end of December, 5 Comments »
How about this for a one-sided ODI game?
5 Comments »Lee Germon is back
By Will last year, mid-December, 6 Comments »
Good grief, there’s a blast from the past. Remember Lee Germon? He was ushered into the New Zealand captaincy about 12 years ago (1995?) - a Test debutant - but didn’t last long, cast into the wilderness. So I was surprised to read he’s back in a managerial capacity for Canterbury.
How do you pronounce his name? German? Ger-moan? Ga’mon. Ger-mon? I prefer German, just because it’s wrong.
6 Comments » « Previous Entries