Cricket Thread

[Amobokoboko]

Australia did a magical job during their first innings. I do think Sa will struggle this innings. Johnson is playing so damn good. Quality fast bowler.

Can't wait for the second test match between India and NZ. Go Black Caps!

 

[Larksea]

oh god aweful start for NZ with peter, hamish and Tom all sent packing. the good news is that all of the regular performers/established batsmen players are still to come and hopeful the inclusion of Neesham will baluster the mid to lower order. Anderson Critical again.

Would think this is the type of situation BJ Watling is made for, been quiet recently but he is still one of our best batsmen and hes due. Either way we really need McCallum or Williamson or both to stay in for the long haul.

Dhoni won the 7th straight toss, fricken crazy. This is really a pitch you want to win the toss on, and its already showing.

 

[Amobokoboko]

Sharma was on a roll. Will be a difficult come back for the Black Caps.

 

[Darwin]

India is a pretty dominant position against New Zealand. They have a 100 run lead on the 1st innings with 4 wickets still in hand (and Dhoni & Rahane are set). New Zealand need to get one of these two out quickly and expose the tail to the new ball. Losing the toss really cost us, as we had no answer to Sharma (who bowled very well!) on a green pitch. Even if we bowl India out for 350-odd (unlikely) we will have a hard putting ourselves in the winning position as there is still 3+ days to go (and we would be starting 150+ behind). We would need one of our top order batsmen to get a really big score - if Rutherford and Fulton want to keep their spots in the side now would be a great time to deliver!

Interesting to see that Australia are completely dominating South Africa. Johnson proved his display vs England was no fluke, completely destroying the South African batting lineup. Australia have a 480 run lead with 2 days to play - If I was the Australian captain I would bat for another hour or so (or even a whole session) and get some quick runs, and give themselves 5-5.5 sessions to bowl South Africa out....

 

[RoosTah]

Heck of a dominant performance by Australia against the Proteas - they've just basically repeated what they did to England, but this time it's even more impressive given that it's away from home against what has been considered an undisputed championship South African team.

 

[Darwin]

Heck of a dominant performance by Australia against the Proteas - they've just basically repeated what they did to England, but this time it's even more impressive given that it's away from home against what has been considered an undisputed championship South African team.

Yip, complete domination by Australia. Personally I was surprised how convincing they were. Not only did Johnson demolish the SA batting lineup, but the Australian batsmen looked comfortable against the best pace bowling attack in the world. Almost all of the top order batsmen contributed too, with Doolan, Marsh, Smith, and Warner all making decent scores. I expect SA will be stung by that result, so the 2nd test should be a cracker!

It was good to see McCullum and Watling show some fight yesterday, saving NZ from and innings defeat. We will require a miracle to prevent losing this match, as we are effectively 6/5 with 2 full days to play. If we could somehow add another 150 runs we could have the slimmest of chances, but would require the Indians batting to be pretty dire. Our best hope is probably praying for rain

 

[Amobokoboko]

What a comeback by McCullum. I never expected them to built such a big lead after trailing soo long. Still a couple of wickets in hand so it's looking very good.

 

[Larksea]

wow, now the Indians are preying for rain.

well not quite but McCallum has taken NZ from being in a position to lose by an innings to being in a position to push for a draw or even bat india out of the game completely and give our bowlers a shot at winning the match. The key being that our bowlers have had two days rest and the Indian batsmen have had two days out in the field chasing the ball around.

McCallum may even become the first kiwi to score over 300

Neesham looks very composed in his first test, we are going to see a lot more of him in the black caps. Peter fulton, not so much.

Historic day in NZ sporting history, I honestly think McCallum & black caps should be up for this years major halberg awards for what he has done this summer.

 

[RoosTah]

wow, now the Indians are preying for rain.

No kidding! Wow... that has to be one of the most incredibly fightbacks in memory. What a stand!

Really hoping the Kiwis can complete this and beat India now. Will help knock them down out of 2nd place too, which doesn't belong to them anymore.... it belongs to South Africa haha

 

[smartcooky]

wow, now the Indians are preying for rain.

well not quite but McCallum has taken NZ from being in a position to lose by an innings to being in a position to push for a draw or even bat india out of the game completely and give our bowlers a shot at winning the match. The key being that our bowlers have had two days rest and the Indian batsmen have had two days out in the field chasing the ball around.

McCallum may even become the first kiwi to score over 300

Neesham looks very composed in his first test, we are going to see a lot more of him in the black caps. Peter fulton, not so much.

Historic day in NZ sporting history, I honestly think McCallum & black caps should be up for this years major halberg awards for what he has done this summer.

You shouldn't discount the contribution of BJ Watling. Situation was tailor-made for his a gritty and determined style.

I guess all the McCallum-haters out there can just STFU now!

 

[Darwin]

Ok, so I didn't expect that. The miracle I asked for happened

Phenomenal batting by McCullum and Watling, and an excellent innings at the end by Neesham. When we lost Watling we were still only 200-odd ahead, so Neesham innings was vital.

It will be interesting to see what NZ do tomorrow morning. Do they just keep batting as long as possible so they are assured of the draw (and a 1-0 series win), or do they look to declare and push for the win? Personally I think they should make sure they don't lose - they have done so well to fight back in this match it will be a shame to waste it with a declaration that is too generous. Given India scored at over 4 an over in the first innings and the pitch is looking very flat we probably need to bat for at least anther hour to make the game safe. I'm sure McCullum will want to get to 300, which will be the highest test score by a NZ player....

 

[smartcooky]

Just watching the highlights package with Jimmy Neesham batting. He reminds me a little of David Gower, one of the most elegant left-handers I've ever seen.

 

[RoosTah]

Ok, so I didn't expect that. The miracle I asked for happened

Phenomenal batting by McCullum and Watling, and an excellent innings at the end by Neesham. When we lost Watling we were still only 200-odd ahead, so Neesham innings was vital.

It will be interesting to see what NZ do tomorrow morning. Do they just keep batting as long as possible so they are assured of the draw (and a 1-0 series win), or do they look to declare and push for the win? Personally I think they should make sure they don't lose - they have done so well to fight back in this match it will be a shame to waste it with a declaration that is too generous. Given India scored at over 4 an over in the first innings and the pitch is looking very flat we probably need to bat for at least anther hour to make the game safe. I'm sure McCullum will want to get to 300, which will be the highest test score by a NZ player....

I personally reckon they ought to declare. it's day 5 and they lead by 325... India would have to bat pretty bloody well to get 100 a session and attempting it will likely create opportunities for the kiwis; if the Kiwis can get a couple early wickets, then they'll have the Indians by the balls.

 

[Darwin]

I personally reckon they ought to declare. it's day 5 and they lead by 325... India would have to bat pretty bloody well to get 100 a session and attempting it will likely create opportunities for the kiwis; if the Kiwis can get a couple early wickets, then they'll have the Indians by the balls.

If the series was still 0-0 I think declaring early (perhaps after McCullum got his 300) would be a good option. However given we are 1-0 up and a draw would win us the series I think we should take the conservative option. I can probably count the number of test series we have won in the last 5 years on one hand - I don't it is worth risking a 1-0 series victory for the narrow chance of a 2-0 victory. While I agree 320+ would not be an easy total to chase, the pitch conditions need to be taken into account. The NZ batsmen have batted brilliantly, but the pitch has basically been a road - most pitches deterioate as the test progresses, but this pitch seems to getting better by the day. India scored at over 4 an over in their 1st innings (in more difficult batting conditions) - at that rate they would easily score 325 in a day...

I think it is important to remember that we aren't Australia. Therefore (a) we aren't used to winning test series, and (b) we don't have Mitchell Johnson in our attack

 

[smartcooky]

I personally reckon they ought to declare. it's day 5 and they lead by 325... India would have to bat pretty bloody well to get 100 a session and attempting it will likely create opportunities for the kiwis; if the Kiwis can get a couple early wickets, then they'll have the Indians by the balls.

Nah.

New Zealand scored 319 for 1 on day four, batting under extreme pressure to save the test. The pitch is a dead one, and while it is turning, its predictable, and besides, we don't have a specialist spinner. If he declares overnight, there is a far greater chance that India will get the runs than New Zealand will get 10 wickets.

India has to win the test or they will lose the series, so make it really hard for them... bat for half an hour, rack up a quick 50 runs and set them about 375 to win in two and a half sessions.

 

[RoosTah]

Nah.

New Zealand scored 319 for 1 on day four, batting under extreme pressure to save the test. The pitch is a dead one, and while it is turning, its predictable, and besides, we don't have a specialist spinner. If he declares overnight, there is a far greater chance that India will get the runs than New Zealand will get 10 wickets.

India has to win the test or they will lose the series, so make it really hard for them... bat for half an hour, rack up a quick 50 runs and set them about 375 to win in two and a half sessions.

Yeah fair call. May as well make the task as hard as possible for the Indians and deny them the series either way.

 

[ABs2011]

Gonna skip work today and go down and watch McCullum (hopefully) bring up 300!!

NZ won't declare until the game is completely out of India's grasp. I think a lead of 400 absolute minimum, possibly even more. Then they will have a little crack with maybe 50 to 60 overs to bowl India out. I would have absolutely no disappointment though if NZ just batted as long as they could. If we draw this match we win the series. Who cares if it's 1 - 0 or 2 - 0? What will be remembered is that we won the series, McCullum's knock, and the record 6th wicket partnership between Watling and McCullum (not the score).

Fantastic effort by Watling and McCullum in this test!! Until now I have been a bit on the fence with McCullum (as a test player) as to how god he really is, but these last two test IMHO have shown a different side to him, a responsible one, a grafty one, and hopefuly a sign of much more to come form the NZ captain!! Congrats McCullum!!

 

[Larksea]

You shouldn't discount the contribution of BJ Watling. Situation was tailor-made for his a gritty and determined style.

I guess all the McCallum-haters out there can just STFU now!

Yeah watling was critical, I said way back when we lost early wickets that Watling and Neesham were going to be important and they really came to the party. The overall situation was taylor made for watling fantastic innings. Shame he got out to a very tired looking shot against the new ball.

 

[InsaneAsylum]

stoked with McCullum's innings, hope he gets the the triple and then some. india should have trouble chasing 450+

 

[Larksea]

302 up for McCullum

and out, not matter. he has batted India out of the match and passed the 300 mark, the first Kiwi to do so. his Job is more than done.

how about Neesham too, a ton in his first test.