Apart from the ‘beautiful game’ there isn’t a game on this earth that gets my attention like cricket does. While I was growing up, listening to the radio under my pillow to cricket commentary from the UK tours was the stuff of magic.
To this day, I still have the sound of the TV down and the radio on, but then that’s not surprising considering the lack of commentary that comes out of TV commentators. I wonder sometimes what they are getting paid for? So for the last few weeks it’s been an absolute treat to have the cricket from the UK again. Despite the results I am still loving the spectacle of the whole thing, a Lords Test is right up there with the US Masters for tradition and spectacle.
As for the Black Caps, I have several thoughts. Bracewell needs to be replaced before his time is up, the damage he is doing to the team is almost a crime. Well, I say Bracewell, for me, it’s whoever has the final say as far as team selection and batting positions go. I fail to understand why McCullum was selected as a batsman only. Sure he scored a half decent 70 odd, but in all reality, if those 70 odd had come further down the order, with potentially a batsman ahead of him scoring some runs, the outcome of the last test could possibly been quite a bit different.
I have never been a fan of dumping players just because their form is slightly down. I would rather see the whole team go down for a year or two, and then be rebuilt as a whole unit, than the continual dumping of players. England has shown the value of sticking with players, whom are from time to time out of form. I would love to see Peter Fulton in at number 3 permanently, go with an opening pair and ride out some hit’s and misses to see if it settles down, and the rest of the order will sort it’s self out.
Jamie How (22 innings – av 26. 1st class 120 innings, av 34
Aaron Redmond (6 innings – av 9, 1st class 124 innings av 31)
Peter Fulton (10 innings – av 26. 1st class 106 innings av 45)
Ross Taylor
Jesse Ryder
Jacob Oram
Brendon McCullum
Daniel Vettori
Kyle Mills
Tim Southee / Jeetan Patel (pitch allowing)
Chris Martin
Bowlers are a different breed. They can be changed to suit the conditions without affecting their performance to a certain degree. We have some quality bowlers and we have some up and coming bowlers. So the likes of O’Brien, Mason and Franklin all have a place in the squad. For me though, there is a fundamental failing in the sport of cricket that only 12 can be selected for a game, then if there is an injury some shumck off the street needs to be called in as 12 man. I’d prefer a squad of 15-16 to be able to be called upon right up to the toss of the coin, and then used if there are any injuries. That would allow for a full and stable squad to be called upon.
Back to that last test. Fulton called into the squad and then not used, was a failing of a massive proportion. I fail to see how he could have been called in, if they were thinking about using McCullum in the position he played all along. I would have rather seen us loose with a solid squad and players in the correct position, than what looked like a patch up job.
Lets develop a solid squad. Let’s watch the games they drop, but then also watch solid long careers develop. How many players have we lost along the way, whom if they were in squads like Australia and the England squad would have been given the time to develop into test match players.
