[Cricket] Cricket- New Zealand v England Test Series- November 27-December 13 2024

[ManOfSussex]

Who's on the NSC sofa tonight ?

I am. Crawley needs a knock here.

 

[Eeyore]

I am. Crawley needs a knock here.

It seems extraordinary that an opening batsman could play 50+ Tests at an average of 30 unchallenged. That said, I can't really think of anyone in the shires making a big enough claim for his slot.

A hundred here and he'll get another full summer

 

[ManOfSussex]

It seems extraordinary that an opening batsman could play 50+ Tests at an average of 30 unchallenged. That said, I can't really think of anyone in the shires making a big enough claim for his slot.

A hundred here and he'll get another full summer

I'd have to Google it (and you know I'm good at that) but hasn't he got the worst average for any batsman in Tests for that many innings?

 

[Eeyore]

I'd have to Google it (and you know I'm good at that) but hasn't he got the worst average for any batsman in Tests for that many innings?

I didn't know that. I would have though Mike Brearley would have been less.

Edit: MJB only played 39 Tests

 

[ManOfSussex]

I didn't know that. I would have though Mike Brearley would have been less.

Edit: MJB only played 39 Tests

He's played far more Tests than Brearley. And he's out again!

 

[LamieRobertson]

That bounced for me

 

[Ethelwulf]

Crawley really should not be in the test team

 

[ManOfSussex]

We're in trouble as Steve Harmison just said.

 

[Eeyore]

That bounced for me

I thought the screen would call a not out. Bit surprised.

 

[LamieRobertson]

I thought the screen would call a not out. Bit surprised.

Likewise…..Harmison said out but he tends to be a bit England negative in my view …this wicket made for Henry

 

[Terry Connor]

 

[Terry Connor]

On the Bashir debate, he really should have bowled first up today. The first hour was predictably pointless.

 

[London Irish]

I didn't actually see much (any?) of that India series, but from what I can tell:

NZ's top wicket takers were Ajaz Patel and Mitchell Santner, neither are playing in this series because they don't expect the pitches to have much for the spinners. Santner in particular played one match and took 13 wickets, which is wildly out of kilter with the rest of his career - he went into that match with an average over 42 and 0 five wicket hauls.

Their player of the series and 2nd highest run scorer isn't playing, because he's been dropped for Williamson. There are a few players who've been struggling for form for a while.

It was a low scoring series, which generally acts as a leveller. If you look at the scorecards, there's one match where they bowled India out for 42 on the first morning, one where Santner took 13 wickets and a final match where Ajaz Patel took 11. It's a great performance but it's not a blueprint for success in New Zealand.

This England team are, notwithstanding their struggles in spinning conditions, very good. In particular, Brook currently has more than twice as many runs as the next England player and most of those runs have been scored in the first innings to set the two games up.

Cheers. Seems like a bit of a balls up by the NZ selectors not to play Santner before now given what is unfolding now

 

[maltaseagull]

England preparing for the Ashes 143 all out. NZ 136 for 3.

 

[Triggaaar]

Well that was fun

 

[Cheshire Cat]

It seems extraordinary that an opening batsman could play 50+ Tests at an average of 30 unchallenged. That said, I can't really think of anyone in the shires making a big enough claim for his slot.

A hundred here and he'll get another full summer

They tried everyone else a couple of years ago and they were all worse. Crawley isn't a test class opener, but neither was anyone else.

Flat track bully.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

I love the Free Range Fans area sign there.

Looks like it might be a long wait for play today

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

They tried everyone else a couple of years ago and they were all worse. Crawley isn't a test class opener, but neither was anyone else.

Flat track bully.

If anything he's the opposite of a flat track bully, the only series he's played where he's hinted at any sort of reliability were against Australia and India.

Not that I have any expectation of them being picked, but I think some of the players who were tried and discarded are significantly better players now than they were a few years ago. I'm thinking about Jennings in particular. One of the problems with selection nowadays is that people get a good initial run but then are written off completely if they get dropped. There have been plenty of players over the years from different countries who've had golden periods in their career from their mid 30s onwards but England rarely seem to consider picking people like that.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Here's a "fun" game for people if you happen to see this before seeing the scorecard this morning.

Can you guess a) whether Crawley's still in, b) if he's out, who took his wicket, and c), if he was in single figures at the time?

 

[Greg Bobkin]

We're loose. Defiantly