Saturday, November 12, 2005
Wouldn't Have Wanted to Have Travelled the World
And missed tickets to the Wales test because the travel company several hundred Kiwis purchased tickets through never showed up with them.
Or have purchased tickets to the North? Stand at Landsdowne Rd for the ireland test which has been closed due to a fire in it yesterday and will be empty for the test. That's 7,000 unlucky punters there and no doubt plenty of Kiwis up from london for the match.
Oh well, they could always shoot over to Huddersfield and watch the kiwis take on Great Britain. Once again Stacy Jones has answered the call (couldn't ya just kiss the little bugger?!) and will play in the match.
As far as I can work out the Kiwis can afford to lose by about 25 points and still make the final.
Great Britain would have to win by that much or more and then narrowly pip Aussie to make the final.
Can't see that happening but if they get off to a good start and the ref is a bit of a cheat then they would be a very outside bet. Realistically though we are better on paper and are in good form so it's hard to see us losing at all let alone being flogged. Still, that's the great thing about sport. Ya just never bloody know.
Unless it's the Black Caps playing. They seriously need to rotate players a lot more than they do to create experience and competiton. The reason why any sports team in teh world is good is because their is competition for spots. name me a high performing side in the world that doesn't have players who will be out on their arse if they don't produce the goods?
Our domestic game is adequate in terms of producing reasonable cricketers but it's not a level playing field for those who never get in the Black Caps. the Black caps get to travel the world and face the best bowlers and batsmen on all kinds of tracks in all kinds of conditions. Of course they are going to dominate the domestic scene when they are back in it. Nine months of that versus 4 months of domestic cricket against mediocre players in mediocre conditions means those players who don't get a shot are on a hiding to nothing.
I think the only way the ICC will really lift the standard of international cricket (one great side, one very good side and a bunch of underperforming, inconsistent fucks) is if they set up a proper second tier competition and even involve national teams second elevens.
Have Australia B, NZ B, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, England B etc etc all playing year round.
THEN teams will have REAL competition for the top spots and the game can go forward instead of the woeful state that it's currently in.
Look at the West Indian fast bowler factory of the past. Now it's a bloody run down dairy using spare parts from the local meat works.
Right, I'm off to pick grapefruit for a denmark diet. Yeah I don't know what the fuck it is either.
Or have purchased tickets to the North? Stand at Landsdowne Rd for the ireland test which has been closed due to a fire in it yesterday and will be empty for the test. That's 7,000 unlucky punters there and no doubt plenty of Kiwis up from london for the match.
Oh well, they could always shoot over to Huddersfield and watch the kiwis take on Great Britain. Once again Stacy Jones has answered the call (couldn't ya just kiss the little bugger?!) and will play in the match.
As far as I can work out the Kiwis can afford to lose by about 25 points and still make the final.
Great Britain would have to win by that much or more and then narrowly pip Aussie to make the final.
Can't see that happening but if they get off to a good start and the ref is a bit of a cheat then they would be a very outside bet. Realistically though we are better on paper and are in good form so it's hard to see us losing at all let alone being flogged. Still, that's the great thing about sport. Ya just never bloody know.
Unless it's the Black Caps playing. They seriously need to rotate players a lot more than they do to create experience and competiton. The reason why any sports team in teh world is good is because their is competition for spots. name me a high performing side in the world that doesn't have players who will be out on their arse if they don't produce the goods?
Our domestic game is adequate in terms of producing reasonable cricketers but it's not a level playing field for those who never get in the Black Caps. the Black caps get to travel the world and face the best bowlers and batsmen on all kinds of tracks in all kinds of conditions. Of course they are going to dominate the domestic scene when they are back in it. Nine months of that versus 4 months of domestic cricket against mediocre players in mediocre conditions means those players who don't get a shot are on a hiding to nothing.
I think the only way the ICC will really lift the standard of international cricket (one great side, one very good side and a bunch of underperforming, inconsistent fucks) is if they set up a proper second tier competition and even involve national teams second elevens.
Have Australia B, NZ B, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, England B etc etc all playing year round.
THEN teams will have REAL competition for the top spots and the game can go forward instead of the woeful state that it's currently in.
Look at the West Indian fast bowler factory of the past. Now it's a bloody run down dairy using spare parts from the local meat works.
Right, I'm off to pick grapefruit for a denmark diet. Yeah I don't know what the fuck it is either.
Comments:
I was going to post this on the Great NZ Discussion Board under the thread I started on Cairns being dropped, but since your post as a cricket edge to I'll post it here instead.
Memo to John Bracewell, Cairns is not out-of-form and you are biggest dickhead in the world. The NZ Herald [url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=4&ObjectID=10354945]reports[/url]
"Nosworthy said there could be no question over Cairns' form at the batting crease following a 101-ball 118 against Central Districts in a warm-up match last week. "
No apologies from Richard Boock as well for accepting Bracewell's assertion that Oram is the main all-rounder in the team. Oram has never been a a ODI all-rounder. He can't even bowl properly at the moment and shouldn't be in the team as he has a ODI batting average of less than 20. Make him the substitute, but don't put him in the team when he can't bowl.
We had the wrong team for SA and I don't like suffering through a 4-0 defeat.
If Bracewell makes another fuck-up with the team selection vs Australia, I am going to start a campaign to get rid of the prick.
-Dinkas
Memo to John Bracewell, Cairns is not out-of-form and you are biggest dickhead in the world. The NZ Herald [url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=4&ObjectID=10354945]reports[/url]
"Nosworthy said there could be no question over Cairns' form at the batting crease following a 101-ball 118 against Central Districts in a warm-up match last week. "
No apologies from Richard Boock as well for accepting Bracewell's assertion that Oram is the main all-rounder in the team. Oram has never been a a ODI all-rounder. He can't even bowl properly at the moment and shouldn't be in the team as he has a ODI batting average of less than 20. Make him the substitute, but don't put him in the team when he can't bowl.
We had the wrong team for SA and I don't like suffering through a 4-0 defeat.
If Bracewell makes another fuck-up with the team selection vs Australia, I am going to start a campaign to get rid of the prick.
-Dinkas
# posted by 
: 13 November 2005 at 12:24
: 13 November 2005 at 12:24
Yeah, I have lost faith in Bracewell a long time ago. Fuck this rubbish about a lack of depth in NZ cricket and having to stick with guys when they are out of form like Marshall etc etc. Using Oram as a batsman was the biggest fucking joke ever and an insult to probably a dozen guys back home who could actually average more than him.
It is exactly that attitude which has allowed guys with averages from 22-30 to stay in our ODI and test teams for years and years and years.
Until they KNOW that unless they average 30+ in ODIs and 38+ in tests they will not pull the jersey on anymore than once in a blue fucking moon.
On another note. The kiwis played like a bunch of cunts and got the flogging they deserved but the papers are saying a victory to great britain by 2-9 points v the Kangaroos will knock the Kiwis out of the finals.
by my count it's actually 3-7 points.
The Kiwis have scored way more points than either of those teams can possibly manage (which I assume is the second criteria to qualify) So GB and Aussie will have to have a better points differential than us to over take us.
We are -2, GB are -4, Aussie are +6.
So GB have to win by more than 2 (ie. 3) to overtake us (unless they reckon they can run in 48 points v Aussie) and Aussie will have to lose by less than 8 (ie. 7) to overtake us (unless they reckon they can run in 42 points v GB).
Am I right and the 'experts' wrong once again?
Seriously, these fucks just copy off each other and then a day out from the game somebody will get it right and tell everybody.
Unless of course there is a clause that says if the teams are tied on 4 points each Australia and Great Britain go through to the final because the GB and Aussie league boards decided on it in a secret vote.
It is exactly that attitude which has allowed guys with averages from 22-30 to stay in our ODI and test teams for years and years and years.
Until they KNOW that unless they average 30+ in ODIs and 38+ in tests they will not pull the jersey on anymore than once in a blue fucking moon.
On another note. The kiwis played like a bunch of cunts and got the flogging they deserved but the papers are saying a victory to great britain by 2-9 points v the Kangaroos will knock the Kiwis out of the finals.
by my count it's actually 3-7 points.
The Kiwis have scored way more points than either of those teams can possibly manage (which I assume is the second criteria to qualify) So GB and Aussie will have to have a better points differential than us to over take us.
We are -2, GB are -4, Aussie are +6.
So GB have to win by more than 2 (ie. 3) to overtake us (unless they reckon they can run in 48 points v Aussie) and Aussie will have to lose by less than 8 (ie. 7) to overtake us (unless they reckon they can run in 42 points v GB).
Am I right and the 'experts' wrong once again?
Seriously, these fucks just copy off each other and then a day out from the game somebody will get it right and tell everybody.
Unless of course there is a clause that says if the teams are tied on 4 points each Australia and Great Britain go through to the final because the GB and Aussie league boards decided on it in a secret vote.
One other thing.
If the All Blacks can take 35 guys away for 4 weeks to get between 80 and 160 minutes of game time each then surely cricket teams can go touring with 20 players instead of 14.
If rugby and league teams 'gain experience' just simply by being there and having a bit of match time now and then then cricket should do the same. I'd like to see REAL competition on tours for places instead of guys knowing they're the only ones on the tour so they are safe to average 13 in 5 matches and waltz home still in the fucking team.
If the All Blacks can take 35 guys away for 4 weeks to get between 80 and 160 minutes of game time each then surely cricket teams can go touring with 20 players instead of 14.
If rugby and league teams 'gain experience' just simply by being there and having a bit of match time now and then then cricket should do the same. I'd like to see REAL competition on tours for places instead of guys knowing they're the only ones on the tour so they are safe to average 13 in 5 matches and waltz home still in the fucking team.
"I'd like to see REAL competition on tours for places instead of guys knowing they're the only ones on the tour so they are safe to average 13 in 5 matches and waltz home still in the fucking team."
Good bloody point that. Guys like McMillan, H. Marhsall, Styris and Oram need guys sitting in the changing room pressing for their places in the team.
With only 14 players on tour I imagine they tend to take extra backup for injured pacebowlers and maybe a second spinner ... so the batsmen, esp. in the middle order, can do fuck all and still be a guaranteed pick for every game.
Take a bow McMillan!
Good bloody point that. Guys like McMillan, H. Marhsall, Styris and Oram need guys sitting in the changing room pressing for their places in the team.
With only 14 players on tour I imagine they tend to take extra backup for injured pacebowlers and maybe a second spinner ... so the batsmen, esp. in the middle order, can do fuck all and still be a guaranteed pick for every game.
Take a bow McMillan!
On the Kiwis, I woke at 6:00 this morning to watch Australia v Uruguay in the World Cup Qualifier and was surprised Channel 9 had the Kiwis v Great Britain live. I could only watch about 15 minutes, it was a complete capitulation. Talk about choking. They didn't even need to win, just not lose by that much and they would be virtually guaranteed a place in the final, but they didn't even come close.
Yeah, I don't get what Bracewell was thinking about using Oram as only a batsmen. I mean I thought it was a no-brainer, he is an all-rounder, he balls and bats. Given his bowling, in ODIs, is much better than his batting, you would think that he wouldn't be in the team playing as a batsmen only, I mean it is like opening up your bowling with Macca (which I would like to see just to piss off DC). Just plain stupid!
I don't even think we need 20 players, 16 or 17 would be enough for a short tour. This still gives us options. I mean how do you leave Cairns behind - perhaps the only positive is that I can imagine Cairns will be fired up for the series vs Aus.
-Dinkas
Yeah, I don't get what Bracewell was thinking about using Oram as only a batsmen. I mean I thought it was a no-brainer, he is an all-rounder, he balls and bats. Given his bowling, in ODIs, is much better than his batting, you would think that he wouldn't be in the team playing as a batsmen only, I mean it is like opening up your bowling with Macca (which I would like to see just to piss off DC). Just plain stupid!
I don't even think we need 20 players, 16 or 17 would be enough for a short tour. This still gives us options. I mean how do you leave Cairns behind - perhaps the only positive is that I can imagine Cairns will be fired up for the series vs Aus.
-Dinkas
# posted by : 13 November 2005 at 22:15
: 13 November 2005 at 22:15
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