Henry and Southee will have us 320 by the new ball bahaha,

And done. Couldn't even last the day. Ahh well, time to give the ball to Ben Sears and give him a crack at the openers.

Like all the commentary, I couldnt believe Ben Sears didnt open this morning. Southee needs to start thinking about his own place.

Instead he waits for the grass to burn off before Sears gets the ball again. all the while showing what Henry is doing.

Id have the all rounder as my last option. To be honest Im not seeing enough from Scott with the ball or the bat to warrant his inclusion, such a shame as his FC record of 30 n 30 is exactly what a scout would look for but I think they have left it too late in his career.

Simply dropped the win in the first test, batted like a team out of form, bowling like a team missing their best bowler (KJ)

GP GOLDEN aRM !!!!!!

second delivery, Carey GONE!

Now if Sears, Southee and Henry can finish the tail off, it should be a sub 250 score.

Sears has been super impressive, unlucky not to have a couple more.

edit: Ugggh GP draws Starc into a false stroke, comes off the face and slices between the two catchers. Just need some luck here, and not another dropped catch, one is enough for an innngs.

I remember Labuschagne savings aus in our last tour there, I think it was Gabba. 200-5, he scored a big ton. Hes been short of runs for a while now, but picks his time to save aus from being bowled out under our own miserable score.

Counted 9 so far saved by GP in the field.

But NZ need this wicket and fast as batting is becoming easy on this off white coloured baked pitch.

Maybe give Rachin an over to the righty Labuschange...... he wont turn it much and he is a one pace bowler, but its worth an over.

GP aGaIN = SUPERMaN !!!!!

two in the first test at gully to take the two most important Wickets, and now takes the most important wicket in this test.

He is simply one of our most important players, period. Forget his batting which given a chance at 6 might end up mid 40s.

Edit: IMO get Henry at one end and Sears bowling non stop max effort yorkers at the other with the odd helmet crusher in between.

Edit: Southee actually believes hes the top dog I think. Hes leaking runs left right and centre all for one wicket which without GP would have ben four more.

Tim, get Sears on and get him facing either yorker or bouncer, the two options all tail enders dread. Keep Henry doing what he does off the seam. But get Henry with wind at his back where hes taken 4 of his wickests, hes bowling only high 120s into the wind.

Well Tim finally got the plan right, but he forgot to push all the players to max boundary riders etc with 3/4 boundaries were mis hits. I do not think Tim is our best option as captain.

I agree with Franky, nose n toes. But yes the balll needs to be hitting the helmet not the chest. But you still need to set a catching field.

Back heel this looks plum to me, 7fa for Tezza

That was the Toes not the Nose wicket lol

You would have to say only Kyle Jamieson has been important to NZ's success since 2021 with an avg of 19 SR38, thats very similar to KJ both avg and SR of a wicket very 6th over there abouts. If we can get Orourke and Sears into the same moulds (Sears like KJ and Orourke like Tezza) we could start tearing through teams at will, not to forget GP's avg of ~13. That is a VERY promising future, provided KJ can be right for the Boxing Day test in aus end of year.

NZ NEED a 500+ score here, which is plenty possible on a wicket not doing much, to give them a 4th/5th day win, especially with GP really turning it bowling last.

That could be the end of Will Young, as much as everyone on here thought he was under rated at #4, they swap Rachin and him around and now Rachin so far is a nuffie.

Conway has to come back with confidence, we need somebody to protect Williamson from the new ball. Im struggling to think of a youngster who could be being considered, if Conway cant deliver.

Great delivery to get Young though. 

Edit:

Macca and Rigga seem to think lefties have the best looking cover drives. But for me nobody drives cover as eloquently as Kane.

@tealeaf can you please stop posting multiple posts in a row, sometimes minutes after one another, with a running commentary of the game.

Huge loss with only the small amount of time left in the days play,

But Williamson has left NZ with a lead. This couldnt be easier for Rachin (outside playing a poor quality by FC standards Sa side).

If Latham goes on, as he has been short of runs too, it will put some cement in the very shaky rendered house. But clear Young is not an opener, she should be in our middle, but you cant be dropping Mitchell or GP, so that leaves Rachin whic they see as the next Kane, so it leaves Blunders. Who has been successful as an opener, Young to 4 Rachin to 6 and poor GP stays at 7. Perhaps, if they want Young to succeed without too much disruption

Jase2985:

 

@tealeaf can you please stop posting multiple posts in a row, sometimes minutes after one another, with a running commentary of the game.

 

Having just supported your post, I do like Tealeaf. Passionate, as am I in some sports. That I have agreed and DISAGREED yet he and I can post irregardless. 

That's quite rare TBH in forums.

Whoop, our best day in test cricket in a long time. Firstly bowling the aussies out, then our top order stood up to be counted. We just need one of them to go on with a big ton and we could leave the aussies chasing 300+.

Latham looks really set, he is watching the ball the best Ive seen in ages and he is the key to our top order, Tom gets going and we usually do well. Its a shame we cant find a consistent partner though, always exposing Williamson early.

But first to bowl aus out was glorious from Matt Henry who is now avgn 19 since KJ joined who is the fastest to 50 test wickets all time, also at any avg of 19. Orourke looks long term to me a low 20s avg with a similar gameplan to Henry with the channel seam bowling at 140kph, if we can get sears low 20s similar bowling to KJ, that would be an absurdly difficult pace attack with GP taking wickets at an avg of 14 currently. It sounds crazy to have this level of talent when we have succeeded with bowlers like Southee who avgs almost bang on 30.

We should have won that last test, we literally dropped it. Good to see only one dropped catch today. Well not good, but better.

So what can we expect, well if we can score at 3.5 we will lead by about 140 in time for the new ball, but to have a chance we really cant afford any wickets on what is a sublime batting strip now. But if we get to the new ball and our or so after lunch,  if we can see off the firm stitching with onlly one wicket, and either Latham is in the hundreds or Rachin is getting close and Mitchell steps in and shows why hes the 4th best batsman in the world, if we can get through the next 110 or so overs, we should be close to 520, whicH Id expect from the WTC BC team on this rock hard batting pitc. But Id really be happy with 420. We can bowl them out for sub 310, we have done it twice in a row. Plus the wickets "should" start to turn for GP by their innings. 

So plenty to look forward too, we dropped the first one, lets hammer this one home team :-)

I didnt want to put the mockers on Ravindra earlier in the session. He did so well, aside from the final over I think it was where he very nearly fell for the "short stop" position as Rigga as dubbed it (a very bizarre place to put a catcher). Luckily he got enough on it to go for 4 on the leg side (left hander).

Im starting become more and more convinced he could be our next Kane, the aussies seem to think so and clearly NZC do. Hes a bit of a late bloomer mentally, but thats pretty much cricket for ya.

But the Job is not over, he needs to just keep waiting for the bad ball and push the ones in between. It is concrete out there now, but the new ball will still come off the seam one way or the other, but Id not expect players at this level to fold from 243/3 to be all out fro lss than 350. If they can get to end of days play thoug, they should be 400+.

anything over 300 and NZ are in with a chance.

Blundell simply has to perform, it doesnt get any easier than this pitch wise, even the spinners are not doing enough to concern a player as good as Blundell use to be. GP. well his fielding and bowling has been worth his place alone, but if he can link with the middle order batsman at the crease, then Kugs, then Henry, there could be an easy 100 in them alone, no doubt Southee will selfishly try to tonk it for 6 ball one, so be it. 

Mitchell I think from here will convert to 100. His current averages in all 3 formats put him in the top 5 Id think Test 52, ODI 53, T20i 26 (this one is the score well below his ability). 

But really, Rachin is in a position to prove himself on a real belter of a pitch, he gets 150+, it could be a match winner and the Birth of NZ's new middle order.

Southee dropped the first Test but hes taken a couple of rippers this test.

Aus 30/3

New ball still at 11 overs.

aus need another 250. Oh I wish the tail outside Kugs wagged as we should have had aus chasing 300+

But now, with there top 3 batsmen gone, they are in trouble. One or two more would be epic in the next hour.

Sears getting late swing at 140-145kph is bowling peahces. 1-2, really filling that KJ role. Cant wait to have Orourke and Sears together.

Kugs runs were criticial. If he takes a wicket or two, it justifies his selection.

I think for the future, good signs this series GP, Rachin, Sears, O'rourke. Throw KJ in there with Henry, you hav 4 paces bowler of bowling low avgs low 20s. Henry last 4 years avg 19, KJ all time avg 19, GP early avg 14. Then you have two young bowlers with FC avgs mid 20s which around class bowlers should drop that to low 20s. In other words, no matter the wicket, capable of tearing through teams, not to mention their batting as the mid to tail.

Kane has a number of years left in him, as does Mitchell and Latham if they want to leads the rebuild.

For me, Mitchell should be our Captain if Kane refuses it. He will use his bowlers offensively and lead the batting by example.

TeaLeaf: 

 

Sears getting late swing at 140-145kph is bowling peahces. 1-2, really filling that KJ role. 

 

I told you not to worry about the pre season injury. That was a rippa. He has aus 35-4 and all the danger batsmen, the top 4, in the shed.

Dochart: 
Southee test career is probably over after this series. Did not perform that well compared to Henry, Sears, O’Rourke and Jamieson.

Mitchell as test captain would be a good decision. His current form is a worry but so are other players on the team.

Need to get out Head, Marsh and Carey cheaply if NZ want to win this.

There is more to come in the way of bowling. I personally enjoy a bit of Matt Fisher, more pace, late bloomer, only 8 FC matches at avg 24.

For me the big hole that keeps collapsing our Test team is #6, Blundell. I think his time is up, he was good at various roles, despite a low avg to start with, around FC32, he has increased that with his Test play, Its so uncanny how many players imrpove their FC by about 5ish when stepping up to the real deal Tets. Or 13 odd in Mitchells case. But we ignored a WK who avgd 42. Perhaps the Kane cousin thing was too much conspiracy bias for NZC. Really missed out there. I expected a ton from Blundell today on what would be the easiest ground in NZ to play on right now. We do have a couple of young keepers Ive got my eye on. But interim Cam Fletcher would make a handy 7 behind is auck team mate GP and in between the other KJ (if he makes it back to break that 100 wicket record).

Mark Chapman with a FC avg of 44 is going under, the radar, I know hes picked for white ball but I think hes more handy in Red Ball.

Yep, bunch of all rounders, I think this is a match 10fa for Henry coming up. Ball still has enough seam before giving GP the ball to tie up one end and take all the lefties in the team, Im sure is the plan. Lyon couldnt turn it much, be interesting to see what GP extracts, so far its 3.1deg turn vs that 5.1 deg at the basin. 

The good news is the top 4 who have saved eyes many times. Still need to bowl tight though. Then toes and nose to their quicks, Id like to see Sears with an effort ball get Cummins right on the helmet badge :-)