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#3037815 16-Feb-2023 17:47

Kuger gets the key kiwicket of Stokes, 1st wicket on Debut, as has Tickener. They both seem to know how to change the length to suit the target bastmans attitude. I put that down to t20 domestic cricket. BazBall proving to be elusive for Stokes again. Reminds me of a Kenny Rogers song about gamblers and how to play it. NZ also wittling away at the run rate with it down to 5.4. If Eng continue to get themselves out for another wicket, they could actually be in big trouble. Southee saving himself for the twilight period when its known to swing the Pinky.

Its now a fairly even Test all of a sudden, but Eng still have one very aggresive batsman at the crease who is ready to let loose !

Edit: Kuger doing a Wagner with the length, but its working, Tickener using it once an over. Its time for Bracewell soon, given he was ripping it off the grass in the over he got. Maybe an over from the #5 as well. But cant be long before Southee, maybe before dins.

It sort of reminds me of our tour of Aus 18/19 when we had them ~200-250/5 etc and we could not finish them off and they put another 200 on the scoreboard. I can see similar happening here, hopefully Wags come back and digs it in with gusto.

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tdgeek

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#3037840 16-Feb-2023 18:48

I cant watch it as I cancelled Spark Sport. 279/5 not bad except they are batting at over 100%. Wicket is dodgy, as it was dried fast what happens when we bat?

As the headline went, Ravaged Black Caps vs Rampant ENG. Dare I say it, ENG will ravage us

TeaLeaf

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#3037913 16-Feb-2023 20:05

I enjoy CricInfo ball by ball commentary when I cant watch, but its not the same and hard work, I just go back to it when the score shows a new wicket etc.

Luckily Wags and Kugs stepped it up a gear, hopefully we have them out before 350. If so, that is very good on a benign surface where the grass only holds the ball up, but that is the wicket taker, the ball that is sticking in the surface, creating so many missed timed shots today by Eng. BazBall was challenged by Sticky BounceBall :-) Baz pushing the Declaration Im sure. Probably flipping a coin given the statisics of batting first vs 2nd under the lights.

Edit: Well was just about to post this, but they all out now haha. But Eng have the ball moving under the lights, which is what I dislike about pink ball cricket, there is a lot of luck, if you get your innings starting in the daylight vs having to start under lights which caught us out in that first test in the last Aus tour.

Agggh, now Broad has it moving in circles in the air, amazing movement off the pitch which our ball defnitely didnt have, we had some swing for 3 hours, but very little seam movement.

tdgeek

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#3037916 16-Feb-2023 20:20

TeaLeaf:

I enjoy CricInfo ball by ball commentary when I cant watch, but its not the same and hard work, I just go back to it when the score shows a new wicket etc.

Luckily Wags and Kugs stepped it up a gear, hopefully we have them out before 350. If so, that is very good on a benign surface where the grass only holds the ball up, but that is the wicket taker, the ball that is sticking in the surface, creating so many missed timed shots today by Eng. BazBall was challenged by Sticky BounceBall :-) Baz pushing the Declaration Im sure. Probably flipping a coin given the statisics of batting first vs 2nd under the lights.

Edit: Well was just about to post this, but they all out now haha. But Eng have the ball moving under the lights, which is what I dislike about pink ball cricket, there is a lot of luck, if you get your innings starting in the daylight vs having to start under lights which caught us out in that first test in the last Aus tour.

Agggh, now Broad has it moving in circles in the air, amazing movement off the pitch which our ball defnitely didnt have, we had some swing for 3 hours, but very little seam movement.

Thats the issue with cricket these days. Pitches biased by the hosting country. 5 day test you can wear that, anything shorter its not an even playing field/pitch

TeaLeaf

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#3037919 16-Feb-2023 20:28

I do enjoy a day time thrashing ie 3 day win, if you good enough so be it, its entertaining, but I enjoy a 5th day final session win the most I admit.

Latham gone, ugggh. Conway or Williamson have to go huge. Terrible from Latham, obvious ploy in a sticky wicket to bowl to leg and have short leg catching, Latham will be fuming at that mistake, much like most of Engs wicket, error in judgement.

TeaLeaf

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#3037925 16-Feb-2023 20:42

Some how the guys have managed to lay a new pitch in between innings, this is nuts how much more the ball is jumping off the seam vs how often NZ hit a good seam with no movement. Again, day/night, not a fan. Test cricket is still well and strong enough for day time tests, plenty of purists still who attend day tests. It was a good idea, but its too flukey with the ball and the conditions.

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#3037927 16-Feb-2023 20:50

ENG declared wasn’t aware of that

TeaLeaf

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#3037928 16-Feb-2023 20:53

tdgeek: ENG declared wasn’t aware of that

Yep, 4th time in History I believe (day 1 declaration that is). But given what the pink ball does under lights, prob a smart decision between Baz and Stokes.

Conway dropped in a basic slips catch by Crawley. NZ lucky.

Edit: NOOOOO Kane, NOOO. Clean missed it with a shot on length that isnt his game. But it moved sooo much off the deck, very hard to guess your way through an innings like NZ are having to right now. If they can get to tomorrow afternoons play with a couple of recognized batsman left, they can cash in then and possibly put Eng in under the lights.

TeaLeaf

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#3037933 16-Feb-2023 21:15

Terrible batting from Nicholls, that was not a peach delivery, just wasnt watching the length. SoS Will Young. NZ must have 2 of the top 6 still there by end of play in 15 minutes.

Hard to turn down bowling first when you win the toss with a grassy pitch, but the statistics dont back the decision in day/night, this match is clear highlight of what happens.

Edit: Well done Wags, excellent night/morning Watchman. NZ now have a chance tomorrow, if they can up the run rate to about 4rpo, they will be close to Engs 1st inns by 6pm and then be able to put Eng in under the lights and see how they fair, possibly setting up smallish score to win. Or it can go the other way and Conway doesnt score 50-100 along with the other top 6 and solid all rounders in the tail fall over cheap.

It does add another element but it is more luck than good management imo the night time movement. Eng commentary saying it how it is, their team had the best of the conditions day 1. But NZ CAN turn that on its head tomorrow. Here is hoping, in Conway we trust :-)

TeaLeaf

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#3038187 17-Feb-2023 15:08

NZ, aside from Wagner and Conway to some extent, just defending, which on this pitch vs 3 very good pace bowlers is just waiting to be bowled out sub 150. Mitchell not playing a shot was bizarre, at least get the bat ready for the one that comes back a long way, he is a much better batsman when he applies some offense. Bracewell and Kuger can both handle the bat, so provided either Conway or Blundell make another 100 NZ should avoid being wiped out sub 200. Then the bowlers really will need to use the ball under the lights as effectively as Eng, you could drop a tissue on Andersons deliveries, super accurate. A good pink ball seam and let it do the work and stop bowling sloppy trying to be the wicket ball every delivery.

Pitch went from green to brown in one day, but Eng showing the seam is gripping into it with the ball unpredictable how much it will move off the deck.

TeaLeaf

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#3038301 17-Feb-2023 18:10

NZ need to up the tempo or they will only get 30-60mins under lights. Good recovery though by Conway, Wags, Blundell, Kuger (if he scores a 50 he might be a new inclusion for the future).

NZ should have selected Boult, he hasnt retired, he has said if he is not playing t20 circuits etc he is available for selection, and he lives within 10 mins of this ground (and knows it well). For sure we need to blood new players like Kugs, but we didnt need Tickener (not that he has done too much wrong and I personally like his bowling). If ever there was a time for Blackcaps to use Boult off contract it was this test. Left hand/right hand swing is irreplaceable too.

Edit: Well that is the best NZ wicket so far, poor Kuger, that would have bowled most of our top 6. Insane movement and through the gate. I just hope we get the same movement with our second ball, but also we do not bowl all over the pitch, movement like this off the pitch is one thing, but if you bowl it too short or too long its not going to take wickets and leak runs.

I forgot the extra 30 mins this morning, so 6:20 din dins instead of 6:50pm. Southee has to use the batting skill he has shown at times to support Blundell, get it to within 50 and game on, this Test will have a result surely.

tdgeek

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#3038318 17-Feb-2023 18:47

With due respect, NZ are poor, ENG is on top of it. Obviously we have lost key players and thats huge. Thats sport.

TeaLeaf

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#3038590 18-Feb-2023 14:10

tdgeek:

With due respect, NZ are poor, ENG is on top of it. Obviously we have lost key players and thats huge. Thats sport.

The key difference is Eng have a better attitude along with soon to be the number 1 opening bowling partnership in Test cricket history. Batting wise, NZ has a slight edge with bat in the stats. Bazball was an obvious transfer of t20 influence to Test cricket, but takes full commitment from Selectors to Coach/Players.

NZ losing KJ and not selecting Boult means we are not giving the ball the chance consistently like the 3 quicks in Eng did. The 2 Eng opening bowlers were recalled on condition of Baz coaching etc. Boult and Southee are in the top 10 all time together, but will finish a lot sooner than the Anderson and Broad combo, which is a pitty.

Edit: Wagner, sure he got the wicket but it cost us 62 at 40 odd balls, damage done. If the top 7 average 62, you are clearly going to win more games than lose, plus you are going to certainly force results win or lose. I wonder how long until other test nations with strong t20 players will apply it. Wagner tactics are still valid, but vs Eng, only when the batsman are fresh in or are tail end. Southee is playing "cast type" bowling with him, instead he may need to go against the old 10plus overs banged in from Wags and use him in short spurts.

The irony of all this Bazball, the pitch is still going to be fresh enough by the time NZ bat their 2nd inn. So it could one day (maybe not vs NZ) also potentially produce one of the largest successful chase downs, due to the pitch being fresher than normal etc.

TeaLeaf

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#3038606 18-Feb-2023 15:46

That was the most insane 20 overs of batting Ive seen in a long time, 140 runs from it.

But Eng now 244-5, if they get out for under 350 NZ have a real chance, provided they would avoid major losses in the final session under lights etc.

Tickened deserved that wicket. I was wanting to say for most of this Test it has been awesome to see 2 bowlers bowling above 140kph in a test for NZ, despite the runs. Both on debut putting their back in it and getting wickets. Put KJ back in that mix for variety and that is 3, will be interesting to see if Sears holds his pace by the time Wagner or Southee retire.

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#3038752 18-Feb-2023 19:49

Seems Stuff doest support copy and paste

NZ need 394 to win, this is on day 3 so 2 more days to go. In theory, easy. 200 per day, low risk

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