< 1 minute read Brendon McCullum won the toss and elected to go home. Upon being told that the options were to bowl or bat, he opted for the latter. If it were a 44 all out kind of pitch, he’d have been vindicated. Maybe McCullum was in two minds about what to do,
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The Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum captaincy thing
< 1 minute read Okay, we think we’ve got to grips with what’s happened. Mike Hesson said to Ross Taylor: “I don’t like you and I don’t like your face. I’m going to get a new captain.” Ross Taylor replied: “Who the hell are you? When did you become New Zealand coach?” Mike Hesson
Continue readingVernon Philander is still having a fine old time
< 1 minute read We had suggested that a few away Tests would see Vernon Philander’s bowling average swell like a space hopper at altitude. What we hadn’t considered was that Philander’s first away Tests would be in New Zealand. You get some good Test matches in New Zealand. The home side have secured
Continue readingNew Zealand were the ones who beat South Africa
< 1 minute read Exceptional cricket. That is how you exploit a weakness. At 108-2 chasing 222, South Africa seemed untroubled, but there was a spot on their face. It was very small, but it was there. With the dismissal of Jacques Kallis, they gave it a little bit of a scratch and took
Continue readingCricket World Cup storylines
< 1 minute read The great thing about actual, proper tournaments is the way that narratives develop. Every remaining team already has a good story in place if they eventually go on to become World Champions. Pakistan – Would defy what was a catastrophic build-up to the tournament even by their standards. Being as
Continue readingKamran Akmal helps Ross Taylor to a hundred
< 1 minute read Pakistan’s last five overs went for 100, largely thanks to Ross Taylor. Earlier in his innings, Taylor had been given a couple of lives by – who else – Kamran Akmal. Kamran Akmal amazes us. We hope he never goes away. You’d think the ability to catch might be an
Continue readingDaniel Vettori just wants to be ‘the guy with the glasses’
< 1 minute read Everyone’s got a thing. Whether you’re Overreaction Girl, Super-keen Man or even if it’s simply that you look like a toad wrapped in human skin, it’s important to give people some sort of a handle; something they can grip onto so that they can more easily know who you are.
Continue readingChris Martin loses the knack
< 1 minute read Chris Martin has always struck as being a good bowler with a knack for not taking wickets. Opening the bowling in India and dismissing Gambhir, Dravid, Tendulkar, Raina and Dhoni in no time at all, it’s safe to say he no longer has that knack. Or perhaps he now has
Continue readingMark Greatbatch assesses New Zealand’s performance in Bangladesh
< 1 minute read “We played like dicks really.” Punditry is far from dead.
Continue readingRoss Taylor hits fastest Test hundred by a New Zealander
< 1 minute read Are breathtaking innings all about how many sixes are hit and how few balls are faced? Ross Taylor’s 81-ball hundred against Australia wouldn’t even be half as good as Yusuf Pathan’s 37-ball IPL hundred if that were the case. Clearly, it’s all about context. A DLF Maximum is commonplace. In
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