Kevin Pietersen

England's new South African wonderboy, Kevin Pietersen, sure can talk. It's kind of refreshing to have a player around who doesn't speak in clichés, but I bet Graeme Smith, Ali Bacher and Graham Thorpe, to name three, weren't pleased to read this interview in the Independent.

Ben on ... another to watch out for

Craig McMillan has signed to play for Hampshire for a couple of months, starting from the end of May.

McMillan's test form has fallen away drastically recently, but I think he could still do very well at first class level.

Interestingly, McMillan will be leaving Hampshire in time for the series in Zimbabwe, so he clearly believes there is still a place for him in the Black Caps.

The Super Series

Just two New Zealanders - Dan Vettori and Brendon McCullum - made the shortlist of 39 players to compete against Australia in October's Super Series. The criteria for selection were:

- players' overall career records in both Test and ODI cricket
- their form in both Test and ODI cricket over the past 12 months
- their overall playing records against Australia and their performances against the world champion team in Australia
- players' positions in the LG ICC Rankings for both Test and ODI cricket
- the distinctive characteristics of the venues in Melbourne and Sydney which will host the games.

I guess at least one of those counted against each of Shane Bond, Jacob Oram and Stephen Fleming, but two is still a pretty pathetic effort. England, India and even crummy South Africa had seven players selected from each.

The complete list of players can be found here.

Scott Styris

As Ben has pointed out, Scott Styris has just taken his first ten wicket bag in first-class cricket - 10 for 118 - after taking 6 for 73 in the second innings for Middlesex against Hampshire. Styris promptly started making new friends by laying into the groundsman and calling the wicket "junk". Which, to be honest, it would have to be if he can take wickets on it.

Fleming upsets my new poll

Rattling up an undefeated 223 a few hours after my new poll was posted might have a some influence on the outcome. Of the other New Zealanders currently in play, Scott Styris scored 33 and has taken 5 wickets for Middlesex, Craig Spearman scored 73 for Glouscestershire and Andre Adams took 2-49 and scored 27 for Essex.

The saga continues

When your captain says you have a negative impact on the team then you know it's time to quit. Poor old Shoaib Akhtar doesn't seem to have any friends left.

Poll results and a new poll

My last poll asked you whether the New Zealand side should tour Zimbabwe in August. One of you thought we should - and that politics should be keep its nose out of sports. Another two of you agreed that we should tour - but only if Zimbabwe promise to keep being rubbish. Another five of you thought we should tour - because the ICC tells us we have to. Three of you said we should'nt tour - because we would be legitimising the reign of an evil dictator. And three of you said we shouldn't tour anywhere until we learn to play some decent cricket.

In total the Mike on Cricket crowd is 8-6 in favour of touring.

My new poll asks you which New Zealander playing in county cricket is going to have the best year. You have a few to choose from - but beware that Nathan Astle only has a month-long contract.

Getting rid of Lara

The editor of the Wisden Cricketer magazine, John Stern, has written an editorial asking the question, “would the West Indies be better off without Brian Lara in the side?”. It is an interesting thought, but a better one might be "how can Brian Lara be managed?" Lara is an exceptional talent as a batsman but, as Stern points out, his reputation intimidates the rest of the side. Lara also seems to be a very polarising individual and the impression from the last Windies tour here was that there are players who flock around him and try to mimic him, and those who don't and who are therefore on the social outer. As New Zealand fans will remembers from the early '90s, a side with cliques in it is not really much of a side at all.

Everyone who has played sport has played alongside a personality - someone who has talent to burn and a huge amount of influence. I can think of two I have played alongside - one I admired and the other I did not - and ultimately both were bad for the team. One because others resented his influence and the second because his bad behaviour rubbed off onto youngsters who envied his talent and wanted to be like him. Being able to incorporate such a player into any side requires people around him who have the influence, if not the talent, to keep hero worship, intimidation, jealousy, indulgent behaviour and egotism in check.

One thing I feel quite strongly about is that Brian Lara should not be captain of the West Indies. And neither should anyone else in his posse. What the Windies could do with is someone strong enough (or perhaps someone with the management support to help them be strong enough) and influential enough to take the reins, bang some heads, break up the cliques and make sure the side understands that Brian Lara is simply another player - albiet a senior player who has a good deal of knowledge to contribute to the side.

A quick end?

The end appears nigh for one of cricket's most entertaining dramas, Shoaib Akhtar. Despite a successful return from injury, he has not been selected in the Pakistan squad about to tour the West Indies. Shoaib is "very upset and disappointed" and, at 29, he can't have too many years of fast bowling left ahead of him.

Sledging

Derek Pringle, who I respect far more now that he is writing about cricket rather than playing it, has a very interesting article in the Telegraph about Australians and sledging. From what Pringle says it seems that coping abuse is a rite of passage for young Australian cricketers - a type of hazing - and Australian players' exposure to that from a young age might explain why they always act surprised when foreigners complain. I guess if you have survived the process yourself you might feel it is something that has made you harder and something that you have a right to put others through.

Glenn Turner

I have been thinking about Glenn Turner's announcement that he would like to be a national selector. The annoucement itself was all Glenn - few other New Zealanders broadcast their job applications via the media. Certainly none of the other applicants for the four spots on the selection panel have picked up the phone to tell all to the New Zealand Herald. This brashness and failure to work through the normal channels are the most obvious of Turner's quirks and, overall, they are things which should probably count against his appointment. But Turner is also a batsman, a perfectionist and an innovator.

Turner's best qualification probably is, as the Herald identifies, the fact that he was a batsman. Perhaps even more importantly he was an opening batsman who knew the importance of proper technique and practice. Having a batsman of his reputation in the New Zealand camp should be a great boost for the James Marshalls and Craig Cummings of the side, who would not doubt have been bemused to recieve pep talks on the subject of opening the batting against Australia from such unlikely sources as John Bracewell and Richard Hadlee. Experience is a great teacher and few have the experience at the top of the order that Glenn Turner has had.

Turner is also an innovator with an eye for detail - who can forget his use of a dustbin "umpire" in the nets to get Richard Hadlee to subtly change his approach to the bowling crease in Brisbane in 1985/86? Who can forget that Hadlee went out after that session and took 9-52?

While unconventional methods of communicating count against his appointment, Turner's perfectionism and experience still make him a good choice. If we could find another candidate with the same approach to batting, with similar experience at the top of the order and with a strong background in coaching - but without the baggage - we would be even better off. Does anyone come to mind? Someone who might have just returned from a long trip to somewhere slightly warmer than Darfield perhaps?

Ben on ... more on Styris' first innings back from injury (and the other guys)

Karl has already mentioned that Styris scored a fine 53 off 47 balls in his first innings for Middlesex. What he didn't mention is that the it included 13 4s. In contrast, Fleming hit only 17 4s (and a 6) in his innings of 111 off 107.

Adams by the way ended up with 2-52 in the first innings against Somerset and is currently 4-31 in the second, including a hat-trick!

(Spearman 35 off 85).

Ben on ... dressing Stephen Fleming

This dressable Stephen Fleming paper doll is one of the many highlights of Fun with Black Caps, quite the most delightful fan site created for any cricket team - or for anything at all, really - put together by Kit of Sydney, showing that not only are the Australians better cricketers than us, they are better fans of our own team.

(If only this Scott Styris fan could be as dedicated.)

Ben on ... drawing matches and losing respect

Shane Warne, captain of Hampshire who last year were deemed to be the least sportsmanlike team in the county league, has been involved in another sledging incident, during a game against Sussex, which despite all the aggro ended up a draw. It seems the Sussex captain Chris Adams was so appalled by Warne's attempts to humiliate his players that he has lost a lot of respect for Warne. In turn Warne was so annoyed by Adams' whinging that he has lost all respect for him.

As usual, there are no details on what was actually said on the field, so everyone involved ends up looking thin-skinned and petulant. If these players are so concerned about respect, perhaps someone whould release the onfield exhanges so we can tell just how worthy of respect these guys are.

Karl summarises the kiwis in action this week

In England this week, players in action are Stephen Fleming for Notts (v. Sussex), Craig Spearman for Gloucestershire (v. Kent) Andre Adams for Essex (v. Somerset) and Scott Styris for Middlesex (v. Warwickshire).

So far, Adams has 0-38 off 10 overs. Styris, in this first game so far, scored 53 off 47 balls. Fleming and Spearman haven't batted yet.

Shoaib

"I am astonished over the language used by Woolmer. I had thought of him as an intelligent person."

Aamir Sohail, chairman of the Pakistan side's national selection committee, in response to coach Bob Woolmer's claim that Shoaib Akhtar is "not an integral part of the team." He is not playing and his lips aren't even moving, but Akhtar somehow still manages to cause chaos in Pakistani cricket.

More on New Zealanders in the county game

Nathan Astle has just picked a short-term contract with Durham and will play for them during June, when Mike Hussey is unavailable due to his selection in the Australian one day side.

Meanwhile Stephen Fleming's first game for Nottinghamshire did not improve much after his first inning's duck. He only made 1 in the second dig and his decision not to enforce the follow-on when he had the chance gave Middlesex enough time in which to save the match. Andre Adams' Essex side had their match against Glamorgan rained out and Craig Spearman scored 16 in his Gloucestershire side's unsuccessful chase of Northamptonshire's total in a one-dayers at Bristol.

Fleming vs Styris

A poor start to the county season for both Stephen Fleming and Scott Styris as their sides clashed at Lord's yesterday. Styris hasn't recovered from knee surgery and failed to make the Middlesex starting line-up while Fleming made a four ball duck in Nottinghamshire's impressive score of 546. Craig Spearman's Glouscestershire's next first-class match is against Kent at Bristol beginning on the 27th of April, the same day that Andre Adams' Essex side take on Somerset at Taunton.

Making cheating illegal

Malcolm Speed has called on world governments to make cheating in sports illegal. This follows British gambling legislation which makes it illegal to rig the outcome of a game for profit. At first glance it seems a sensible suggestion, but in my view the borders between "rules" (such as the Laws of Cricket) and "laws" (such as the UK Gambling Act) should be kept as distant as possible.

Cricket is an international sport. And making laws which govern international contests raised interesting questions. Does the law change in the UK mean that an Indian cricketer touring England needs to be made aware of the Gambling Act? What if New Zealand passes a slightly different law? Do cricketers have to learn the relevant laws in all countries in which they play? What happens if the Indian cricketer breaks the Gambling Act while on tour in the UK but the crime isn't detected until after he leaves? It would be unlikely that he would be extradited so presumably he could just avoid touring England again to avoid being punished. And if this isn't the case then doesn't the law raise the spectre of double jeopardy? Could a player punished under the Gambling Act (with a fine presumably) argue that further punishment by the ICC or a cricket board would effectively mean he is being punished twice for the same offence? Dan might correct me, but my understanding is that this is not permissible in the eyes of the law. And could any punishment that the British courts impose be the equal of the life-ban from the game from the ICC?

To me, Speed's suggestion raises too many questions and doesn't appear to provide any deterrent that a life-ban from the ICC already provides. The only thing it does add is to legislate for non-cricketers (such as bookies who attempt to bribe cricketers) who are outside the jurisdiction of the ICC. I believe that for these persons national law would (and is) an appropriate forum for legislation. But the Laws of Cricket are international, have teeth and those teeth are used. Introduction of national laws will do little to prevent future corruption in the game.

New Zealanders in county cricket

According to Sporting Life the following New Zealanders are currently contracted to play in this year's county championship:

Andre Adams (Essex)
Scott Styris (Middlesex)
Stephen Fleming (Nottinghamshire)

Craig Spearman (Gloucestershire) is another, but he is not listed as he qualifies as a local. Under the new "Kolpak" system it is much easier for overseas players to obtain contracts, but it seems the counties are generally reluctant to start signing vast numbers of international stars. Apart from Australians that is - 14 Aussies have been snapped up despite the fact that the national team will be touring and will miss a big chunk of the season.

Interestingly both Adams and Spearman make Sporting Life's picks for players to watch this season.

Ben on ... further more ratings

Stuff has rated the Black Caps again, considering the whole of the summer post-Bangladesh. It is interesting to compare with their earlier ratings of just the home series against Australia.

Chris Martin, following his storming run against Sri Lanka (11 wickets in two tests, compared with 7 against Australia in five), raised his rating from a terrible 2.5 to a poor but not embarrassing 4.

Lou Vincent, not surprisingly, increased his rating by a point following the Sri Lanka series, as did Stephen Fleming.

The biggest loser, however, was Ian O'Brien. Given the benefit of the doubt after the Australian series with a pass mark of 5, after not being needed for the Sri Lanka series, his rating dropped to 3.

Spearman vs Moreton

This news is a couple of days' old, but I just noticed it. In a recent first-class match between Gloucestershire and Oxford University former New Zealand opener Craig Spearman struck 216 ("retired out") off only 168 balls. One poor unfortunate - a Mr SJP Moreton - making his debut for Oxford bowled one over in the match. The significant thing about this one over was that it was delivered to Spearman, who whacked it for 34 runs.

Not a bad start to the season for Spearman then. Andre Adams didn't do too badly in his first game for Essex either. He took 3-52 and 0-9 in a rain affected match against Yorkshire.

Where are the swing bowlers?

Evan Gray asks the question "where are the swing bowlers?" over at the TVNZ website and then refuses to tell us the answer. Miserable bastard.

The players' awards

The New Zealand Herald, always one to bury good news beneath bad, has stuck with its usual reporting policy by noting the fact that Daniel Vettori was the players' choice for player of the year in an article entitled "Facilities not good enough say players". Both pieces of news came from the New Zealand Cricket Players Association annual survey of players. Amongst other highlights of this survey were the voting of Brent Bowden as best umpire (which the Herald led into with "While players agree that umpiring standards need to be raised..."), Stephen Fleming best test batsman, Nathan Astle best one-day batsman, Hamish Marshall best fielder and Ross Taylor the best emerging player.

I guess the Herald just finds that bad news sells more papers. Perhaps we could take a similar line here at Mike on Cricket to raise our readership? Expect to see a series of articles coming soon with headings like "Kyle Mills - NOT voted cricketer of the year", "Nathan Astle makes a golden duck (and in other news New Zealand win by an innings)" and "Wellington lose State Championship final".

Karl marvels at a thrilling series

Six games. Pakistan won 4 games to India's 2. Pakistan scored 1685 runs (average: 281 per game) and lost 49 wickets. India scored 1558 runs (average 260 per game) and lost 49 wickets. Five innings totals were over 300 (with another at 298). The play from all players on both sides was marvellous and it was a thrilling contest up to the last match. The last match was an anti-climax though with the crowd throwing objects onto the pitch.

While India didn't win the series, John Wright finished his coaching stint with them on a high note, producing a thrilling competitive series.

Mr John Wright

The Telegraph of India has an interesting interview with John Wright on the eve of his retirement from coaching the Indian team. There are some interesting insights into his coaching style and the frustrations of coaching India. One insight I found particularly interesting was his hard attitude towards players in private ("having too many [support staff] around leads to too many shoulders to cry on") and how this contrasts with the unwavering support he gives them in public. Wrighty reveals that he is returning home to Christchurch to spend more time with his kids. I hope Martin Snedden has been in touch...

Karl on the Master of Chaos

Shahid Afridi on his way to the 2nd fastest ODI hundred - 102 runs, 9 sixes, 10 fours, 45 balls faced to get the century - as Pakistan beat India in the fifth ODI of their 6-match series. Afridi has scored the most sixes in ODIs. A comparison with number four on that list shows:
Afridi: 204 matches, 195 innings, 4523 runs, average of 24.31, 4 centuries, 203 sixes and a strike rate of 106.97
C. Cairns: 204 matches, 184 innings, 4767 runs, average of 29.42, 4 centuries, 147 sixes and a strike rate of 83.69

Reference.

Cricket ratings

The various ICC (previously PWC) rating systems have been updated in light of the recently completed test series. Unfortunately this isn't very exciting news. The main reason it isn't interesting is that the new ratings website is both boring and difficult to navigate. But don't worry, I have done the difficult work for you and found the ratings that matter. Not that they are that much more interesting. The team rating has barely changed and we remain ranked at 7th, above the West Indies and below South Africa. And there are no New Zealanders in either of the individual top 10s. Stephen Fleming is our top ranked batsman at 24th, and Daniel Vettori is our best ranked bowler at 18th. Chris Martin (23rd) and James Franklin (35th) are notable risers amongst the bowlers while Lou Vincent has rapidly climbed to 37th in the batting stakes, one place below Hamish Marshall.

Victory - and Lou Vincent put your bloody tongue away!

Poll results and a new poll

My last poll asked you to tell me which young New Zealand cricketers are destined to have long and profitable New Zealand careers. Jacob Oram received far and away the most votes with 11, while Hamish Marshall and Brendon McCullum followed on 9. It was a sharp drop back to James Franklin on 4 votes and Craig Cumming and James Marshall each received 2 votes. Only one person thought poor old Ian Butler has much in the way of prospects. How quickly figures of 6-46 against a strong Pakistan side are forgotten.

My new poll asks you to decide on that vexed area where sport and politics collide. Let me know whether the New Zealand side should tour Zimbabwe come August.

Ben on ... super 6s

From the Cricinfo bulletin for the third day's play:

...followed by a useful cameo from Mills, whose contribution included a six struck so sweetly off Malinga that it sailed down Wellington High Street, where it was fielded by a bemused shopper.

That is a mighty 6. High Street is in Island Bay, right down near the coast.

Money, money, money

In the Dominion Post Jonthan Millmow has started speculating about who might win a contract with New Zealand Cricket next season.

Series stats

Batting

Name - runs (ave)
L Vincent - 276 (92.00)
HJH Marshall - 172 (57.33)
SP Fleming - 145 (48.33)
NJ Astle - 133 (44.33)
JAH Marshall - 119 (39.66)
BB McCullum - 106 (35.33)
PJ Wiseman - 59 (29.50)
JEC Franklin - 77 (25.66)
CD Cumming - 75 (25.00)
KD Mills - 57 (19.00)
CS Martin - 9 (-)

Bowling

Name - wickets (ave)
NJ Astle - 7 (15.42)
CS Martin - 11 (21.54)
JEC Franklin - 9 (28.22)
KD Mills - 2 (71.50)
PJ Wiseman - 1 (215.00)

Victory at last

And it is one to be savoured too. Ignore the feeling that this is an end of season blip - that is just the timing talking. This is a comprehensive series victory over a good test side. The fact that it occured during a hurried, late season mongrel of a tour stuffed into the itinerary as a make-up and held during the middle of a week did not matter to the players involved. And those players all contributed - even Kyle Mills. Lou Vincent, Chris Martin and Jimmy Franklin all provided critical contributions but just as importantly they found support at the other end. Lou Vincent would never have reached 224 if it weren't for stolid batting from Franklin, Mills and Wiseman. Martin wouldn't have got 6 wickets in the first innings without pressure at the other end from Astle and Mills, and Franklin's incisive spell in the second innings could not have occurred without water-tight bowling from Astle, Mills and Wiseman. About the only player not to make a significant contribution was Hamish Marshall - and he probably deserved a break.

Matthew Maynard

Some of you who might recall Matthew Maynard's brilliant time with Northern Districts back in the early '90s might be interested in this tribute to him in the Guardian.

The class of the man is undeniable

1991 redux

Andrew McLean, perhaps overcome with pessimism in the face of such a strong New Zealand performance, is having flashbacks to 1990/91 when New Zealand saved a match against Sri Lanka in similar circumstances at the Basin. The Basin has a very different wicket nowadays however. If the southerly keeps refreshing the pitch I think Sri Lanka will be in for a very difficult struggle.

Day two continued

Its a conspiracy. I try to prepare you for the long, cricketless winter by easing off on the posting and the Sydney Morning Herald publishes a photo of Shane Warne with a ciggie in his mouth and his trousers around his ankles. Not only that, but the New Zealand Herald reveals a plot by New Zealand Cricket to keep Sonny Shaw (flag-waving cricket fan and convicted sex offender) out of shot AND publishes an article by Richard Boock which gets stuck into Stephen Fleming's captaincy.

Day two

You are getting a real cheat today. All I am offering you is this link to Andrew McLean's article on Lou Vincent. I'm not even going to add a hint of mocking or outrage to it. No commentary whatsoever. And not even a hint of a critique. Just the link. Slack I know. But what are you going to do about it?

Day one

A couple of stories from the first day's play. Firstly Daryl Hair has refused New Zealand requests to wear white trousers or at least drape something down his front. New Zealand batsmen have said that they have had problems because Malinga's arm comes down directly infront of the umpire and the ball disappears as it merges into the black of the umpire's trousers. Good old Daryl. Always keen to put himself first.

And secondly, Andrew McLean has passed verdict on Chris Martin's excellent performance yesterday.

Flem gets angry

One of the more interesting aspects of yesterday's play was the bollocking Stephen Fleming gave his entire team very early in the day's play. It worked, but I was left wondering whether it was an inspired piece of captaincy or simply frustration boiling over.

Beefy and Lamby

Alex has kindly forwarded me this link to show us what happens to players once they stop getting paid to hit a ball about.

Karl thinks about ... cricket, politics and politicising cricket

While New Zealand cricket is avoiding the political/governance problems afflicting other associations at the moment, it's starting to face a Political dilemma - Zimbabwe: tour or not tour?

The Listener has a useful introduction to the issue. It's a tough issue that will be made harder for the Black Caps by the tour taking place close to the New Zealand election, making this too juicy an issue for politicians to steer clear of.

In discussing the ability of players to make a moral stand and not tour, Ian Smith in the Listener article says that there are only four players who could not tour and still be guaranteed a place in the side: Fleming, H Marshall, McCullum and Vettori. For the rest of the players this will be a tough time, especially following the recent elections in Zimbabwe which indicate no letup by the Mugabe regime in its way of governing.

The Greens have written to all 25 squad members to stay home. If the team didn't tour, New Zealand would face a financial penalty - if the Government thinks they shouldn't (and the NZ Goivernment is staying at arms-length from this at the moment) then should they pay the fine?

Day five and the end of the domestic season

Well, we survived the final day and the draw lost some of its snore factor thanks to New Zealand's attempt to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Meanwhile Auckland took away the State Championship after smacking Wellington around on the outer oval at Eden Park. This was slightly surprising given that Auckland spent most of the competition with only one batsman.

The end of the domestic season gives us a chance to look at the form of individual players. The batting averages show that only two batsmen scored over 500 runs and averaged over 50 - Lou Vincent (563 at 112.60) and Peter Fulton (828 runs at 69.00). Promising players like Jamie How, Jesse Ryder, Craig Cumming, Jarrod Engelfield and Ross Taylor all had solid seasons without really setting the world on fire and their averages merely sat alongside those of reliable, older players like the Parlane brothers and Gary Stead rather than outstripping them.

The bowling averages saw a whole crop of players taking 20 or 30 wickets at an average of under 25. The problem is trying to work out which of those bowlers took their wickets through skill and pace or spin. I mean, what can we learn from the figures of the reasonably unknown Warren McSkimming (25 wickets at 22.88) when we also see that Tama Canning took 27 wickets at 23.85 with his military medium seamers? Not a lot. Two bowlers which do stand out from the masses were James Franklin (23 wickets at 14.13) and Paul Wiseman (35 wickets at 15.11).

So. Onto Wellington we go and the last match of the season. And if the forecast is right, then there might be even less than five days of cricket left before the long, dark of winter takes hold.

Day four

Why is it that whenever New Zealand reaches the end of a snore draw we crumble? For as long as I have watched cricket we have either spent the last day of a draw struggling to 164/7 or letting the opposition blast their way to 203/0. At this stage, 64/2 could easily turn into another of those 164/7-type scores.

Having said that, some people seem to think that a snore draw with New Zealand struggling to 164/7 would be a good result for the Black Caps. Cricket Australia, who have some insight into our ability to dramatically collapse, headline their coverage of day four with Black Caps not safe yet.

It was nice to see Martin and Franklin get some wickets yesterday, and to see them both getting the ball to reverse swing. It was less nice to see Craig Cumming dismissed lbw again. The Australians picked that he has a tendency to tuck his bat behind his pad and got him that way, and the Sri Lankans appear to be quick learners.

Adam Gilchrist in knickerbockers

According to the Sydney Morning Herald the Boston Red Sox have been trying to persuade Adam Gilchrist to take up baseball. Ian Chappell (a former Australian representative baseballer as well as captain of the Australian cricket team) thinks Gilchrist hasn't got the fielding skills to make it and the man himself doesn't seem to show any kind of interest, but it is an interesting development nonetheless. The same article mentions that the Arizona Diamondbacks (whoever they are) once approached Brett Lee along similar lines.

Hmmm, I smell an idea for finally breaking the Australian team's dominance over the red ball game...

A new Wisden

The new Wisden has been released. This isn't awfully exciting news on this side of the world, but it is probably more interesting than the test match at this stage. One interesting feature of the new edition is that every single one of the "five players of the year" is an Englishman. This seems totally outrageous until you consider that the awards are judged on their influence on the previous "English summer" rather than on world cricket. If you recall, England spent the previous summer thrashing a hapless New Zealand side and there was therefore not much competition for places in the top five from players who live outside England.

One of the more unlikely winners of the player of the year award is Ashley Giles. And it is depressing to read the summary of his season to see that he was struggling for form, being smashed around by the New Zealanders and on the verge of being dropped when something happened to completely change his season:

"Still bowling that negative stuff over the wicket?" goaded [Scott] Styris upon his arrival at the crease. Giles stayed over the wicket, yielded nothing and soon had Styris snaffled at silly point in a spell that ensured his survival as a Test cricketer.

With his confidence back, Giles took six wickets in the next match and scored 81 match-winning runs. Gee. I didn't think there was much else I could blame Scott for, but I was wrong.

Wisden's list of the world's top forty cricketers in 2004 also makes for some heart-breaking reading. Two New Zealanders are on the list. Stephen Fleming is one with the comment that while his captaincy skills seemed to have lost their sheen, his batting form was superlative. The other New Zealander is the crocked Jacob Oram.

New Zealand managed to have two of the world's top forty cricketers in 2003 (when it was Fleming and Richardson) and 2004. At this stage only Hamish Marshall looks to have any chance of making the 2005 list.

Day two

The press, and even the players, are already writing off this test as a snore draw. But we can already reflect on some very positive aspects of the match. Hamish Marshall for one. Jimmy Franklin finally showing us he can bat for two. And Nathan Astle soldiering on for three. Brendon McCullum's 99, like all 99s, is in the too tragic to be positive, too positive to be tragic category.

Marshall's development has, as I have said before, been the revelation of the summer. I still worry that it could be a flash in the pan - a repetition of the early stages in the careers of players like Mark Greatbatch or Lou Vincent - but Marshall's technique is built on such simple methods that you would hope that the vagaries of form will have less effect than it would on other players.

Day one

The Marshall twins may have put on a century partnership and Hamish Marshall may well have scored his second test century, but the New Zealand media has mostly been focussed on the bowling action of Lasith Malinga. A good start to the match nonetheless.

Napier test preview

Cricinfo have published some stats to cheer us up before the first test. The numbers game column has analysed New Zealand second innings scores and has unsurprisingly concluded that we are rubbish in the second dig - averaging less than half our first innings score in games since 2003. And if you scroll down to the bottom of this article you will also find another disturbing set of statistics, in ODIs since 2003 New Zealand has a) scored less runs in the last 10 overs than any of the other major sides and b) scored less runs overall than any of the other major sides. Not that this really belongs in a test preview, but it is disturbing news nonetheless.

Having cheered us up with that kind of analysis, Cricinfo has then published a preview which cheerfully points out all the holes in the side - no top order, no bowlers, that kind of thing. They also tell us the exciting news that Ian O'Brien has been made 12th man, meaning Kyle Mills' dismal performances in Australia earlier this season have been rewarded with another test cap.

The media does have some good news for you though, the weather. Sunny, warm and scheduled to stay that way. And despite all the other doom and gloom, I am feeling kinda upbeat. This could be a good contest. Sri Lanka have some brilliant batsmen, but swing and seam could be their undoing. And while Chaminda Vaas is always a handful on greenish wickets, the rest of the bowling line-up is not going to send shivers through New Zealand spines.

Its like a Russian novel and the ball is made of wood

Americans try to get to grip with cricket again. I don't know where the hell they got the idea that the game is played with wooden balls.

Player of the year

Dan Vettori came away with the plaudits at the New Zealand Cricket awards ceremony last night. By taking 42 wickets at 27.78 in test cricket this season without much support he won both player of the year and the Winsor Cup for bowler of the year. By my calculations Vettori also scored 365 test runs at 33.18, which must put him up amongst our better performed batsmen after consistently dismal performances at the top of the order. One batsman who did perform was Hamish Marshall, who ended the season with 378 test runs at 54.00 and who took the Redpath Cup for batsman of the year. Vettori and Marshall also took the awards for bowling and batting in ODIs.

English on Italian

Peter English, has written a profile of Daniel Vettori for Baggy Green in which he calls for Dan's selection in the World XI matches against Australia and slams the rest of the New Zealand attack.

More ratings

Stuff.co.nz has published its own ratings for members of the New Zealand team in the recent series. They were somewhat more generous than Cricinfo, but not overly so.

Mills in, Vettori out

What? According to this story Kyle Mills has replaced Dan Vettori in the team to face Sri Lanka in both tests of the upcoming series. Surely there must have been someone else they could have called up? I can understand the logic of picking a pace man to replace Vettori with the wickets at Napier and the Basin likely to be greenish and with the Sri Lankan batting line-up being somewhat less experienced against seam bowling, but Kyle Mills?

Player ratings

A new feature over at Cricinfo is the publication of player ratings at the end of a series. Each player who contributed is marked out of 10 and a justification for that rating is given. Peter English has been given the task for the New Zealand vs Australia series and he has been very harsh, but fair. Of the New Zealanders only Dan Vettori (8), Hamish Marshall (7.5), Nathan Astle (6.5) and James Franklin (6) received a rating higher than 5, but Franklin can count himself a better performer than Jason Gillespie (5.5), Michael Kasprowicz (5.5), Matthew Hayden (4) and Michael Clarke (3). Sitting equal and below Clarke were Stephen Fleming (3), Ian O'Brien (3), Chris Martin (2), James Marshall (2), Paul Wiseman (2) and Craig McMillan (1 - ouch!). I feel a little sorry for James Marshall and Paul Wiseman - who both managed at least one average score with the bat in the only test they played along with one piece of brilliance (Marshall's run-out of Clarke and Wiseman's ball to bowl Martyn).

Changes to Mike on Cricket

Some of you might already have noticed that a recent post was made by someone other than me. Mike on Cricket is now accepting pieces from guest bloggers and three new contributors have been welcomed aboard. They are Karl, Ben and Dan. Please make them feel welcome. If you would like to become a contributor to Mike on Cricket please get in touch.

Injury update

New Zealand Cricket has issued an update on the fitness of injuried New Zealand players. Sadly Shane Bond's return is still scheduled for Zimbabwe in August and not Sri Lanka on Monday.

Karl thinks ... there are a couple of positives from the Aussie series

I'm taking a couple of positives from the recently concluded series against Australia (desperately trying to look for positives). There's also a couple of negatives.

Firstly, the negatives.
I'm worried about how we overwork one or two key players. Daniel Vettori couldn't walk the morning of the first test, and yet shouldered a huge burden throughout the series. Nathan Astle has recently come back from injury - a message sent out when he was looking at a comeback was that to protect his body he would be taking a minimal bowling workload in future. The third test showed that he is considered a third seamer and had to shoulder a heavy workload accordingly. Two of our few world class players are being overworked and I think there's a large risk they'll be back on the sidelines with Jacob Oram and Scott Styris.
From the one-day series - there were nothing but negatives. Five matches, seventeen players used. To my mind only Hamish Marshall redeemed himself, although Craig McMillan started to look good and played more maturely than he has for a while.

The positives.
Going into the test series with Sri Lanka, there is the post-Australia effect, documented recently on CricInfo.

In the tests, my main positives were the play of Daniel Vettori, Hamish Marshall, Nathan Astle and, to a lesser extent, James Franklin.
Daniel Vettori is just pure class. While he didn't take many wickets, he still genuinely troubled the Australian batsman and showed he's a handy batsman. His back is of real concern, especially with his admission he couldn't walk the morning of the first test - see http://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?ObjectID=10115682
Hamish Marshall showed he's a good back-foot player with great timing.
Nathan Astle batted himself back into some good form and was probably the most consistent of the batsman. He also bowled well in the third test - I just hope it doesn't impact on him physically.
James Franklin matured a lot in the series. After the mauling he received over in Australia pre-Christmas, he could've been expected to go to pieces. Instead, he ends the series with his best figures yet, with a useful 6 wicket bag and starting to trouble the batsman.

End of the series

Sometimes I hate cricket. No. Sometimes I loathe cricket. Watching a depressingly predictable end to a depressingly predictable test was one such moment. It was so fittingly apt that the series would end with Ricky Ponting tearing the New Zealand bowling to shreds, getting a reprieve when blatantly LBW and then smashing the winning runs two balls later before celebrating with one of those arm pumping, screaming pieces of hubris that only Australians seem to get away with. It is easy to see what there is to hate about such moments.

But. And this "but" requires you to forget the current series completely. But there is one positive aspect of the series that I want you to reflect on. It is that we are not due to play the Australians again for bloody ages. According to Cricinfo a tour of Australia is scheduled for November 2006, but I suspect that this is just for the annual ODI series we set-up last year. As far as I can work our the next test series will not be until 2008/9. No wonder Stephen Fleming saw this series as his test farewell to Australia. And it won't just be Fleming who will not be around next time. In 2008 Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne will be 39. Adam Gilchrist will be 37. In fact of the Australian team who just thrashed us so badly, only Ricky Ponting (34) and Michael Clarke (27) are still likely to be playing.

Third day summary

I was so depressed by the failure of our openers in the closing stages of yesterday that I forgot the positive things that we saw earlier in the day. Andrew McLean did not forget and has written a good summary covering James Franklin's bowling and Stephen Fleming's captaincy.

Sri Lankan Board chaos

I wonder if this will have any effect on the Sri Lankan tourists? I suspect the new board might want to be seen to make its mark on the side - don't be too surprised to hear of changes to the coaching staff or selectors if the tour gets off to a bad start.

Poll results and a new poll

Last time I asked you what makes fast bowlers so sulky. One of you thought it was because their backs are under such pressure. One of you believed that they weren't frowning - it was just the G-forces pulling their mouths back. Three of you thought that fast bowlers were frowning in concentration because they find walking and breathing at the same time so hard. Two of you said that it was because the spinners get all the cute girls. And three of you thought it was because fast bowlers know what's on Daryl's video tape.

My new poll asks you to judge our new players. Let me know who you think is going to have a good and long career in the New Zealand team (please note that you can vote for more than one player).

Mike on Cricket is back

Well my holiday is over and I have returned to a damp and slightly chilly Wellington. A week or so of isolation means I can't really say much about the cricket with authority. But I heard short snatches of commentary whenever I took my car up a nearby hill (and it is amazing how many excuses you can find to drive a car up a hill when you need to) and one thing which has struck me is that there is a sense of a changing of the guard within the New Zealand team. Stephen Fleming's retirement is now within mentioning distance, while new faces are starting to establish themselves. For a while it seemed that every series would bring in an anonymous new player who would quickly vanish without trace when an old guard player returned (Michael Mason anyone?). But members of the old guard are growing fewer and those that remain are finding it harder to take their chances when they do return. And it is the new players who are starting to lead the way in grit and determination.

Okay, so the results haven't changed yet. But a new sense of team culture and character is starting to appear to replace the fading Young Gun image. And a change of culture might be just what the side needs.

Back on 28 April

As mentioned below, I am heading away for a summer holiday. I will be going here, where there will be no television, no radio and no internet. Hence, there will be no Mike on Cricket.

I will be back on Easter Monday to revel in the glorious victory of a resurgent New Zealand cricket team. Take care and I will chat to you all again then.

Australian team selection

Brett Lee has been omitted again and the line-up is unchanged. Interestingly after being told he was not playing Lee tried to charter a plane back to Australia so that he could play in a domestic match for New South Wales - only to be told that by the New South Wales selectors that he was not wanted. Oh dear.

2nd test preview

It is a very, very gloomy morning here in Wellington. Mist has sunk to sea level and the forecast is for the gloom to remain. Its not actually raining at the moment, but the forecast is for southerly winds (and for our foreign friends it might be useful to point out that the south where our southerlies comes from is covered in ice and penguins), some rain and continuing low cloud. This weather is set to continue for the weekend, with things beginning to pick up on Sunday afternoon. This means I would be unlikely to post much about the cricket even if I were going to be here. Which I am not. You see, I have picked this weekend to start my summer holiday. Perfect.

Cricket looks unlikely, but not impossible, today. Days like this in Wellington usually end one of three ways. Either the wind stays low and the gloom and mist hangs around, the southerly picks up and we get real rain for a while but the mist disperses - or the wind picks up and shifts direction and the mist disappears into a sunny day. The forecast would seem to indicate that we are in for option two - southerlies and a period of rain. And if that were to happen then expect a delayed start with the possibility of some cricket this afternoon.

Apart from the weather there is not too much for me to say. Peter English has said a little in Cricinfo - but he doesn't add much if you have already heard the news that Paul Wiseman might come into the New Zealand side. And I actually suggest you don't read this article unless you absolutely have too, because English makes the horrendous error of saying New Zealand has never beaten Australia at the Basin, forgetting the classic test of 1989/90 - played, incidently, in weather very similar to this.

Michael Slater

Michael Slater has been a revelation on this Australian tour for two reasons. The first is that he is a brilliant commentator - certainly the member of the current Sky line-up that I enjoy listening to most. And the second is that he is suffering bipolar disorder. I have e-mailed Sky Sports to say how much I have enjoyed his commentary, if you want to do the same (or to make any other comments about the TV coverage) - the email address is: cricket@skytv.co.nz.

Shane Warne

According to a fascinating article by Louis Nowra in this morning's Sydney Morning Herald Shane Warne's announcement that he is moving to England is "the equivalent of the boy who is so outraged at being given out in a game of backyard cricket that he heads off home with the only cricket bat".

Rice on cricket

The first sign that George W Bush is expanding his war against brutal tyrannies to include the cricket boards of Kenya, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe?

"I am going to make a promise to the Foreign Minister right now and that is that I will even try to understand cricket."
The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, acknowledges the importance of the game in Indo-Pak relations, as she arrives in New Delhi

New Zealand stonewallers

Having sighed as I read a typically Anglo-centric Wisden list of "The XI worst debuts"(*), I had resigned myself to seeing New Zealanders overlooked in the Guardian's list of "The ten greatest rearguard actions". Instead I was pleasantly surprised to see Mark Greatbatch's test (number 4) and the Danny Morrison/Nathan Astle act against England (rated number 2) high on the list. Its good to see that New Zealand's glorious history of boring batting has been remembered, even if our incompetence in the same field has been sadly overlooked.

(*) How on earth could they neglect Ken Rutherford - or Chris Kuggeleijn who not only made a pair but spent most of his only test in bed with food poisioning?

Second test preview

All the news seems to be that Brett Lee won't be playing at the Basin, so expect to see him charging in with a stiff southerly at his back come Friday.

As for the New Zealanders, well there has been call for changes in the batting order but John Bracewell has sensibly batted aside suggestions that players like Jesse Ryder, Jamie How, James Marshall or Peter Fulton be introduced. Blooding new players into a demoralised team being done over by the best in the business is not a good strategy. But it does beg the question, who else out there is performing? An analysis of the State Championship averages show that only six players have scored over 500 runs. They are:

Lou Vincent (563 runs at an average of 112.60)
Peter Fulton (797 runs at 72.40)
Jamie How (563 runs at 51.18)
Jarrod Engelfield (525 runs at 47.72)
Michael Parlane (517 runs at 47.00)
Greg Todd (511 runs at 42.58)

Jesse Ryder drops just below this group with 498 runs at 49.80 (with 236 of those coming in one innings against CD's dobbers), while James Marshall has 176 runs at 35.20 and Craig McMillan has 140 runs at 35.00 (those two missing games while representing New Zealand in pyjamas).

If a change were to be made, the figures clearly indicate that it should not involve Lou Vincent. Craig McMillan would be the obvious player to drop and, on form, Peter Fulton would be his most obvious replacement. Fulton though has a reputation for being a somewhat nervous starter and early nerves are not the things you want to be showing the Australians. Baring injury or calamity, expect to see the batting order remain unchanged until the Sri Lankans reach these shores.

On the ball

A new feature at Cricinfo is On the ball, an in-depth analysis of batting and bowling during a particular game. In the latest edition, On the ball looks at the first test and suggests plans for the next time Daniel Vettori bowls to Adam Gilchrist (don't), and plans for the Australians when they next bowl to Hamish Marshall (keep it full and straight). The article also looks at how Shane Warne stuck to a simple plan and waited for Marshall and McMillan to get themselves out in the second innings.

Good news, bad news

According to the Black Caps website Scott Styris is undergoing investigative surgery on his knee and will be out for the second test and Jacob Oram is now out of not just the Australian tour, but the Sri Lankan tests as well.

Day Four

So after three days of holding firm, New Zealand fumbled to a miserable loss on the fourth. It was an ending as sad as it was predictable. Andrew McLean has a nice summary on Cricinfo in which he outlines the ruthless of the brilliant Australian attack - but we should also look at the way the New Zealanders played. There were seven LBWs, the result of poor footwork stemming from a lack of confidence and a lack of a plan. The side knows what it needs to do in the first innings of a test, but a run of failures means that its primary aim in the second innings is to not get out - particularly when playing against Australia. They weren't trying to set up a total for the Australians to chase yesterday, they weren't trying to bat out the match - they were simply trying to hold up the Australian juggernaut. And that is the wrong way to go about things. We don't necessarily need to send the side to a psychologist, but we do need to get them focussing on their own technique and their own game.

Hamish on the pull (not to be confused with Daryl Tuffey)

Ian O'Brien

Speaking of bowlers, I have now had an opportunity to spend some time watching Ian O'Brien. I watched him once in a four-dayer for Wellington a year or so ago during which some rather dim kids couldn't work out how to pronounce the name on the scoreboard, "OBRIEN", and kept loudly mocking Obri-ann for his weird name. I thought during that match that he looked a notch faster than the rest of the Wellington attack, and a speed radar reading of 144kmph yesterday confirmed that. He is a bustly bowler with a rough kind of action and bowls "into" the wicket, getting more bounce than batsmen seem to expect. He is also a bit loose, but perhaps that is just first test nerves. I think he is showing a bit of promise.

Lucky and unlucky bowlers

I would hardly describe Shane Bond as "lucky" given his injury problems, but according to a fairly comprehensive Cricinfo study that is what he is. Bond and Chris Cairns feature on a list which determines which bowlers take the greatest proportion of wickets with "potential wicket-taking balls" (ie balls which beat the batsman). The luckiest bowler of them all, by a huge margin, is Nantie Hayward who has taken 35 wickets but has only beaten a batsman 34 times. I would like to see a replay of that 35th wicket. No New Zealanders appear on the list of "unlucky" bowlers (headed by Ashley Giles), although Dan Vettori does feature on the list of players who have the most catches dropped off their bowling.

Hamish Marshall

There is a type of player who occasionally appears in cricket with a very average first-class record but who still manages to put in brilliant performances at the highest level. These players tend to be batsmen with limited technique but a great deal of grit and determination, and the level of grit and determination increases exponentially as the level of the opposition rises. Jeremy Coney (7872 first-class runs at 35.14, 2668 runs for New Zealand at 37.57) was one. Tony Greig (16660 first-class runs at 31.19, 3599 runs for England at 40.43) another. Andrew Jones (9180 first-class runs at 41.80, 2922 runs for New Zealand at 44.27) was a third. For Jones and Coney, their first-class figures improved only after they had established themselves at test level.

It is early days yet, but it looks like Hamish Marshall could be the latest in this movement. And currently he is the most extreme example (2146 first-class runs at 27.51, 212 runs for New Zealand at 212.00). Long may he, and all gritty and determined players, continue to shine.

A nation of Brett Lees

The Australian thinks that its not just the benched fast bowler who packs a sulk when things don't go his own way.

A new poll

For some reason my last poll decided to vanish off the planet. Oh well, it wasn't very interesting anyway. My new poll concerns the prima donna nature of fast bowlers (think Lee, Akhtar and Heath Davis). Can you tell me why they tend to be so highly strung?

First day impressions

I am sitting at home watching the replay of the entire day's play on Sky. Here is a summary of my thoughts while watching:

1. Stephen Fleming looks totally out of touch.
2. Brett Lee's sulky look is almost as good as Shoaib Akhtar's.
3. Craig Cumming is hook happy. I suspect the Aussies will aim to test the shot out during the rest of the series.
3. The miracle that is Hamish Marshall just keeps getting better.
4. Can Ricky Ponting make any sort of decision without his team needing to convene a group conference first?
5. Joe Bennett was the guest on the Dilmah tea party - and the Dilmah tea party is not shown as part of the replay. Bugger.
6. Chris Cairns has absolutely no future in commentary.

Technical issues

For some reason the system behind this blog is starting to play up and this has delayed the appearance of some posts. I hope things come right, but if they don't then there might be further delays.

Cricinfo's test series preview

I quite like this. Peter English is Cricinfo's Australasian editor and he has managed to capture the feel at the start of the series very well indeed.

The first test

Has anyone else got a really bad feeling about the first test? Don't you just wish this season were over? We are facing two whitewashes from Australia following on from another whitewash at the hands of England and I can't think of a New Zealand side at a lower ebb. It brings back memories of that terrible centenary year of 94/95 - but even that season contained a test victory over South Africa.

Brett Lee 12th man

And according to his agent he is devastated. Oh well, nothing wrong with a little dissention in the Australian ranks.

Meanwhile New Zealand have named Ian O'Brien in the starting eleven at the expense of Paul Wiseman and Craig Cumming comes in to make his test debut. Lou Vincent returns to the side on the back of some brilliant form for Auckland and Hamish Marshall plays in only his third test since his debut way back in 2000.

Tuffey's misconduct

I haven't seen it anywhere else yet, but the Sydney Morning Herald has the story behind Darryl's misconduct charge - and it doesn't sound nearly as bad as the rumours started by the New Zealand Herald's mention of "a milkshake, a video and two British backpackers".

More bad news for Darryl Tuffey

This does not sound good for Darryl.

Test series preview

Andrew McLean has previewed the test series for Cricinfo. He is not at his most optimistic:

If there is a third certainty after death and taxes, Australia winning the coming series 3-0 is right up there. I've rarely struggled to be optimistic about New Zealand's chances against anyone in the past, but, having seen Test humiliations at Brisbane and Adelaide, another outrageous run of injuries, and an embarrassing effort in the five home one-dayers that have just ended ... the next month doesn't bear thinking about.

Fixing the backs of all those future Shane Bonds

Hum. According to the Paediatrics magazine which just crossed my desk and the boffins at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington there are better ways to make kids bones stronger than school milk. Feeding them a cup of "turnip greens" each day. Or two-thirds of a cup of tofu. Or a cup of broccoli. All these contain the same amount of calcium as a cup of milk.

I have to say that I found this article hilarious. I mean, are these people mad? What sort of lunatic would suggest that supplying kids with a cup of tofu or broccoli every day would do anything but create a new compost heap behind the school cafeteria? And I have no idea what turnip greens are, but they sound bloody horrible. Nope. The Campaign to Bring Back School Milk has taken this study in its stride and is marching confidently onwards.

Doctorin' the pitch

A few years ago Indian Cricket accused New Zealand Cricket of doctoring pitches during an ill-fated tour of this country. The tour took place in the midst of an experiment in which curators had been asked to prepare pitches with "pace and bounce" to generate more exciting cricket than is seen on the typically low and slow New Zealand wickets. That experiment mostly came to a calamitous halt after the Indian tour thanks to wickets which were successfully spiced with pace, bounce but also with more sideways movement than my manager evading questions about a pay rise. But in one place the experiment was a success - Jade Stadium in Christchurch. And now, just when we really, really don't need it, a fast and hard deck is ready for test cricket. Welcome to New Zealand Brett Lee, we have done everything in our power to make your visit a pleasant one.

Things are not that bad

Okay, so we got thrashed by Australia again. But there are thrashings and then there are thrashings. Zimbabwe have just proven that there are worse places to be a cricket fan.

It is interesting to note how different the New Zealand test team will be from the one day side. Gone is the entire pace attack - Mills, Hamilton, Cairns, Canning and Wilson are out, and replacing them are O'Brien, Franklin and Martin. It could be a selection of horses for courses as Martin and O'Brien are both short of a length bowlers and that should suit the fast Jade Stadium surface. And incidently, who on earth decided to help the Australians by starting the test series on a surface tailor-made for their bowlers?

A glimmer of hope

Four overs, two maidens, no wicket for seven.

Shane Bond completes his first spell in first-class cricket since injury.

Debutants

Injuries at the top level has meant call-ups for those from the first-class circuit, creating gaps at that level. This means that the next round of the Shell Trophy will be a very interesting one with a whole pile of newcomers. The Herald has a breakdown of who is likely to be appearing. One player I am surprised to see missing from their list is Richard Sherlock. The young Canterbury pace man was selected for New Zealand 'A' in South Africa where he was hitting the 150kmph mark, then moved to Christchurch to play for Canterbury and has yet to appear for them at all this season. Still, Te Ahu Davis is making a mark with some pace (albiet not particularly well aimed sometimes) for Northern.

Poll results and a new poll

Well it looks like Twenty20 has a way to go yet. In my last poll I asked whether you saw it as a threat to the one-day game and twelve of you shouted "no", while only four of you meekly whispered "yes".

My new poll was posted just after the deeply depressing fourth ODI against Australia. I want you to cheer me up and tell me that this is just an abberation.

Uh oh

Things might get even worse. This is in this morning's Herald:

Fleming later offered to resign as the New Zealand captain.

"It still hurts. The team hurts a lot, as they probably should do." he said.

It sounds like someone is feeling let down by his team-mates and disillusioned with the game.

"Basin result a disgrace"

Jonathan Millmow really got stuck into the Black Caps in this morning's Dominion Post. Harsh it might be, but the fact remains that our bowlers seem unable to get even the fundamentals right - as Millmow points out, "line and length are basics of the trade."

Wellington

How poor is our current bowling line-up? Even Bangladesh has two good left-arm spinners to complement their rubbish pace men.

Brett Lee update

It was teenage tailender Bruce Martin who Brett Lee tried to maim in 2000 in an incident which led to the first calls for him to be dropped from the side for being a psychopath. The umpire who officiated in that match, Dave Quested, reiterated to the Australian this morning his belief that Lee deliberately ran almost a metre past the crease to deliver a ball that "whistled past [Martin's] nose".

Wellington preview

Stephen Fleming (captain)
Nathan Astle
Craig Cumming
Hamish Marshall
Craig McMillan
James Marshall
Chris Cairns
Brendon McCullum
Jeff Wilson
Kyle Mills
Lance Hamilton

Look at those names. After the Australian tour how many of those would you have picked to be in the New Zealand team on 1 March 2005? Fleming obviously. Astle and Cairns almost certainly. McCullum and Hamish Marshall probably. But Craig Cumming? Jeff Wilson? Lance bloody Hamilton? Not likely. On paper this would have to be one of the weakest one day teams we have ever sent out onto the park. We have an attack led by a real estate agent from blimmin' Central "Dobbers" Districts for crying out loud. But despite this I am still feeling reasonably confident that we won't get thrashed today. Fleming is due some runs and Hamish Marshall and McMillan are doing well in the middle order. I can't see our bowlers tearing the Australians out, but swing and accuracy do well at the Basin and if Wilson and Hamilton can overcome their nerves than that is the least they can manage.