Cleaver on the fringe

Dylan Cleaver has an interesting piece in the Herald today. He looks at some of the players at the fringe of the New Zealand side, such as Bradley Scott, Jesse Ryder and Peter McGlashan. The "less mature" Ryder comes in for particular attention.

Bowling dross

Richard Boock thought New Zealand bowled a pile of dross yesterday, and I agree. "Some of the most inept bowling imaginable" fails to give the attack justice. Figures like 9-0-64-0 (Gillespie), 6-0-60-0 (Mason) and 7-0-54-0 (Adams) might look bad, but even they manage to look inflated because after reaching 201 in 24 overs Sri Lankans eased back and hit cruise control. The fact that there were 27 extras is perhaps more indicative of the rubbish served up. Gillespie can be excused a few nerves, but he concedes 4.89 runs per over for Wellington so I don't think that is only problem. Mason showed in the last Twenty20 match that he can be lethal when conditions suit seam bowling, but yesterday again demonstrated that he is cannon-fodder on a good batting surface. Adams might be another suffering some nerves. It is a fair while between drinks for the Auckland all-rounder and I suspect he is a little too desperate to succeed.

The "rotation policy" is becoming an issue for me. It makes sense if it is used to test out and give experience to young players like Ross Taylor - but when it is used to bring in players like Mason who are in their 30s and have tried and failed before - it loses a lot of its value. Indeed its only value then becomes to give players like Bond and Oram a rest.

Winning is a habit. And the best preparation New Zealand can have for the World Cup is to start winning. Yes, its going to be a long season and yes, players need a rest. But if a rotation policy is going to be in place then it should be used to rest one key player at a time - not half the damn team.

Taylor in Napier

After so much waiting and anticipation for Ross Taylor's inclusion in the New Zealand team I wouldn't have been surprised to have seen him fail miserably in his first game back. But instead he smacked a brilliant unbeaten century against Sri Lanka. Along the way he suffered pretty severe leg cramps. The last New Zealand batsman to suffer leg cramps was Mark Richardson and I bet Ross wouldn't be too unhappy to end up with a similar career record. Cramps apart though, you couldn't pick two more different players than Richardson and Taylor. Where Richardson was technically correct with a rock solid defence, Taylor seems to rely on a good eye, fast hands and a very heavy bat. It took a while for Taylor's feet to start moving (nerves perhaps?) and sometimes he played across his pads, so he isn't the most classical batsman - but when he started playing shots he played beautifully. His opening boundary - an off-drive off Vaas - a gentle flick off his toes for six off Malinga and a trio of thumping leg-side wallops will live in the memory for a long time.

Canning's "retirement"

It looks like Tama Canning didn't so much retire, as go before he was sacked. According to Cricinfo he turned up late on the last day of his last game and with a hangover. Auckland Cricket were in the process of reviewing his conduct (and his contract) when he decided to quit the game.

Poll results and a new poll

My last poll wasn't very popular. Clearly boring questions about a domestic competition didn't thrill you. I asked who you thought would win the State Championship this season. Central Districts won out with a measly 5 votes. Canterbury followed with 4 and Wellington with 3. Northern Districts won 2 votes while Otago and Auckland didn't win any at all.

My new poll asks you to choose your favourite scandal of Shane Warne's lengthy and extraordinary career.

Posting is likely to be light for the next couple of weeks. My family are coming to town to celebrate Christmas and I am on holiday until the 8th of January. Take care and have a fantastic holiday season.

How to beat New Zealand

Kumar Sangakkara reveals all in his column for Cricinfo.

Ashes catches

This is a very dangerous time killer. Here's a hint for you though. If you jump in line with a seagull you will jump much higher.

The genius of spin

Shane Warne may be a dickhead and a prat, but he is also one of the greatest bowlers of all time. In Peter Roebuck's words "He took a bag of tricks onto the field and dipped into it with the cunning of a rat and the theatricality of a tragedian." He also seems to be on the verge of retirement.

I wonder what Warne will do once he has gone? Lawrence Booth expressed an interesting view on him a few days ago. Lawrence said that Warne does not enjoy taking wickets - he has to take wickets. They validate him. As Booth wrote, "...he has made such a mess of his private life that the middle of the pitch is his sanctuary, the place he can do what he does best." So what will Warne do without that sanctuary? Where does his life go now?

In many ways cricket has probably kept Warne in check to a degree. Being a sportsman means strict routines and requires discipline. Discipline is something Warne has always struggled with and with cricket gone it is possible that his already scandal-filled life will spiral out of control. I am not sure whether it will though. He already has a post lined up to commentate for Channel 9 and he knows that television will not tolerate his bad behaviour (having been sacked from a commentary role once before). He is also rumoured to have reconciled with his wife Simone. Lets hope he can keep it together. Cricket can't afford to lose its geniuses.

Test cricket in crisis?

No-one turned up to watch Sri Lanka play New Zealand recently. But then nobody turned up to watch India beat South Africa either. Australia and England might draw record crowds, but that isn't going to last long if England keep losing. Chloe Saltau in Melbourne's Age has taken a look at the state of test cricket around the world and is starting to grow concerned.

I am not so sure we should start worrying just yet. While attendance at test matches is down, I don't think interest is. I have heard more talk about test cricket over the past few weeks than I ever have. And coverage in the media has been almost overwhelming. People still love the game, but I suspect they don't have the time to dedicate an entire day to it. So what is the solution? Well, I am sure New Zealand Cricket must make very little of its money from paying customers. 1000 people paying $15 a head will contribute only a fraction of the income provided by those massive TV rights. So why not charge nothing or only a nominal fee? If people pay $15 then they will want to get their money's worth and will only go if they know they can spend the whole day at the ground. If they were to be charged nothing, they would be much more likely to take a long lunch and pop in for a session, or take the kids down for an hour.

In my opinion, test match cricket isn't dying. But it is losing its atmosphere and has clearly lost its importance to New Zealand Cricket. The priorities are now the money-spinning ODIs and Twenty20s.

In the past I have also advocated for test matches to be taken to the provinces. Martin Snedden said recently that this is not viable because of the contracts New Zealand Cricket has with the major grounds. This is a great pity. But better scheduling might help. Test matches in November and early December are not going to get a crowd anywhere in this country. The Boxing Day test quickly became a wildly popular institution in Wellington and its loss still is a mystery to many.

I can accept that high summer and the holiday season is the time when ODIs can make even more money, but Karl has suggested timing test matches with regional holidays. Staging a test match in Wellington over Wellington Anniversary Weekend seems a very sensible idea and still leaves the Christmas period free for money making.

Test cricket has long been the jewel in cricket's crown and the shabby treatment it has received in New Zealand is to the detriment of the game and its popularity. You do not limit a "series" to two games, shove them into the darkest corner of the season and then complain that the game is losing popularity. The New Zealand public still love the longest form of the game and New Zealand Cricket should acknowledge that. Cheaper (or free) entry, better scheduling and series containing more than two matches will see the crowds return.

The aim of New Zealand Cricket of course is not to draw crowds, but to make money. The ODIs might pay the bills, but even with free entry test cricket can still be a money earner. If it wants to wear its purely financial hat then New Zealand Cricket might considering looking at test cricket fans in a different light. Instead of seeing the people who come to the ground as punters to be exploited, they should look at them as atmosphere generators who will make the TV coverage even more valuable.

Twenty20 squad named

The New Zealand team to play Sri Lanka in two Twenty20 matches on 22 and 26 December is:

Stephen Fleming (captain), Andre Adams, Nathan Astle, Shane Bond, James
Franklin, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, James Marshall, Brendon McCullum, Peter
McGlashan, Jeetan Patel, Ross Taylor

It is good to see Ross Taylor in the side. I find it surprising that James Marshall is in though. He has had one good knock this season - a brilliant 128 for Northern Districts against Wellington in the State Championship - and is only averaging 33.37. His twin brother Hamish is averaging 50.42 and might have been a better bet. I pleased Andre Adams is there. He has been blistering for Auckland recently, averaging 62.35 with the bat and 19.64 with the ball. McGlashan has come in to play as a keeper allowing Brendon McCullum will play as a specialist opener. If it comes off, this might be a move New Zealand could consider for the World Cup.

Snedden and Canning go

I wondered about retirements yesterday and today two important cogs in New Zealand cricket announced that they were moving on. Martin Snedden and Tama Canning have both announced that they are retiring. Snedden will be the bigger of the two losses. He has been at the head of New Zealand Cricket since 2001 and has provided steady, professional leadership. In a way he marked the transition from the amateur to the professional era in New Zealand cricket. He was the sharp lawyer who over from an opera singer, and he was also the CEO who oversaw the player contracts dispute and the introduction of professional first-class cricket.

Canning has been one of those bits-and-pieces cricketers that New Zealand seems to produce in spades - only he is actually an Australian. Canning came to New Zealand with the hope of making it to the top in international cricket. Not good enough to establish himself as either a batsman or a bowler, he still managed to make himself invaluable to Auckland by means of gritty, determined knocks in demanding situations and by taking vital wickets at vital moments. Canning played four ODIs for New Zealand a couple of seasons ago but found himself competing against a number of players trying to fill the same vacancy. Against the likes of Jacob Oram, James Franklin, Kyle Mills, Andre Adams, Scott Styris and Dan Vettori he was always going to struggle to establish himself. At the age of only 28 he seems to have lost his passion. I wouldn't be surprised if the struggles of his Auckland team in the first-class competition have contributed to this.

Perth, 17 years ago

Marie just sent me this link, along with the words "Even if one of the NZ team had done half as good a job as this we might have saved the test... "

The batting

Sri Lanka booted our arses at the Basin. So where did it all go wrong? I'll give you a clue. Here are the New Zealand batting averages for the series:

NJ Astle – 52 runs at 13
SE Bond – 15 runs at 5
CD Cumming – 119 runs at 29.75
SP Fleming – 75 runs at 18.75
JEC Franklin – 45 runs at 15
JM How – 70 runs at 17.5
BB McCullum – 74 runs at 24.67
CS Martin – 4 runs, no average
JDP Oram – 18 runs at 6
MS Sinclair – 83 runs at 20.75
DL Vettori – 114 runs at 38

Hmmm. Notice anything odd about that list? Like the fact that the blimmin' top order frickin' failed yet a-bloody-gain. Crickey. How many more times do we have to hear Stephen Fleming mouth the words "the top order let us down" before we manage to fix the damn problem? I know New Zealand hasn't got the largest pool of talent in the world, but somehow, somewhere there must be a solution.

Maybe the selectors could consider picking the 22 year old who averages 45.82 in first-class cricket? Or the other 22 year old who just hit 217 and who averaged 43 when given a chance in last season's Twenty20s (at a run rate of 245.71)? Maybe they could look at what members of the New Zealand team were doing out drinking one night in the middle of a damn test match they were in the process of losing? I dunno. Fixing the problem isn't my job. That's the job of the coach. And at the moment I really don't envy him.

The end of summer?

You might have noticed that I don't post much when New Zealand is doing poorly. In fact, posting (or talking) about cricket is usually the last thing I want to do in those circumstances. If I do post I usually end up sounding like a grumpy old curmudgeon like Richard Boock - and that is no fun for anybody.

As I write today New Zealand is staring defeat in the face at the Basin Reserve. Stephen Fleming has only just played a pointless little wafty drive to be caught behind.

This could possibly be Fleming's last act as a test cricketer. He is 33 years old and this is the last test match New Zealand will play for 11 months. This might also be the last test match for a couple of other key New Zealand players. Fleming, Shane Bond and Nathan Astle might all look at the upcoming World Cup in the West Indies as their last hurrah. If this is the case then what a dreary way to end. I would like to have seen them all go in a blaze of glory. Bond ripping down yorkers while Fleming and Astle blast the side to victory. But instead we have watched Bond play as a stock bowler trying to limit run-scoring while Fleming played one of those irresponsible drives we thought he had put behind him. Who knows, perhaps Astle might yet redeem them with an innings filled with those booming drives? I don't know. Perhaps in a couple of hours I will feel stupid for having written this. But I suspect I will instead be watching a replay of Astle being given out lbw off Murali or caught behind off an attempted booming drive.

A terrible mistake

I was planning to take today off to watch the cricket. And then the small report I had to write before Christmas became a 350+ page beast. And now I am sitting at work watching the sunlight reflecting off the glass-like surface of the harbour and wishing I were on the grassy bank at the Basin.

Poll results and a new poll

My last poll asked you what the result of the New Zealand vs Sri Lanka test series would be. Nine of you optimists picked a 2-0 scoreline to New Zealand and eleven thought it it would be 1-0. Three of you thought it would 1-1 and everyone was confident rain wouldn't lead to a 0-0 draw. Two people lacked faith in the kiwis and thought it would end 1-0 to Sri Lanka. Three people (all of whom I think are probably my friend Marie) voted for a 2-0 outcome in the Lankans favour. The fact that one of the people who voted that way voted after the result of the first test shows that they probably weren't all that serious.

My new poll asks you who will win the State Championship. To give you a bit of a guide, here is the scoreboard after the first three rounds:

1. Canterbury, 16 points
2. Wellington, 10 points
3. Central Districts, 10 points
4. Northern Districts, 6 points
5. Otago, 4 points
6. Auckland, 2 points

Is grumpiness contagious?

John Bracewell has always been a grumpy bugger. And now his players seem to be copying him. First of all Jacob Oram complained before the first test that the New Zealand media always attack the team when they fail and then dismiss their successes by focusing on the opposition's faults. Then Dan Vettori started complaining that "There's nothing to look forward to as a spinner in New Zealand". Now Stephen Fleming has just appeared on the national news to accuse the Sri Lankans of trying to distract the fans from their first test loss by whining about Murali's dismissal. Fleming picked out Sangakkara for particular attention, claiming that he was being "selfish" in taking the century raising single anyway (it was the first ball of an over, so he was exposing Murali to the strike for five balls) and that the bowlers were itching to target the batsman to get some revenge in Wellington.

EDIT: Link added to story about Fleming's attach

Sangakkara on touring New Zealand

Apart from raising "the spirit of cricket" when Murali had his brain-explosion I have been pretty impressed with the leadership of the Sri Lankan team. Mahela Jayawardene seems thoughtful and well spoken and now Kumar Sangakkara has stepped forward with a reflective and positive article on the Sri Lankan tour.

Larsen on the spirit of cricket

Gavin Larsen's latest column for the Black Caps website is a cracker. He opens by reminding us of how kids always use the word "safe" in backyard cricket before wandering out of their crease and then turns his ire on the Sri Lankans irresponsible use of the words "spirit of cricket" to cover their spinner's recent childish mistake. Building up a head of steam at this point Larsen then opens fire on the Sunday-Star Times coverage of the Murali run-out:

Headlines such as “Brendon McCullum – hang your head in shame” was inflammatory, unbalanced, out of context and poor judgement, to my mind. Sold a few papers though, I’m sure.

Not your typical tour diary

Ashley Giles isn't the world's most popular cricketer right at the moment, but he might win a few fans with the honesty on show in his Ashes diary. Here are a few highlights from his first few entries:

Marcus Trescothick's departure is not a total surprise. He's a close mate and told me in Canberra he was struggling. None of us realised it was this bad and that he'd get to this point so quickly.

...

Go out in the afternoon with the intention of getting drunk. After five days of pressure, worry and not sleeping you just go out and get wasted.

...

Some bloke says I am a disgrace to my country, that I have cost England the Test and I should bow out gracefully. That was nice. Have a shower, go down to the hotel bar - drink to forget again. The same bloke phones, wakes me up the next morning to apologise for the message. Apology accepted. What can you say?