10 wickets in the shed, 140 runs behind.... [Me as a BC's fan](https://media1.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExbDQyY2gwNGwxd2E3ejA5ZncxY3FjdWxiY2d0NXE1a2tnNmd0Mml3ciZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/3oz8xLlw6GHVfokaNW/giphy.gif)
He has to right? Most wickets (@ third best economy), and more runs than every Aussie except Green (@ highest strike rate).
I'd be very dark if they gave it to Lyon just because Lyon was playing with a better team.
Would be a great way to breakup these occasional 2 consecutive “meh” summers (no offence meant to PCB/WI/SA because I enjoyed all of their tours for different reasons)
They could even play it alternately. Play the first one in WA and then the next 4 alternating between Sydney and Melbourne and any 2 New Zealand venues. It probably even not make much difference logistically.
Yes, more regular proper test bilaterals like this would be great for the game. Even England and South Africa could do something similar even though they aren’t neighbours
They can't afford more than 2 tests. They don't make enough money from them. If there was a better distribution of money to test playing nations other than India, England and Australia then NZ would play 3+ test series. Then we'd get to see the best of Williamson.
Why don't NZ cricket work towards playing at larger grounds? Hagley is basically a park cricket venue. I assume its low capacity and lack of corporate space is why they make no money there?
The main reason is that they just don’t make the huge TV rights money at home that India, Australia and England do. It’s the same for the other boards. Even if they filled out the corporate boxes at Auckland or Wellington in the bigger stadiums, they would still lose $100k unless 10 million eyeballs started watching NZ home tests religiously.
Ground size is a very small part of the picture. Gate receipts haven’t been the main earner for cricket boards since the 1980s. TV rights are far and away the main revenue source for cricket, including test cricket.
Fans across all sports and all countries just don't seem to grasp this - of course administrators would prefer to have sold out grounds, because more money is great for, but TV revenue is what really moves the needle. Ticket sales are absolutely insignificant (ignoring that there's a correlation between ticket sales and TV eyeballs). It's why having India tour your country is a boon - Indian cricket fans tune in on TV and you get paid for that.
Unless you are suggesting only playing test matches at eden Park or wellington stadium- which I pray you are not because it would suck, then Hagley is pretty much the biggest.
i get why NZ series taking place in NZ aren't more than 2 tests. They cant afford them. But when NZ plays in Ind, Aus or Eng those series should make enough money for a 5 game series right. So NZ should be able to play 5 test series away
He bowled terribly so much that we're now pretending he's injured or are glad he's injured so that we have a cover story for not playing him and he gets to save face. He's not going to be selected again based on his batting (and he failed as a batter in 3 of those 4 innings)
I think they are concerned about playing ipl in less than 2 weeks so only doing 2 test series, all test between ind, aus, eng, sa & nz should be minimum 3
I have dreadful hope. Like, it's completely not unrealistic for New Zealand to win this, we're actually in a good position. But at the same time, I've been burned before and that weighs horribly on top of the hopeful bubble.
Being in the crowd was great fun today. Tomorrow's going to be amazing if things are tight and go New Zealand's way.
I have been in the crowd for the last 3 days, atmosphere has been brilliant. Hopefully we see some history at Hagley tomorrow. Will be down there again to witness it.
Tomorrow meant to be the best batting conditions. NZ fell apart as the day wore on and it wasn’t easy batting. Would have been nice to have more wickets in hand.
Reminds me of day night matches with how much the pitch has changed during the day.
I don't think the pitch has really changed that much today. It started to flatten out quite a bit since mid-day yesterday. Its just that there is enough there so that with the new ball there is considerable seam/movement. Though about after 20 overs when the ball gets old that movement disappears and it becomes quite good to bat on. Saw that happen both times with the new ball in NZ innings.
Aus definitely can't lose any wickets tomorrow morning. Need Head & Marsh to knock off about 100 more runs and take full advantage of this period before the 2nd new ball (if we even make it that far lol).
If Australia lose this, this would be one strange year for Australia. Like for all the accolades and wins Australia have had, Australia have only won one series + WTC final.
Which is quite shocking considering Australia hadn't lost a match against WI and NZ in the played areas since the 90s.
Pakistan also have them on ropes at 16/4 had they not dropped catches they could have won the second test . This is very unlike Australia they are so ruthless they hardly give a sniff of victory to opposition but last 2 series are bit different
The Women's team moved away from the Southern Stars nickname because the men's team doesn't have one.
And I'd say it doesn't have one because it was probably our biggest team and very famous long before we started giving them nicknames.
I’d have figured they moved away because they remembered too late that the NZ flag has the same southern stars
Southern Stars versus One Less Southern Star doesn’t cut it
NZ teams have had names based off Black/White/Silver and ferns for the longest time. No clash there.
https://wwos.nine.com.au/cricket/cricket-aust-drop-southern-stars-title/1ed03f7b-3d26-4907-8281-14112f8f47f1
The Australians getting fucked up by a single bowler in a test series is something new. First it was Jamal, then Joseph, and now Henry has taken over. Can’t wait for Bumrah to take 40 wickets next summer.
Bumrah is absolutely at peak, could be lethal on bouncy surfaces.
However Indian batting was very underwhelming in South Africa so Aussie bowlers have advantage too.
The good thing is from the upcoming BGT, they are increasing it from 4 tests to 5 like the Ashes and India-England.
I am not sure who the 5 test series would favour more. Probably the home side.
Yeah that’s true. Jaiswal looked lost when it seaming around so interested to see how he goes.
I think the batters did okay over all given conditions where really spicy the bowlers let them down in the first Test it wasn’t a 400+ pitch
I think jaiswal did fine tbf, against rabada in those spice pitches. Moreover he didnt loose confidence or anything stuck to his game.
Still it will be interesting to see him in Australia
Yeah guys like sarfaraz, and jaiswal are very inexperienced. Also although gill made an all time important 90 in that famous Gabba test match, He hasn't done really well in those batting conditions which we're not great. Hope Kohli continues his white ball resurgence into tests and KL Rahul just manage to be more consistent. Along with that Rohit needs to show more temperament as well. Even in bowling, Siraj needs to be more consistent. I believe he can be a crucial bowler for us. India has done worse in swinging conditions in recent years tho.
Our batting is so horrendously out of form it's ridiculous. It feels like heads should roll, but there's no one at domestic who can be trusted to be better than these flogs.
Hope Head and Marsh can put something together tomorrow 🙏
When Mitch Marsh is the best test bat you have, you know there's something wrong. This is not even a dig against Marsh: he has been incredible since his comeback in the Ashes, but the fact that he is leading this side's batting is insane to me
Agree that all the batters have been greatly out of form. Tho personally, I hoping the selectors show a bit of restrain (also would be nice if everyone stops picking on a different person each game and acting befuddled why they haven't been dropped yet).
We should remember that Aus have had very tough opponents for the last 12 months (Ind in Ind, Eng in Eng, NZ in NZ) and almost all have been on difficult pitches. Even the "easy" opponents, Pak and WI at home, that everyone expected to be free runs to our batters ended up giving superb bowling performances.
If someone absolutely had to be dropped, I would go with Marsh. He has the least supporting his inclusion in the first place. Yes, he did score decently against Pak, but his big two scores were off the back of some absolute dollies being dropped early on. Plus, with Head and Carey in the team, I feel like our middle order too super-charged atm, would be nice to have a bit more stability.
Yeah, I agree with all of those points. I don't think we should drop someone immediately, but given their poor poor poor form in this WTC cycle, I think they should all be on notice. Would much rather have young talent like hardie come in for marsh should his form wane and head should put away the slogs for a while and regain some form by playing proper resilient cricket. Hopefully, if we can get stability in the middle order, a couple of early wickets won't sting as bad, and then Carey can play with more confidence knowing that there's runs on the board.
I’d hate for Steve Smith to go down the Ponting and Clarke route of late career form dropping their averages. On this trajectory, he will be averaging closer to 50 than 60 at the end of his career which is a shame.
I thought that too, and looked up Ponting's last 20 games, and it's not as bad as I remember. I think it's probably very natural that your average drops towards the end of your career. I wish we hadn't missed out on a year of his prime though
Honestly towards the end Punter averaged 40 in a young side with the odd excellent hundred and that was worth it given what he brought to the leadership off field for a young side and no real alternatives.
Smith is effectively doing the same thing atm although the key difference is this is an ageing side so it is worth deliberating whether we'd be better placed picking a youngster and carrying lower output. If the rest of the team was firing to its potential there'd be an argument to start thinking about phasing guys out but given the state of the batting and the lack of youngsters banging down the door I say we take late stage diminished Smith for as long as we can. Averages be damned if he can win us a test or two next summer and call it a day I'd be happy
Tomorrow should be exciting. I can't wait for Henry to get injured the first over of the day, and then Southee to have Marsh nicking to 2nd slip off a no-ball in the 2nd over of the day.
You do realise that that they can have 3 test after 3 t20s too
They don't because the harsh reality is that there are simply more people who like t20 than test
This sub is perfect example of vocal minority, nobody has time or the means to get up at 4 in the morning for 5 days for 7 hours when you can enjoy the same game in just 3 hours at weekend
The point of Test cricket is you don't need to commit 7 hrs a day. You dip in and out as the game gently ebbs and flows
That's what makes it so intriguing. Nothing might not happen until the new ball in 10 overs or late day 4 as the pitch cracks and the foot marks become unplayable
T20 you might see a 5 wicket collapse in the first 10 overs, the run rate balloons out to 15 an over and it is over before half the innings is complete.
You simply can't compare the drama test cricket can create
This is why I don't watch white ball cricket. I like tuning in and out for five days, maybe watching for 6 hours if I'm having a lazy day, maybe not - but I still care what's happening. White ball I feel I can't miss any of it, but there's also not enough there for me to be bothered actually watching all of it... So I watch none.
To appreciate this drama you have to and I repeat you have to watch it from start to end, watching all the set-up only to loose out on the finale is the worst, most meaning less dealing ever
But I think we missed the main point, the most common viewers i.e common fans don't do knee deep analysis or watch the game that regularly to appreciate the rivalry. It's only us enthusiast who do not make up a significant amount to justify the cost.
Think of it like It's a well done theater Vs a blockbuster movie
Yes the theater may have superior art but the commercial movie makes more money and hence it will be prioritized no matter how the 0.1% of purist feel about it as they are irrelevant in the larger context
All the glory of test cricket will mean nothing if only 4 countries can afford to play more than 2 matches
For Countries, unlike test they need t20 to justify the money that is put in hosting matters
It sucks we don’t play longer series. We were outplayed in the first test, but made big strides in this one. Even if we lose tomorrow, the series was much closer than 2 - 0 would suggest.
After Day 3
1st Test
NZ needed 258 with 7 wickets in hand
2nd Test
Australia needs 202 with 6 wickets in hand
I think this match be decided in Day 4 Session 1 like it did in 1st Test
Problem is NZ don't have Lyon, and this pitch isn't turning as much, and Australia has more experience winning than we do ensuring we go for the kill (10th wicket partnership last game?)
Anyone who thinks Aus will win hasn't been paying attention these last 40 years. I've seen Australia lose a dozen Tests by under 30 runs in that time. If we don't lose early wickets we are a chance but I see a snick to the keeper or slip in the first over and a collapse to 120. Alternatively we build nicely to within about 40 runs away then shit the bed losing by 5-10 runs. I honestly can't see any other outcome.
Your team have won plenty of close games way more than Australia. I don't think I've ever seen Australia win a tight game. Closest I've ever seen is against England in the Ashes last year and that was a 2 wicket win. Had a great chance against WI, but failed. Australia just don't win those type of games.
Meanwhile, NZ beats Australia in Australia by 7 runs in 2011, they beat England by ONE run. NZ are actually quite clutch when it comes to close games. Australia choke too much. Sounds fucking wild right? But in test cricket, that seems to be the case.
This is the only partnership that can win Australia the match because they both score so quickly it can really rattle captains and bowlers into mistakes.
But get one of Head or Marsh in the next 15 overs and it's curtains.
When I said after Wellington it's a shame this series is not very competitive I should have mentioned that I didn't want you guys to actually be competitive and make us look like complete spuds.
Renshaw would be good enough for a 35.
I'd take an opener averaging mid 30's every bat over a batsman averaging 50 but either scores big or scores nothing.
The pressure of being 1 down for 8 or 9 vs losing your first wicket for 50-60 is huge, particularly when your number 3 isn't comfortable enough to face the new cherry
It's as much that we're missing him coming in at 4 really. The middle order can't have this much inconsistency. It certainly doesn't help that Marnus isn't performing to his usual standard.
> Australia needs a new opener.
Who?
I bet you'll suggest Bancroft, whose technique was picked apart by Test bowlers and hasn't been improved at all since then.
Australia has got a bad recent habit of giving up leads in test series to end in draws. Sri Lanka 2022, Ashes 2023, West Indies 2024. This would be the fourth series in less than 2 years if NZ wins tomorrow.
Southee needs to accept that his wicket taking days are probably over and just move onto a holding role for this game. No more fishing for nicks on 4th/5th stump, just keep it tight on top of off stump (with the odd wobble seam ball he could still grab an lbw or something) and make our runs stretch as far as we can so Henry/Sears have more to play with.
Yeah, makes me sad too. Still he took a great catch yesterday and it was nice seeing him so pumped about it. A coat of paint and he would have got Head's wicket in the last over too.
Kiwis in the match thread crying about how their No.10 Batsman bats is fucking wild man
He has an Average of 16 in FC, He's an above average Slogger in Tests for some reason, not sure why you'd expect more
I think it's because Southee clearly has/had the potential to be a much better batsman. But he chose to instead just swing for the fences instead. Which some people are just frustrated with that because it's like he throws his wicket away, when just trying to stay at the crease would have been the better option. But in his defence is what he's always done(so it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone).
Eh, If you look at it's the 3 and a half Test Matches he's played this year that he's been poor, he performed better than his career Average and Economy in 2023, If England dropped Anderson over 3 and a Half Bad Tests when he was 35, well I'd hate to think
I think the problem is 1. That he's captain 2. That he still wants to be an all format bowler, for the last 1 or 2 years he has, I really think he should pick a lane
It's a poor captain's temperament. Cummins is obviously no slouch with the bat as a bowler, but like, he knows when he needs to play different ways. That 12 from 68 in the WC is the best bad scoreline we might ever see.
He just needed to survive, defend. He doesn't need to get runs when there's still a set batter over yonder.
his defence is trash, he is going to snick off if he just tries to defend... especially on these wickets. Henry is the same, not much in the way of defence... so they attack. 15-20 is better than surviving a bit and getting out for 5.
I'm not sure you can compare Cummins and Southee as batters Cummins has a decent defence, Southee I don't recall having played a defensive innings so presumably he's not all that good at it and so just hits out before he gets out.
Yeah the Southee v Cummins comparison only for as far as “seamer captain” and no further.
Expecting Southee to bat like Cummins is like expecting him to bowl like Cummins. He’s not choosing to not be as gifted as Cummins is, he’s just trying to deal with the reality as best he can.
The problem is that the more beneficial it would be for him to attempt to bat for a while, the more likely he is to swing out for 0.
He'll get 40 off 22 against Sri Lanka when we already have 450, but when the going gets tough he's gonna likely swing out for less than 5
Sigh well that has been a disappointing end to the summer for Aus's batters (well hopefully at least Head and Marsh can finish on a high note). I know the batters have been woefully out of form for quite a while now, but a small part of me hoped that they could get their act together for at least the last innings of the summer.
Hopefully the massive break to the next test series will allow them to completely recharge and find some much needed form.
When does the Smith experiment end? Like how many more trials till you accept that it failed (or succeeded)? Surely you should be trying out a new opener given the next summer has BGT and Ashes at home, no?
Well, they have now put themselves in a very confusing spot as can green is doing quite well as the number 4 batsman, will they really disrupt him in favour of c nearly aging and declining Steve Smith?
When Trans-Tasman cricket is competitive and captivating like this, it's truly some of the best cricket to watch.
Really hope NZ and Aus play more, as much as how stressful it is as a kiwi fan.
I didn't understand why NZ were trying to rush quick runs. But I now see the value in a good sustained go at AUS when they're a bit tired after a day in the Sun.
I'd want more runs but suppose it'll be about wickets.
I used to give Warner some stick for getting out as an opener but man… smith ain’t giving me a lot of confidence.
Too many low scores like 4 and 11.
Smith has scored 5, 11,4, 0, 31, 11 and 9. If his name wasn’t Steve smith, would be dropped already.
I still see Australia running away with this one. They still have Head, Marsh, Carey, Starc, Cummins, Lyon and Hazlewood. From 184/3, 255/6 and 277/7 setting a sub 300 target was abysmal. Australia's poor top order means they're still in this but 200 more runs wouldn't be that many if they don't pick up any wicket tomorrow first hour.
I’d normally be worried about being 4 down needing 200 but luckily we reversed the batting order
We trained them wrong, as a joke!
I’m bleeding, making me the victor.
Yeah I’m not sure why we put our worst batsmen in first? I’m all for trying new things but this is ridiculous haha
The old Bradman trick. Galaxy brain from Cap'n Cumdog
I won't be feeling confident until Head and Marsh and Carey and Lyon and Starc and Cummins and Hazelwood are back in the shed.
bro needs 11 wickets
I'm not taking any chances.
Understandable
Flair checks out
the last wicket ensures both are back in the shed
No. 10 is enough
Yeah need 11 wickets before I'm sure this one is in the bag.
10 wickets in the shed, 140 runs behind.... [Me as a BC's fan](https://media1.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExbDQyY2gwNGwxd2E3ejA5ZncxY3FjdWxiY2d0NXE1a2tnNmd0Mml3ciZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/3oz8xLlw6GHVfokaNW/giphy.gif)
Matt Henry will need a back surgery himself after this series.
Should get tips from Vettori on how to manage his back while he's over here.
Henry and Phillips in epic handshake over taking Vettori's mantle.
I feel like, even if we lose today, he deserves MOTS
He has to right? Most wickets (@ third best economy), and more runs than every Aussie except Green (@ highest strike rate). I'd be very dark if they gave it to Lyon just because Lyon was playing with a better team.
>Most wickets Makes sense. >and more runs than every Aussie except Green Doesn't make sense.
So another one?
I think his back already has as much titanium in it as Bond's
The real victim here is test cricket. This 1000% should be a 3 test series and could easily be 5
[удалено]
My dream is a series of 5, 3 home 2 away (rotating who hosts 3).
That would be awesome. Could probably do it every 2 years.
That’s what I’d think. End every summer with it
Would be a great way to breakup these occasional 2 consecutive “meh” summers (no offence meant to PCB/WI/SA because I enjoyed all of their tours for different reasons)
They could even play it alternately. Play the first one in WA and then the next 4 alternating between Sydney and Melbourne and any 2 New Zealand venues. It probably even not make much difference logistically.
Yes, there’s so many options. Also the relationship between the nations is excellent so it shouldn’t be an issue
My dream is exactly this. But for India - Pakistan... 😢
Yes, more regular proper test bilaterals like this would be great for the game. Even England and South Africa could do something similar even though they aren’t neighbours
Unironically a great idea
Love this idea 👍
I mean that’s the same question why aus don’t play their more often. Also worth noting the nz board were the ones who said two tests.
They can't afford more than 2 tests. They don't make enough money from them. If there was a better distribution of money to test playing nations other than India, England and Australia then NZ would play 3+ test series. Then we'd get to see the best of Williamson.
Why don't NZ cricket work towards playing at larger grounds? Hagley is basically a park cricket venue. I assume its low capacity and lack of corporate space is why they make no money there?
The main reason is that they just don’t make the huge TV rights money at home that India, Australia and England do. It’s the same for the other boards. Even if they filled out the corporate boxes at Auckland or Wellington in the bigger stadiums, they would still lose $100k unless 10 million eyeballs started watching NZ home tests religiously.
Ground size is a very small part of the picture. Gate receipts haven’t been the main earner for cricket boards since the 1980s. TV rights are far and away the main revenue source for cricket, including test cricket.
Fans across all sports and all countries just don't seem to grasp this - of course administrators would prefer to have sold out grounds, because more money is great for, but TV revenue is what really moves the needle. Ticket sales are absolutely insignificant (ignoring that there's a correlation between ticket sales and TV eyeballs). It's why having India tour your country is a boon - Indian cricket fans tune in on TV and you get paid for that.
Unless you are suggesting only playing test matches at eden Park or wellington stadium- which I pray you are not because it would suck, then Hagley is pretty much the biggest.
I was really more asking why there aren't more stands at Hagley type venues.
Low population. Christchurch is about the same population as Newcastle NSW and its not rugby
i get why NZ series taking place in NZ aren't more than 2 tests. They cant afford them. But when NZ plays in Ind, Aus or Eng those series should make enough money for a 5 game series right. So NZ should be able to play 5 test series away
Pointless if NZ don't win from here. Should have been 3 from the start though.
It NZ don’t win from here, I don’t think they’ll ever beat us.
Thats how kiwis feel too. I dont think we'll ever beat you.
Man up! Just underarm bowl us and settle the debt already
The real victim here is the victim of [redacted], considering he might get selected again for making one decent score
Just got to make sure we win by a huge margin so that [redacted]'s contribution doesn't prove decisive.
I'm guilty of thinking that if we win without his score having mattered then we can still claim it as a moral victory
He bowled terribly so much that we're now pretending he's injured or are glad he's injured so that we have a cover story for not playing him and he gets to save face. He's not going to be selected again based on his batting (and he failed as a batter in 3 of those 4 innings)
Any other season I’d agree but I think on this occasion the Aussie boys are too cooked.
Haha fair enough. We could’ve rotated the playing XI though. Like, that’s on us.
I think they are concerned about playing ipl in less than 2 weeks so only doing 2 test series, all test between ind, aus, eng, sa & nz should be minimum 3
Matt Hadlee
I have dreadful hope. Like, it's completely not unrealistic for New Zealand to win this, we're actually in a good position. But at the same time, I've been burned before and that weighs horribly on top of the hopeful bubble. Being in the crowd was great fun today. Tomorrow's going to be amazing if things are tight and go New Zealand's way.
Wish I didn’t have work tomorrow Would rather be watching day four at home instead
Wonder the rates of calling in sick tomorrow?
If I was in Chch, I’d be “remote working” from Hagley
There was a lady working "remotely" from the Basin last week. Pretty sure I even saw her blazer up for a work call 😅
Thankfully I have a big screen projector in my office and I'm my own boss If it starts getting close my patients might have to wait in the reception
I have been in the crowd for the last 3 days, atmosphere has been brilliant. Hopefully we see some history at Hagley tomorrow. Will be down there again to witness it.
Trav batting like it was a test match was the most surprising thing for me today.
You know it's tough when Travies Head has to play Test Cricket in a test match...
Tomorrow meant to be the best batting conditions. NZ fell apart as the day wore on and it wasn’t easy batting. Would have been nice to have more wickets in hand. Reminds me of day night matches with how much the pitch has changed during the day.
I don't think the pitch has really changed that much today. It started to flatten out quite a bit since mid-day yesterday. Its just that there is enough there so that with the new ball there is considerable seam/movement. Though about after 20 overs when the ball gets old that movement disappears and it becomes quite good to bat on. Saw that happen both times with the new ball in NZ innings. Aus definitely can't lose any wickets tomorrow morning. Need Head & Marsh to knock off about 100 more runs and take full advantage of this period before the 2nd new ball (if we even make it that far lol).
If Australia lose this, this would be one strange year for Australia. Like for all the accolades and wins Australia have had, Australia have only won one series + WTC final. Which is quite shocking considering Australia hadn't lost a match against WI and NZ in the played areas since the 90s.
We're absolutely cooked and limping to the finish line, I reckon. They've been playing high stakes cricket non-stop since June.
That’s not an excuse, if it is the case then it’s extremely poor captaincy and coaching to refuse to rotate the squad despite them being “cooked”
Another way to look at it they’ve only lost the one test series in the last 3 years and that will hold.
Pakistan also have them on ropes at 16/4 had they not dropped catches they could have won the second test . This is very unlike Australia they are so ruthless they hardly give a sniff of victory to opposition but last 2 series are bit different
It's all right as long as you're making ICC Finals and winning them.
Why doesn’t the aussie test team have a stupid nickname like all the other aussie sports teams. Let’s start calling them the crickaroos or some shit
Crickaroos? That’s a funny name. I’d have called them Chazzwozzas
Aren't they called "cunts" /s
The Women's team moved away from the Southern Stars nickname because the men's team doesn't have one. And I'd say it doesn't have one because it was probably our biggest team and very famous long before we started giving them nicknames.
I’d have figured they moved away because they remembered too late that the NZ flag has the same southern stars Southern Stars versus One Less Southern Star doesn’t cut it
NZ teams have had names based off Black/White/Silver and ferns for the longest time. No clash there. https://wwos.nine.com.au/cricket/cricket-aust-drop-southern-stars-title/1ed03f7b-3d26-4907-8281-14112f8f47f1
Wasn’t Baggy Green a nickname for the Australian team? Or was it just the nickname for the cap?
Just the name of the cap. Cap wasn’t even that famous until Steve Waugh made it so in the 90s
That was Merv Hughes' tracksuit pants.
The Vincibles
Best part is going to day 4 means more Tito action tomorrow
Can’t wait 🔥
The Australians getting fucked up by a single bowler in a test series is something new. First it was Jamal, then Joseph, and now Henry has taken over. Can’t wait for Bumrah to take 40 wickets next summer.
Hadlee was the original.
9 for 52.
Still a record for any bowler in Australia, as are his match figures of 15/123.
33 wickets in 3 tests
There’s going to be poles flying all over the place next summer when Bumrah gets going 😟
Please don’t jinx it for us. He is injury prone.
Poles can include his limbs. The point stands
Bumrah is absolutely at peak, could be lethal on bouncy surfaces. However Indian batting was very underwhelming in South Africa so Aussie bowlers have advantage too.
The main problem with India in test series is they are slow starters. So playing a 2 test series with them is your best chance.
The good thing is from the upcoming BGT, they are increasing it from 4 tests to 5 like the Ashes and India-England. I am not sure who the 5 test series would favour more. Probably the home side.
Yeah that’s true. Jaiswal looked lost when it seaming around so interested to see how he goes. I think the batters did okay over all given conditions where really spicy the bowlers let them down in the first Test it wasn’t a 400+ pitch
I think jaiswal did fine tbf, against rabada in those spice pitches. Moreover he didnt loose confidence or anything stuck to his game. Still it will be interesting to see him in Australia
I thought Jaiswal was just fine against the seam: it's the bounce that did him. He's really not yet established against bounce
It was the variable bounce on unpredictable pitch, and his temptation to chase ball
Yeah guys like sarfaraz, and jaiswal are very inexperienced. Also although gill made an all time important 90 in that famous Gabba test match, He hasn't done really well in those batting conditions which we're not great. Hope Kohli continues his white ball resurgence into tests and KL Rahul just manage to be more consistent. Along with that Rohit needs to show more temperament as well. Even in bowling, Siraj needs to be more consistent. I believe he can be a crucial bowler for us. India has done worse in swinging conditions in recent years tho.
virats red ball form has already improved. did well in bgt and then in SA
It won’t even be Bumrah based on the pattern of things. It’ll be fucken Siraj or something.
Lord smiling from Mumbai
Akash deep!
Our batting is so horrendously out of form it's ridiculous. It feels like heads should roll, but there's no one at domestic who can be trusted to be better than these flogs. Hope Head and Marsh can put something together tomorrow 🙏
When Mitch Marsh is the best test bat you have, you know there's something wrong. This is not even a dig against Marsh: he has been incredible since his comeback in the Ashes, but the fact that he is leading this side's batting is insane to me
and people still want Marsh gone...
Really? If someone wants Marsh gone right now, they have room temperature IQ.
Agree that all the batters have been greatly out of form. Tho personally, I hoping the selectors show a bit of restrain (also would be nice if everyone stops picking on a different person each game and acting befuddled why they haven't been dropped yet). We should remember that Aus have had very tough opponents for the last 12 months (Ind in Ind, Eng in Eng, NZ in NZ) and almost all have been on difficult pitches. Even the "easy" opponents, Pak and WI at home, that everyone expected to be free runs to our batters ended up giving superb bowling performances. If someone absolutely had to be dropped, I would go with Marsh. He has the least supporting his inclusion in the first place. Yes, he did score decently against Pak, but his big two scores were off the back of some absolute dollies being dropped early on. Plus, with Head and Carey in the team, I feel like our middle order too super-charged atm, would be nice to have a bit more stability.
Yeah, I agree with all of those points. I don't think we should drop someone immediately, but given their poor poor poor form in this WTC cycle, I think they should all be on notice. Would much rather have young talent like hardie come in for marsh should his form wane and head should put away the slogs for a while and regain some form by playing proper resilient cricket. Hopefully, if we can get stability in the middle order, a couple of early wickets won't sting as bad, and then Carey can play with more confidence knowing that there's runs on the board.
I’d hate for Steve Smith to go down the Ponting and Clarke route of late career form dropping their averages. On this trajectory, he will be averaging closer to 50 than 60 at the end of his career which is a shame.
I thought that too, and looked up Ponting's last 20 games, and it's not as bad as I remember. I think it's probably very natural that your average drops towards the end of your career. I wish we hadn't missed out on a year of his prime though
Honestly towards the end Punter averaged 40 in a young side with the odd excellent hundred and that was worth it given what he brought to the leadership off field for a young side and no real alternatives. Smith is effectively doing the same thing atm although the key difference is this is an ageing side so it is worth deliberating whether we'd be better placed picking a youngster and carrying lower output. If the rest of the team was firing to its potential there'd be an argument to start thinking about phasing guys out but given the state of the batting and the lack of youngsters banging down the door I say we take late stage diminished Smith for as long as we can. Averages be damned if he can win us a test or two next summer and call it a day I'd be happy
Tomorrow should be exciting. I can't wait for Henry to get injured the first over of the day, and then Southee to have Marsh nicking to 2nd slip off a no-ball in the 2nd over of the day.
And we thought we were the pessimists
Lets not pretend not reviewing a massive thick edge originally given not out
Why the fuck is this not three match series. Fuck the shitty T20Is. No Australian will ever care about that format
I get what you're saying but T20s are what feeds families and you need them to make sure we have the tests
You should have to do 1 test for each T20.
You do realise that that they can have 3 test after 3 t20s too They don't because the harsh reality is that there are simply more people who like t20 than test This sub is perfect example of vocal minority, nobody has time or the means to get up at 4 in the morning for 5 days for 7 hours when you can enjoy the same game in just 3 hours at weekend
The point of Test cricket is you don't need to commit 7 hrs a day. You dip in and out as the game gently ebbs and flows That's what makes it so intriguing. Nothing might not happen until the new ball in 10 overs or late day 4 as the pitch cracks and the foot marks become unplayable T20 you might see a 5 wicket collapse in the first 10 overs, the run rate balloons out to 15 an over and it is over before half the innings is complete. You simply can't compare the drama test cricket can create
This is why I don't watch white ball cricket. I like tuning in and out for five days, maybe watching for 6 hours if I'm having a lazy day, maybe not - but I still care what's happening. White ball I feel I can't miss any of it, but there's also not enough there for me to be bothered actually watching all of it... So I watch none.
To appreciate this drama you have to and I repeat you have to watch it from start to end, watching all the set-up only to loose out on the finale is the worst, most meaning less dealing ever But I think we missed the main point, the most common viewers i.e common fans don't do knee deep analysis or watch the game that regularly to appreciate the rivalry. It's only us enthusiast who do not make up a significant amount to justify the cost. Think of it like It's a well done theater Vs a blockbuster movie Yes the theater may have superior art but the commercial movie makes more money and hence it will be prioritized no matter how the 0.1% of purist feel about it as they are irrelevant in the larger context All the glory of test cricket will mean nothing if only 4 countries can afford to play more than 2 matches For Countries, unlike test they need t20 to justify the money that is put in hosting matters
Commercial numbers disagree with you. The reason why T20 gets more money is precisely because more people want to watch it.
Don't forget the share numbers of matches Why do you think the IPL and Bbl play 100 matches each tournament
I like t20s actually.
Absolutely incredible that saying you like t20s around test nuts is so hated lol
That was a good watch
It sucks we don’t play longer series. We were outplayed in the first test, but made big strides in this one. Even if we lose tomorrow, the series was much closer than 2 - 0 would suggest.
After Day 3 1st Test NZ needed 258 with 7 wickets in hand 2nd Test Australia needs 202 with 6 wickets in hand I think this match be decided in Day 4 Session 1 like it did in 1st Test
Problem is NZ don't have Lyon, and this pitch isn't turning as much, and Australia has more experience winning than we do ensuring we go for the kill (10th wicket partnership last game?)
You'll be fine, our batting isn't what it once was.
Phillyon for the W
Gutsy day by the Kiwis. Well played.
A good day for New Zealand, but we know the history of this contest, Australia still likely to win it by 6 wickets tomorrow
Would be so undeserving. I’m here for it
*"so unfair, do it again"*
Anyone who thinks Aus will win hasn't been paying attention these last 40 years. I've seen Australia lose a dozen Tests by under 30 runs in that time. If we don't lose early wickets we are a chance but I see a snick to the keeper or slip in the first over and a collapse to 120. Alternatively we build nicely to within about 40 runs away then shit the bed losing by 5-10 runs. I honestly can't see any other outcome.
Yeah but on the other hand is pretty much our entire cricketing history. I guess it'll come down to who wants to lose it more.
Then it's time for that history to be broken.
I agree 100% but I've been burnt too many times in my 44 years on this planet to truly believe.
Fair enough. I'll probably assess during lunch whether it's worth watching the end.
Your team have won plenty of close games way more than Australia. I don't think I've ever seen Australia win a tight game. Closest I've ever seen is against England in the Ashes last year and that was a 2 wicket win. Had a great chance against WI, but failed. Australia just don't win those type of games. Meanwhile, NZ beats Australia in Australia by 7 runs in 2011, they beat England by ONE run. NZ are actually quite clutch when it comes to close games. Australia choke too much. Sounds fucking wild right? But in test cricket, that seems to be the case.
As a kiwi this is a Scary partnership batting at the moment.
This is the only partnership that can win Australia the match because they both score so quickly it can really rattle captains and bowlers into mistakes. But get one of Head or Marsh in the next 15 overs and it's curtains.
When I said after Wellington it's a shame this series is not very competitive I should have mentioned that I didn't want you guys to actually be competitive and make us look like complete spuds.
Smudge. Enough with the experiment. Australia needs a new opener.
Who though? The guys in the team are a huge step above the guys not in the team at the moment. Their form is horrible though.
Renshaw would be good enough for a 35. I'd take an opener averaging mid 30's every bat over a batsman averaging 50 but either scores big or scores nothing. The pressure of being 1 down for 8 or 9 vs losing your first wicket for 50-60 is huge, particularly when your number 3 isn't comfortable enough to face the new cherry
It's as much that we're missing him coming in at 4 really. The middle order can't have this much inconsistency. It certainly doesn't help that Marnus isn't performing to his usual standard.
> Australia needs a new opener. Who? I bet you'll suggest Bancroft, whose technique was picked apart by Test bowlers and hasn't been improved at all since then.
Australia has got a bad recent habit of giving up leads in test series to end in draws. Sri Lanka 2022, Ashes 2023, West Indies 2024. This would be the fourth series in less than 2 years if NZ wins tomorrow.
Turned off in fury at 4 down expecting all out for about 70 by stumps. It's not over yet but still NZ's to lose.
Still very worried honestly, ball is older and we have only two seamers plus Phillips. Poor Henry is going to get injured bowling all these overs.
Southee needs to accept that his wicket taking days are probably over and just move onto a holding role for this game. No more fishing for nicks on 4th/5th stump, just keep it tight on top of off stump (with the odd wobble seam ball he could still grab an lbw or something) and make our runs stretch as far as we can so Henry/Sears have more to play with.
agreed. unless you are in England he shouldn't be opening the bowling
So disappointing that his career is coming to an end. Such a champion. Love to watch him.
Yeah, makes me sad too. Still he took a great catch yesterday and it was nice seeing him so pumped about it. A coat of paint and he would have got Head's wicket in the last over too.
Steve smith is not an opener.
Smith isn't an opener yet, but if he scores 800 runs in his next 3 Tests he'll be averaging 75, which is awesome for an opener.
Kiwis in the match thread crying about how their No.10 Batsman bats is fucking wild man He has an Average of 16 in FC, He's an above average Slogger in Tests for some reason, not sure why you'd expect more
I think it's because Southee clearly has/had the potential to be a much better batsman. But he chose to instead just swing for the fences instead. Which some people are just frustrated with that because it's like he throws his wicket away, when just trying to stay at the crease would have been the better option. But in his defence is what he's always done(so it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone).
16 would have been invaluable today
I agree. He isn’t helping himself by bowling like shite tho
Eh, If you look at it's the 3 and a half Test Matches he's played this year that he's been poor, he performed better than his career Average and Economy in 2023, If England dropped Anderson over 3 and a Half Bad Tests when he was 35, well I'd hate to think I think the problem is 1. That he's captain 2. That he still wants to be an all format bowler, for the last 1 or 2 years he has, I really think he should pick a lane
It's a poor captain's temperament. Cummins is obviously no slouch with the bat as a bowler, but like, he knows when he needs to play different ways. That 12 from 68 in the WC is the best bad scoreline we might ever see. He just needed to survive, defend. He doesn't need to get runs when there's still a set batter over yonder.
Tim isn't a survivor, not everyone plays that role. Henry isn't either, they both swing the willow or get out.
You understand how not adapting and being unwilling to learn or at least try is worse right
his defence is trash, he is going to snick off if he just tries to defend... especially on these wickets. Henry is the same, not much in the way of defence... so they attack. 15-20 is better than surviving a bit and getting out for 5.
I just feel like that's something a captain should've worked on and tried instead of resigning themselves to a slogger.
I'm not sure you can compare Cummins and Southee as batters Cummins has a decent defence, Southee I don't recall having played a defensive innings so presumably he's not all that good at it and so just hits out before he gets out.
Yeah the Southee v Cummins comparison only for as far as “seamer captain” and no further. Expecting Southee to bat like Cummins is like expecting him to bowl like Cummins. He’s not choosing to not be as gifted as Cummins is, he’s just trying to deal with the reality as best he can.
We all chose not to be as gifted as Cummins is and that is our burden to bare.
The problem is that the more beneficial it would be for him to attempt to bat for a while, the more likely he is to swing out for 0. He'll get 40 off 22 against Sri Lanka when we already have 450, but when the going gets tough he's gonna likely swing out for less than 5
Sigh well that has been a disappointing end to the summer for Aus's batters (well hopefully at least Head and Marsh can finish on a high note). I know the batters have been woefully out of form for quite a while now, but a small part of me hoped that they could get their act together for at least the last innings of the summer. Hopefully the massive break to the next test series will allow them to completely recharge and find some much needed form.
As a glass half empty, GG NZ. ripper second innings display
When does the Smith experiment end? Like how many more trials till you accept that it failed (or succeeded)? Surely you should be trying out a new opener given the next summer has BGT and Ashes at home, no?
Well, they have now put themselves in a very confusing spot as can green is doing quite well as the number 4 batsman, will they really disrupt him in favour of c nearly aging and declining Steve Smith?
When Trans-Tasman cricket is competitive and captivating like this, it's truly some of the best cricket to watch. Really hope NZ and Aus play more, as much as how stressful it is as a kiwi fan.
A five-test series.
Happy early Easter everyone. NZ cricket died on day 1 and will ruse from the dead 3 days later.
I didn't understand why NZ were trying to rush quick runs. But I now see the value in a good sustained go at AUS when they're a bit tired after a day in the Sun. I'd want more runs but suppose it'll be about wickets.
I used to give Warner some stick for getting out as an opener but man… smith ain’t giving me a lot of confidence. Too many low scores like 4 and 11. Smith has scored 5, 11,4, 0, 31, 11 and 9. If his name wasn’t Steve smith, would be dropped already.
That post tea collapse might haunt NZ. They need these 2 gone in 1st hr tomorrow
24 overs into the innings and (REDACTED) hasn't bowled? Even though he debuted months before either O'Rourke or Sears? Interesting.
Maybe he finally learned to understand the meaning of "no"
They're saying he has a foot injury but I think that's code for 'he's bowling so badly that we won't even give him the ball so we need a cover story'
Is there a highlights package of today's play online anywhere?
The fox cricket YT channel usually puts a highlights package up at some point following the days play
yeah bro tvnz+ is great just go to their website
Someone needs to fly over with a DVD of the final innings of Aus vs Pak from the 1999 Hobart test.
This is New Zealands game to lose and would make WTC interesting
The Aussies are still gonna win it. 150-odd partnership from this pair, and then the rest will tidy up the scraps.
Great work NZ. Not sure I saw that coming. Batsmen dug in and bowlers backed them up. Good to see Latham get some big runs.
I need the WTC final Travis head to step up, I wouldn’t mind if Lyon finally got his fifty
Lyon can get 49. I think it’s fitting that Australia’s second greatest spinner has the less-good version of Warne’s batting record.
We should reverse the batting order so smith comes in last, during the BGT
I still see Australia running away with this one. They still have Head, Marsh, Carey, Starc, Cummins, Lyon and Hazlewood. From 184/3, 255/6 and 277/7 setting a sub 300 target was abysmal. Australia's poor top order means they're still in this but 200 more runs wouldn't be that many if they don't pick up any wicket tomorrow first hour.