The Cricket Thread 2013

[Dave Cooper please]

Bell in good form during the warm up match!

And Root again, he looks a cracking player.

[Dave Summers]

Crikey, has anybody else seen the Queenstown ground where England are playing the NZ XI?

Absolutely stunning (apart from a hidden airport).

Yes Ads, saw it on SSN this morning.  Nearly jumped out of my skin when that aeroplane appeared just after it took off.  What a place, one I would love to go too.

As for the series, as long as the weather is okay then we really should win 3-0.  We are very firmly placed as the 2nd best team in the world after South Africa and should prove as much

[bertlambshank]

Commentary on day 2 tune in radio station name Radio Sport 1332 New Zealand.
Enjoy.

[JD]

Crikey, has anybody else seen the Queenstown ground where England are playing the NZ XI?

Absolutely stunning (apart from a hidden airport).

Yes Ads, saw it on SSN this morning.  Nearly jumped out of my skin when that aeroplane appeared just after it took off.  What a place, one I would love to go too.

As for the series, as long as the weather is okay then we really should win 3-0.  We are very firmly placed as the 2nd best team in the world after South Africa and should prove as much

Was down in Central Otago at the beginning of the year (Queenstown, Wanaka, Arrowtown). They are all great places. Very hot in summer (can get up to 40c) and great skiing resorts in Winter. Beautiful scenery down that way with the mountains and lakes.

[PaulWinch again]

On the TV New Zealand is always my favourite place to watch cricket, lots of the grounds have lovely surroundings.

[PaulWinch again]

Poor from England to lose that warm up.

[tomd2103]

Poor from England to lose that warm up.

No Finn or Anderson in the side, so not too much of a concern.  It also ensure that any complacency has been shaken off before the the First Test.

[PaulWinch again]

I'm not concerned as such, but we should be sharper than that.

[paul_e]

no great concerns from me as individually no one had a absolute shocker, we looked a bit toothless in attack but we were without 2 of our better seamers so no concern there either.

[PaulWinch again]

I'd say Onions had an absolute shocker, but he won't be playing.

[paul_e]

Onions looked like a guy who was trying too hard for me.

[cdbearsfan]

Aussies getting battered again. 😂

[PaulWinch again]

Highlights how good our turn around was down in India.

[paul_e]

If you don't bowl well against india, in india, they have the quality to put on huge totals quickly and then, whilst their attack is poor in comparison, they wear teams down by making it difficult to score.  We made a poor selection for the first match and didn't give ourselves suitable slow pitch bowling options, after that we were the better team against a side who are very strong at home, we always looked like having runs in us and we took regular wickets.

I actually think us and SA are quite a long way ahead of the rest of the test sides at the minute and I don't think there's much between us at all.

[PaulWinch again]

I'd say SA and England are one and two by quite a distance, but there is a gap between the Saffers and us. They're a stronger side in most departments other than wicketkeeping and spinning.