Going to watch Auckland F.C. is so worth the money! We pay $37.50 each. I go with my two sons and is so good. Flybys! Singers! Fireworks! The kids playground! …oh and the football! Also , without the phoenix in the league for the past years, we wouldn’t have this experience
Love your dedication & viewpoints Martin I agree wholeheartedly with scathing, albeit justified opinion. The way to fix NZ cricket: Identify that there are 3 formats of cricket & specialize roles. The only overlapping constants are ironically the fielding coach (I recommend Chris Harris!) Wicketkeeping coach ideally someone amazing & Australian (Brad Haddin or Adam Gilchrist) to instill some ruthlessness in the team, combined with valuable input from Ian Smith as a mentor/overseer role. T20- Squad of 17. An example team is: Latham- I feel Latham is actually brutal when has the freedom to unleash & often overlooked or typecast into test cricket predominantly on the basis of a healthy test average under NZ conditions ~40. Allen- Despite recent form being underwhelming, has proven to be a match winner at times & still gets my nod on potential alone. Ravindra- Rachin is class & can obviously excel in all formats, however I feel T20 is his true calling & until he matures a bit more to become NZ's best ever test batsman his prime is T20 & ODI for now. Phillips- ditto & get his brother in the squad also. Blundell- This is where he actually should be. Batting 8th or 9th. Zac Foulkes, Nathan Smith, Ben Sears & Lockie Ferguson with focus on bowling Yorkers as stock deliveries & occasional throat-high bouncers NOTHING ELSE! Spin with Michael Bracewell. Bowling coach is someone like Waqar Younis, Shane Bond or Lasith Malinga Power-hitting coach is someone like Nathan Astle, Robin Uthappa, Darren Sammy or Yusuf Pathan. ODI- Squad of 20. This should be the crux & priority of NZ cricket, because ODI form is much more easily transferrable & converted into the other two formats. This also has a nice side-effect of creating ACTUAL depth in ALL formats. This is more Young & Conway with their prime focus to face 10 overs each at their own designated tempos. Aim for 7rpo, settle for 5rpo & be happy with 10rpo+. Santner captaining the side. Ideally this is a 2nd gear format that you can hone even other format skillsets & still be relatively successful. Coach Daniel Vettori or Stephen Fleming if we can afford him :) Test- Squad of 17 Ironically this is where I put Mark Chapman, Jimmy Neesham as captain, Kane at 5 & anyone else that either warrants a spot via; Plunket Shield or County UK cricket or solid performances in ODI .. OR is in a specific age bracket 28-34. I would have said Doug Bracewell was ideal, however recent unfortunate choices have lost a lot of respect for him. Get an aggrieved Australian coach (Like Lehmann or Langer) would be ideal. They have so much more to give to the game & a classic bite-your-nose-to-spite-your-face by turning NZ into a cricketing super power is a challenge I think they can pull off easily. Sorry for the rant.. Yet it is very frustrating to see a clown like Stead show up to each function with a Gin & tonic as a gameplan. Both he & Luke Ronchi were mediocre players & reap getting mediocre results --- sans Indian tests where the weather conditions tilted the series NZ's way, At Pune Santner caught them napping like he did in Dharamsala years ago & Ajaz does Jazzhands in Mumbai
Martin i have been watching newzealand cricket since the 1960s first conway needs to go away and play some domestic cricket. Bring in will young.the batsman need to value there wickets. The bowlers need to bowl in pairs like hadlee and Chatfield did John maxted
Awsome stuff Martin as always.
Going to watch Auckland F.C. is so worth the money! We pay $37.50 each. I go with my two sons and is so good. Flybys! Singers! Fireworks! The kids playground! …oh and the football!
Also , without the phoenix in the league for the past years, we wouldn’t have this experience
Love your dedication & viewpoints Martin I agree wholeheartedly with scathing, albeit justified opinion.
The way to fix NZ cricket:
Identify that there are 3 formats of cricket & specialize roles.
The only overlapping constants are ironically the fielding coach (I recommend Chris Harris!)
Wicketkeeping coach ideally someone amazing & Australian (Brad Haddin or Adam Gilchrist) to instill some ruthlessness in the team, combined with valuable input from Ian Smith as a mentor/overseer role.
T20- Squad of 17.
An example team is:
Latham- I feel Latham is actually brutal when has the freedom to unleash & often overlooked or typecast into test cricket predominantly on the basis of a healthy test average under NZ conditions ~40.
Allen- Despite recent form being underwhelming, has proven to be a match winner at times & still gets my nod on potential alone.
Ravindra- Rachin is class & can obviously excel in all formats, however I feel T20 is his true calling & until he matures a bit more to become NZ's best ever test batsman his prime is T20 & ODI for now.
Phillips- ditto & get his brother in the squad also.
Blundell- This is where he actually should be. Batting 8th or 9th.
Zac Foulkes, Nathan Smith, Ben Sears & Lockie Ferguson with focus on bowling Yorkers as stock deliveries & occasional throat-high bouncers NOTHING ELSE!
Spin with Michael Bracewell.
Bowling coach is someone like Waqar Younis, Shane Bond or Lasith Malinga
Power-hitting coach is someone like Nathan Astle, Robin Uthappa, Darren Sammy or Yusuf Pathan.
ODI- Squad of 20.
This should be the crux & priority of NZ cricket, because ODI form is much more easily transferrable & converted into the other two formats. This also has a nice side-effect of creating ACTUAL depth in ALL formats. This is more Young & Conway with their prime focus to face 10 overs each at their own designated tempos. Aim for 7rpo, settle for 5rpo & be happy with 10rpo+. Santner captaining the side. Ideally this is a 2nd gear format that you can hone even other format skillsets & still be relatively successful. Coach Daniel Vettori or Stephen Fleming if we can afford him :)
Test- Squad of 17
Ironically this is where I put Mark Chapman, Jimmy Neesham as captain, Kane at 5 & anyone else that either warrants a spot via; Plunket Shield or County UK cricket or solid performances in ODI .. OR is in a specific age bracket 28-34. I would have said Doug Bracewell was ideal, however recent unfortunate choices have lost a lot of respect for him. Get an aggrieved Australian coach
(Like Lehmann or Langer) would be ideal. They have so much more to give to the game & a classic bite-your-nose-to-spite-your-face by turning NZ into a cricketing super power is a challenge I think they can pull off easily.
Sorry for the rant.. Yet it is very frustrating to see a clown like Stead show up to each function with a Gin & tonic as a gameplan.
Both he & Luke Ronchi were mediocre players & reap getting mediocre results --- sans Indian tests where the weather conditions tilted the series NZ's way, At Pune Santner caught them napping like he did in Dharamsala years ago & Ajaz does Jazzhands in Mumbai
stay humble keep working hard end of. winnin'
why is Corica not wearing AFC merchandise???
Martin i have been watching newzealand cricket since the 1960s first conway needs to go away and play some domestic cricket. Bring in will young.the batsman need to value there wickets. The bowlers need to bowl in pairs like hadlee and Chatfield did
John maxted
why are the fans called "the port"?