I see dead people
It’s like spotting the surprise ending in a movie really early on, and when the twist arrives you are forearmed, forewarned and get to watch everybody else discover what you worked out 45 minutes ago. It is a smug moment, satisfying, with maybe just a bit of schadenfreude. But don’t you occasionally wish you’d been duped, wish that you had sent the analytical part of your brain down to the dairy? Aren’t there too many cynics and not enough magicians in the world today?
That’s what the progress of the Chappell-Hadlee series seems like to me. I want to be carried along by the plot, and was for the first two episodes – and with McCullum’s black and blue heroics on Sunday I almost hung my disbelief high – but there was an image that worried me dreadfully, like a camera lingering on a secondary character just a little too long suggesting the surprise to the hawk-eyed. It was that moment when I saw the lacking in our side, realised that this was to be a series from pragmatism rather than romance. It was the moment that I saw the surprise ending. It was seeing Kyle Mills coming out to bat at number six.
Realistically that is at least two positions too high. Whatever his past achievements at chasing down targets, particular in England last year, he has an average of 16. Only twice in eight years of one-dayers has he scored more than 26. His lame dismissal in the third one-dayer seemed almost inevitable, pre-ordained. Kyle should have been in the positions (8 or 9) that suit him, and a specialist batsman (Sinclair, How, Flynn maybe – Oram or Ryder definitely) should have been bulking up the middle order. However exciting a prospect Neil Broom may be he is still at a point where "latent" is changing into "talent". Martin Guptill is a work in progress. Peter Fulton looks like a guy batting with a cocktail umbrella at times as much as he looks like he’s using a claymore at other moments. You can’t shore up an uncertain batting lineup with Kyle Mills.
Or, evidently Craig Cumming – this year’s Matthew Sinclair. Lots of runs domestically, very experienced – then he gets out for nothing on Tuesday evening. Sinclair has a fatal flaw in his unwillingness (I honestly don’t think it's inability) to move his feet that has bowlers like Glenn McGrath painting another Silver Fern on their fuselage. Cumming has a flaw in his batting, falling across that exposes himself to the swinging ball, which Fabio Bracken and Mitchell Johnson will exploit. If he has grafted the effortless chip directly to mid-off on to these skills then that is decidedly career-endingly disturbing. He needs to play tonight for the sole reason we don’t have anybody else, but it needs to be a match-winning performance.
Which leads me on to Grant Elliott. In one of my favorite moments of commentary the other night Kerry O’Keefe gurgled this: “He looks like a bloke who’s come to read your gas meter.” He does. He has no shoulders. He does not play pretty cricket. If cricket was judged like ice-dancing, diving or rhythmic gymnastics he wouldn’t get many points for aesthetics. Yet his century on Sunday and his fifty on Friday were superb monuments of making the best of your limitations. Never once, while wearing white for New Zealand, has he looked comfortable. Yet in coloured clothing he looks like a finisher, someone who can work the ball to fine leg and third man all day. Another magic moment of radio commentary – “The best leg glancer in world cricket – Grant Elliott” and that from Jim Maxwell, comparing him to the India prince Ranji. I compare Elliott to someone else. Michael Bevan. He is someone who can accumulate between overs 20 and 40, seemingly doing nothing, then you realise he’s on 60.
Well it all comes down to tonight – we need a contribution for Fulton or Broom. We need some urgency in the batting. We need Kyle Mills at number eight or nine. We need six batsmen. We need tightness in the field. We need Southee to be on song. We need a bit of luck. The cynic in me fears that we will not get the majority of those things, that I know the ending and that we will lose. The romantic in me thinks, tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, we deserve it and there is magic in the air.
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And we also need a miracle from the Sun.
Elliott reminds me of Gavin Larsen (I was a kid when he was playing, so don't remember much about his batting but somehow brings me his image)
I was having a long discussion about the NZ 11 at pub quiz the other night. With Oram & Ryder returning to fitness, I came up with a batting order which seems to be controversial...
McCullum Fulton Guptill Taylor Elliott Ryder Oram Mills Vettori Southee O'Brien
The balance of Fulton & McCullum at the top of the order, through the batting class of Guptill, Taylor, the accumulation of Elliott, and then the blistering fire-power of Ryder, Oram & Mills. I'd probably be most flexible on the No.10 - I have a lot of time of Southee, but he has a way to grow yet. He will be a superb bowler in 3-5 years, but there is perhaps a chance to blood another in the interim, and have a dual strike attack in the years to come.
Mat, Cumming isn't an opener - I thought people may have finally cottoned onto that. However, nor is he a #6/7 batter. He should be coming in at 4, to work it around, giving Taylor, Elliott, Broom etc the chance to play shots around him. In saying that, Cumming certainly isn't the "solution" - while he deserved his recall, it's a bit sad that he's our best option.
It's a shame, because one of the few things we really need is an experienced head in the middle order (ala Mike Hussey) for our younger more exciting players to play off and learn around - it's a shame that our apparent perfect choices (i.e. Sinclair, Cumming) just can't cut it.
I still can't believe Diamanti was selected, nothing against the guy as he's a good honest tryer; but an international cricketer? I don't think so. Then again, Butler & N. McCullum? Geesh.
Yeah, was shocked to see Broom ahed of Cumming, i think both are good players and Broom is the future but Cumming has had a stellar season batting middle order for Otago at the 4 and 5 positions so why put a guy who bats 7 ahead of him. Would have loved to see Diamanti in the 20/20 and Boult as it would have given them something out of the tour, especially Diamanti who is the most under-rated cricketer around in the country. Another is Nathan McCullum who can bat and bowl great spin and I think is a great choice for 20/20, and am hoping he can break into the one day outfit ahead of jeets.
Hamish, hamish hamish, are we going to see you eat humble pie (or in this case blog) twice in as many weeks?
Although we didn't get the win, bookies are as we speak paying out on a moral victory (despite that being one of the more brainless chases in recent memory. Why are we so bad at 20/20 cricket?).
Guptil appears to be the real deal, how about a top 7 in 3 years of:
Guptil McIntosh Flynn Taylor Ryder Franklin (who will have finally made the move to batting all rounder as per his ability) McCullum (a genuine number 7 batting in his rightful place at number 7)
Excellent tour, we'll definitely lose the 20/20 but we've gained an awful lot seeing some players beginning to come of age.
Sorry that's a test top 7 if it wasn't clear
Not bad Jonathan though (and admittidly its early days yet) Elliot is looking pretty good for the number 6 spot
On a different note how good is it to see that the black caps could finally be nearing a time when the'll become not just competitive but could be (in the right conditions) dominating
Also is it just me or does it seem like NZs batting/all rounder stocks are quite a bit ahead of NZs bowing stocks?
When are people going to wake up to the fact that McCullum ISNT the new Adam Gilchrist and revert him to his rightful place down the order??? Sure he is an impressive striker of the ball but he simply hasn't got the class to bat at the top of the order against quality opposition...It won't happen tho...and eventually he will get lucky and slog a quickfire 60 or 70, then the media bleating about him being the next Viv Richards will start all over again!!
High praise indeed, Bevan was superb at pacing his innings to see Oz through to the win.
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I personally couldnt believe they put cumming at what number 6 and left out diamanti. If they were going to play cumming then open with him. Hes a different type of batsmen and diamanti is what we needed later in the innings - a guy that can give it a bash!
Just a shame we couldnt win the series early and give boult and diamanti a go. I was looking foward to seeing those guys play. Ive played diamanti at indoor and want to see how good he is out there against international opposition!
And please dont rain. Boo