Wednesday 19 January 2011

Time to pick a NZ World Cup team.

At tea today, the NZ squad of 15 is named. However it's much more fun to name our own teams before they name theirs.

The team has to be made up of players from the 30 man squad:

Brent Arnel, Hamish Bennett, Doug Bracewell, Dean Brownlie, Ian Butler, Grant Elliott, Daniel Flynn, Martin Guptill, Jamie How, James Franklin, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Peter McGlashan, Andy McKay, Rob Nicol, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Shanan Stewart, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson, Luke Woodcock, Reece Young.

Unfortunately this means no Redmond, Vincent, Bates, Aldridge or Mason.

Here's my team:

B McCullum
Ryder
Taylor
Guptil
Styris
Vettori
N McCullum
McGlashan
Mills
Southee
Butler
Tuffey
Franklin
Oram
Flynn

What's your 15?

19 comments:

  1. Not a bad line up. My line up would be the same except for Oram. Instead I would have Mckay just to spice things up a little

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  2. I can see the benefit of McKay - he is much more likely to rip through the minnows, and guarantee us a good NRR in case of ties.

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  3. Largely agree but wiping a tear over the omission of Milne, Williamson, Young... too bad also that the How experiment failed.
    Think I also like Arnel. But yeah the question was 15, not 20.

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  4. I was struggling with the choice of Williamson, How and Flynn. I just think that Flynn's current form is irresistible.

    I also was thinking about Arnel instead of Tuffey, but Tuffey has proven that he can bowl in India, and he can bat.

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  5. That squad looks accurate to me. As you say it is the final batting spot which needs to be filled. Long-term I would go for Williamson but not sure if he is ready yet - but he appears to be one of the few guys who can cash in when he gets set. Trouble is he can't bat 5 or 6 and it would be a gamble to have him at 3.

    Flynn has found some form but he lost it for a long time and looks prone to getting out early. How seems to be found out by decent pace bowlers at international level.

    Bowling looks about as good as it can be, although more a set who can do a solid job rather than run through a side - and also enable some runs down to number 11 which is usually required.

    Oram hasn't done much since he came back from injury so that is a bit of a fingers crossed selection - but I'll take your top 14 and have How instead of Flynn - because that is what I think the selectors will do.

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  6. Most of the guys on TV had Bennett instead of Butler, but I couldn't go past Butler personally. I would consider Bennett instead of Oram however.

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  7. Ok... here's mine (what I'd like to see - not who I expect will be picked)... not forgetting where we're playing. Spin will be important (and the Pig too, shame JR can't bowl).

    *are backup players

    Openers: B McCullum (wk), Guptill
    3/4/5: Taylor, Styris, Ryder, *Flynn
    AR's 6/7/8: Franklin, Vettori, N McCullum, *Woodcock, *McGlashan (wk)
    Blrs 9/10/11: Southee, Mills, Tuffey, *Bennett

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  8. I believe that Ryder has been cleared to bowl. He'll be starting in the nets in the next couple of days. I'm not sure that this is a good thing, I'd prefer that we normally had him as a batsman, than have him occasionally as an all rounder.

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  9. I'm not saying he'd be picked as a bowler... I'd like to see him bat five with Guppiano opening. Though on those pitches, he could be useful for a few overs here and there... as with the Pig.

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  10. if i was a selector i would throw money, cars and a key to a big city to get lou vincent. nothing beats a player with big match experience. but sadly we won't and he probably wouldn't take it. i'd take mckay over tuffey as he will give that lil bit of pace that minnows will struggle against. And tuffey is past his use-by date. and flynn might be looking good at first class level on easy paced provincial wickets but doesn't has have ability to take it to next level. So williamson gets my vote. He can bowl, field well and can score runs on sub-continent.

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  11. the biggest thing with selecting this team is choosing players who have big match ability and suit the sub-continent conditions. Australia's selectors have gone for a big pace attack which is really quite unnecessary as the pace those players will bring turns into an easier speed on sub-continent pitches. Only really accurate fast bowlers do well over there. And i'd hardly put tait, lee and johnson in that category.

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  12. To Johnson's credit, he tends to bowl quite full, and take the pitch out of the reckoning. He also tends to bowl wide and eratic, which tends to take good economy rates out of the reckoning.

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  13. Have to have Nicol in the side, he is in good knick. 3 spinners - Nicol, Vettori, McCullum.

    B McCullum
    Guptill
    Taylor
    Ryder
    Styris
    Vettori
    N McCullum
    McGlashan
    Mills
    Southee
    Butler
    Tuffey
    Franklin
    Oram
    Nicol

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  14. Well none of us got it right. McGlashan was left out (which makes me scratch my head) Butler, Tuffey, Flynn, Nicol, Elliot got left out also.

    After watching Bennett bowl I can see why they went for him. I don't mind the selection of Woodcock either, although he doesn't seem to have his handle on one day cricket like he does on t20 and 1st class.

    But Jamie How to keep wickets? no no no no no.

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  15. Selectors got it wrong. We need a specialist backup Keeper especially in India + McGlashanis a genuine finisher..

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  16. Ok coz I'm awesome I'll do mine after the team has been named LOL

    Baz
    Guppy
    Nicol
    Rosco
    Ryder
    Pig
    Dan the Man
    Nate
    Mills
    TIMMY
    Bennett
    Franko
    Butler
    Woodcock
    TUFFSTER

    DUN DUN DUN

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  17. You didn't go for a back up keeper Mel Is that because you think Baz is invincible, or would you have Guppy or Taylor do it?

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  18. Yea I was thinking a bit of both :P Haha Um I was thinking Ryder back up or even Styris

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