First Test, NZ V Australia, Wellington

[LostDoggy]

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/feb/11/jackson-bird-recalled-by-australia-for-first-test-against-new-zealand

Bit of a selection surprise for tomorrow's Test with Pattinson making way for Bird. JP unlucky but Bird should be very suited to NZ conditions.

Brendan MacCullum becomes first player in history to play 100 consecutive Tests from debut - incredible achievement for a guy who spent a lot of that keeping and batting at 5 or 6 and plays a stack of short form cricket.

[Axe Man]

Re: First Test, NZ V Australia, Wellington

Teams:

New Zealand 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Henry Nicholls, 5 Brendon McCullum, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Doug Bracewell, 9 Mark Craig, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent Boult

Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Joe Burns, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Adam Voges, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Peter Nevill (wk), 8 Peter Siddle, 9 Josh Hazlewood, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jackson Bird

Pattinson left out due to uncertainty about his fitness - not sure why they pulled him out of the shield game last week then. Surely getting through that match would have gone a fair way to proving his fitness?

The kiwi's middle order looks a little brittle without Ross Taylor - Nicholls in his first test, a hit or miss McCullum and a short form specialist in Anderson. If we can get past Williamson we are chance of knocking them over cheaply.

Time for our batsmen to prove they can survive against a swinging ball.

[LostDoggy]

Re: First Test, NZ V Australia, Wellington

Time for our batsmen to prove they can survive against a swinging ball.

Very good point. A few of our batsmen feasted on docile pitches through our Test summer - fair enough too, they can only do their best on the conditions presented - but this series should be a truer examination of who the legitimate long term Test players are.

[Greystache]

Re: First Test, NZ V Australia, Wellington

I have great concerns on Burns and to a lesser extent Voges ability to survive the swinging ball. They look set up to provide catching practice to the slips if NZ can bowl well.

[lemmon]

Re: First Test, NZ V Australia, Wellington

I have great concerns on Burns and to a lesser extent Voges ability to survive the swinging ball. They look set up to provide catching practice to the slips if NZ can bowl well.

Yep this is a big test for Burns, his county form last year was less than impressive.

[Twodogs]

Re: First Test, NZ V Australia, Wellington

I'm not holding my breath with any of our batsmen in swinging conditions.nlook what happened last time in England.

[LostDoggy]

Re: First Test, NZ V Australia, Wellington

Smith wins the toss and chooses to bowl. Hope that's for attacking reasons rather than defensive.

[Bornadog]

Re: First Test, NZ V Australia, Wellington

After going for 9 runs in the first over Hazelwood has struck back with two wickets. 2/44, both openers gone.

[Bornadog]

Re: First Test, NZ V Australia, Wellington

McCullum duck, Williamson out, Kiwis in trouble at 4/47, Hazelwood 3 wickets, Siddle 1

[LostDoggy]

Re: First Test, NZ V Australia, Wellington

Jackson Bird selection looks ordinary. He's got 3 overs 0/25 (over 8 an over) while the others have 5/26.

[Bornadog]

Re: First Test, NZ V Australia, Wellington

Top five all gone, 5/51

[Ozza]

Re: First Test, NZ V Australia, Wellington

7/97

[ledge]

Re: First Test, NZ V Australia, Wellington

What a terrible wicket if you want a game to last 5 days , whoever bowled first wins this test.
Green top that will settle and whoever bats second reaps the runs.
Why Siddle isn't the automatic stock bowler for the test team is beyond me.
He should never be dropped.

[LostDoggy]

Re: First Test, NZ V Australia, Wellington

What a terrible wicket if you want a game to last 5 days , whoever bowled first wins this test.
Green top that will settle and whoever bats second reaps the runs.
Why Siddle isn't the automatic stock bowler for the test team is beyond me.
He should never be dropped.

It's just a typical NZ wicket. Most Test days in NZ see a lot of movement early but better batting conditions later in the day. Hazlewood and Siddle also bowled really well to the conditions. I'll take this wicket over some of the roads we played on through the summer.

Completely agree with Siddle. The attack always looks better with him in, very good at building pressure. If we'd put him back in earlier in the Ashes it may have been a different story.

[Bornadog]

Re: First Test, NZ V Australia, Wellington

Yep this is a big test for Burns, his county form last year was less than impressive.

Duck