2nd Test, NZ v Aust, Christchurch

[LostDoggy]

2nd Test has started with Aust winning the toss and bowling on a very green looking pitch.

Pattinson with the early wicket. His career figures looking very similar to Hazlewood's:

Pattinson - 17th Test, 65 wickets @25.9
Hazlewood - 17th Test, 67 wickets @24.1

[GVGjr]

Re: 2nd Test, NZ v Aust, Christchurch

Kiwi's really putting some value on their wickets. It's ugly but effective

[lemmon]

Re: 2nd Test, NZ v Aust, Christchurch

Pattinson was very good this morning, on another day he could have had 3. The same goes for Bird, he's the only guy that has looked comfortable bowling to the left handed batsman.

New Zealand are making their bed with this run rate. You can live with 20 runs an hour if they go into lunch two down but if they keep losing wickets without hurting the Australians they'll regret this approach. This early approach from Nicholls is great, punished a half volley, pushed a few quick singles and is taking pressure off the premier batsman.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: 2nd Test, NZ v Aust, Christchurch

Bird got the second, good start.

Hazlewood has a 52 strike rate, Patto at 47.

Add in Starc at 25 tests, 91 wickets at 30 (which is dropping) with a strike rate of 53 (Batting average of 27), who is a seriously good all rounder by definition, and Bird & Cummins in the fast bowling squad with the best off spinner going around. If our bats can start to play in spinning and swinging conditions, we should be at the very top for a long while.

[lemmon]

Re: 2nd Test, NZ v Aust, Christchurch

Very good deck this, playing like a Sheffield Shield Gabba wicket. A little bit of swing, lots of seam movement from a very thick grass covering but it's a bouncy, fast wicket. The ball will come on beautifully once this grass covering burns off because of the hardness in the wicket and apparently it was so dry the groundsman put some significant water into it yesterday - the spinners may like it days 4 and 5! Wait and see but it looks an excellent surface.

Wonder how McCullum goes about this? I'd suspect we already know but it will be interesting.

[LostDoggy]

Re: 2nd Test, NZ v Aust, Christchurch

Even by McCullum's standards, that was an insane little passage. Pretty impressive from the Aussies - took some audacious shots from reasonable balls to get the scoreboard ticking over.

[LostDoggy]

Re: 2nd Test, NZ v Aust, Christchurch

NZ were 3/32 in the 20th over when McCullum came in. In 14 overs they've added 121, with McCullum 82 off 48 on a greentop. Astonishing stuff.

[GVGjr]

Re: 2nd Test, NZ v Aust, Christchurch

NZ have batted their way out of trouble. Once again a bowler gets a wicket from a no ball and we have paid a high price for it.
Can't take too much away from McCullum though. He is determined to go out all guns a blazing.

[lemmon]

Re: 2nd Test, NZ v Aust, Christchurch

We all hate the "out playing his natural game line" but how do we judge it with a player like McCullum who realistically doesn't have the technique to just grit it out on a pitch like that?

[Remi Moses]

Re: 2nd Test, NZ v Aust, Christchurch

Fair play to him, but that comes off one in ten times .
Bowlers continually overstepping is amauterish .

[bulldogtragic]

Re: 2nd Test, NZ v Aust, Christchurch

Who was it this time?

[GVGjr]

Re: 2nd Test, NZ v Aust, Christchurch

Who was it this time?

Pattinson

[Greystache]

Re: 2nd Test, NZ v Aust, Christchurch

Who was it this time?

Who else. Can't change someone who can't change.

[Twodogs]

Re: 2nd Test, NZ v Aust, Christchurch

We all hate the "out playing his natural game line" but how do we judge it with a player like McCullum who realistically doesn't have the technique to just grit it out on a pitch like that?

He just plays his game. The selectors select him knowing what they will get. I can't fault him. Like you say he hasn't exactly grounded himself in a technique where he is comfortable getting behind the line of the ball and protecting his wicket or keeping his bat close to his body against the moving ball. He just throws the bat at every ball.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: 2nd Test, NZ v Aust, Christchurch

Who else. Can't change someone who can't change.

Won't change, won't.