Cricket over here isn't that much of a big deal. You're on the main Kiwi cricket forum and you see how few users there are. And this team bounced back from the WC final in SL and vs England - that was the worst thing that has happened to NZC history - ever - really. I certainly don't think they get demoralised from thrashings. India especially has served them up to this group away. It's just business as usual.

Now Raval may be completely demoralised. And he should be. Cos he can see his internatrional cricket career falling apart in front of him. But this is not just Australia, its almost everyone for 2 years now, home and away. Santner is too laconic to ever care about anything. And the rest of the team seem pretty happy with their year's performances. So demoralised? I doubt it. Southee and Wagner had big grins at the end of the game. 

Tbe biggest news over here is the appointment of the new All Black coach. 

I just gave you a LIKE for that post Flyslip.

:laugh:

= my shoe laces were too tight, wasn't feeling well, had an off day, my cat was having kittens.

Perhaps we can just give them the toss, and then not start the match until the poor dears are sure the weather will have them feeling comfortable?

The Kiwis have won one single match against Aus this century out of 23 played (a close win by about 6 runs).The tally is 17-1 against.

Considering that and as we're told having one of the world's great attacks and rightly should be favourites, I thought they might have had some incentive to make it 16-2. But it seems they folded against (supposedly) one of world crickets most rubbish attacks (or so it goes).

All nonsense aside, thought a lively pitch might have helped them (until I looked up the amount of draws they play in NZ). So perhaps a slow MCG pitch will help, will see what happens on boxing day. At least it has been better cricket than the previous series against Pakistan.

($$$) You hit nail on the head. CA relies on the G being all but full on Boxing Day to boost its bulging treasury. Agree the stadium has no charm.. it is frankly..quite ugly.. but it holds 90K screaming fans that lift the Baggy Greens everytime they play there.

Shane Warne says the Black Caps started the Bodyline like assault in Perth and that Australia need to finish in on Boxing Day. The Shiek of Tweak wants CA to unleash James Pattinson on NZ on a pitch he knows like his own backyard..and Warne has an ally in former England captain and commentator Michael Vaughan. Does Warne know something that we peasants dont.. perhaps the G curator has been ordered to produce a spicey deck if able to on the outdated drop in. 

bloody hell. This site sometimes. I posted and twice it has vanished.
I wrote lets not worry about overseas games this is the present and Australia is at home.. her fortress. Your blokes certainly are demoralised. Bullshit to say otherwise. I only have to read the Perth post mortem posts of your fellow Kiwis to know that. I know how passionate your countrymen are.. as passionate as us Aussies and to lose is like a knife to the gut. 

Would be great to have Boxing day matches at Bellerive. The MCG was never a great wicket even before it was a drop in, but in recent times it simply isn't good enough. It's not a very aesthetically pleasing stadium, certainly no charm about it. The only thing that's saving it so far is the amount of people it holds ($$$), surely. Will be interesting to see what they dish up on Boxing day.

Nah - NZ lost the toss, 47 degree centre field heat and its an away series, I mean Aus has one won one in the last 4 years, or was 2015/16 their last away win? I checked, it was 2015/16...

Only India, England, SA, NZ and SL know how to win away since then it seems :)  Aus has never won away with Trump as president of the USA.

We're not demoralised. We're just not buying the Aus great story until they stop losing to INdia and SA at home, and actually win something away, even Bangladesh... Even Bangladesh...  :)

I think NZ are gunna feel exhausted, pissed off and demoralised. But they are tough - if anyone can rally, they can. Ferguson confirmed ruled out for remainder.

That is the $64K question DC. If the latter I can see the Black Caps getting back into the series. They have more time bats than we do. I can, however, see CA keeping the foot on the throat and preparing a lively deck for our faster quicks to exploit.

Does Travis Head get another chance. Do we play Mike Neser as a late order bowling all rounder. Will Pattinson or Siddle get the nod for Hazlewood's spot?

I think the Kiwis will come back hard in Melbourne.

They are not ranked number 2 for nothing.

Will  the MCG be a minefield, or a flat wicket?

it will have grass to hold it together, imo...

Maybe Im wrong, on day 5.... hope we bat first then...

Pitch cracks open and anything might happen.

We'd smash Australia in England or Asia imo. We're just much better in those conditions. But we're not playing there. We're playing Australia in Australia. Where NZ bowlers are terrible. Where English bowlers are terrible. Where all Asian attacks bar India are terrible. Simply terrible. Our batsman will fight to give us 650/700 runs in the game, but the bowlers will give your batsmen more is my fear.

We just dont have the skill and pace of Rabada, Steyn, Morkel, Abbott, Bumrah, Shami with their  swing, seam and plus 140 all day pace. You want to win in Australia, you need to bring pace. We don't have the pace. Boult and Wagner are short, so we don't have height/bounce either, - Southee isn't exactly tall for a fast bowler at 6'3". It all comes to Wagner for me - seeing we will stupidly play a spinner who will suck and be useless instead of Ferg - who has pace but never faced 40 degree all day heat for more than 10 overs in a day where he slowed down later anyway. Can Wagner pull something out in his bag of bouncer tricks.

Good question?

This should  probably be discussed in the domestic season thread though.

In the TCA members, Aussie fans are very confident in the outcome - that Australia will prevail.

However, most don't seem to realise that the Kiwis are ranked number 2 in the world, and have played better overseas than Australia in the last few years.

Justin Langer has recently waxed lyrical about how good the Kiwis currently are though.

Yeah - but we were smashed at the Gabba with our bowlers looking lame. KW announced himself to Aussie fans, though. 

We pretty have much have the same bowling attack as last time, Wagner was just a reserve last time, and only Ferg - yet to debut - is a new addition to the entire bowling squad from the 2015 series.

Wagner will try his thing. But if it doesn't come off, I think our bowlers are going to struggle. They just don't have the height or pace that succeeds the best typically in Australian conditions.

Ferg can get over 150km/h - but that's odi at 10 overs with his last spell often slower.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/scores/series/11249/new-zealand-tour-of-australia
Yes DC that Adelaide game was the first ever day/niter from memory.. bit of a nailbiter.
Those pesky Kiwis are never really beaten until the last ball.

DC what is the reasoning behind TCA giving Mac Wright the vital and difficult First Drop spot. He is a novice and it shud be a seasoned batsman's job.

What about the arrogancy of the MCG hierarchy .Hello there up in your ivory tower.. you may think you own the Boxing Day Test but produce another crappy deck and your days are numbered. Perth Stadium is coming for you. Personally I'd love for Bellerive Oval to get it. TCA will have to double its crowd amenities tho.  Got a chuckle from Crash Craddock's article this morning on this very subject. 

I seem to remember the last series in Australia was close, with one key decision in Adelaide going Aus's way. It was decisive in the context of the series.

Could be plenty of seam on offer at the MCG if the recent shield match is anything to go by. They were directed by CA to at least try to do something about the pitch, as it has has obviously had its day. Looks like they might be trying out one the other wickets they had growing. While it wouldn't be good if it were the same as the recent wicket, the hope is that it will offer something. If it at least deteriorates over the match, that would be something.

 Yes - the MCG was an exception last year. Wickets tumbled, scoring was tough, it was no road last year.

What is your point? That I recognise the exceptions? Yes, I do.

I don't even know why you're so offended if you are - NZ"s premier test venue, the Basin Reserve is repeatedly one of the most roady mcroad that ever roaded - especially the past 6 years. And England are still crying over the roads we served upto them int he 2 tests this summer. That wasn't at the Basin. Last time India was here, we gave them roads, BMAC got a double one test and a tripple the next! This time I'd give them greenies. They have a swing bowling cartel now that is faster than ours. But you can bet, there won't be any spin on offer, even on day 5.

Your claims above Paddles.

You seem to have been arguing with yourself as much as anyone else. Quite amazing that someone could simultaneously hold two completely contradictory views and argue both in the one thread. lol.

The idea that it was a "seamers" pitch could only originate from too much time on statsguru. No one who watched it is likely to believe that. In fact the almost universal criticism (from people who did actually watch it) was that it was slow and benign.

The same as it was when the poms were here. The same as it was in first class cricket. 

bumping.
DC was that you and Pete I saw in the Members stand.. Pete was wearing a Santa hat.
PS: Those pics?

I have no idea what kinda fashion statement Harry is making. Looks bloody awful to me. Who cares if he is making a bowling statement. Australia's most improved bowler along with Wes Agar in my humble opinion.

Huh? I have no idea what you're going on about. I said Aussie pitches bar Hobart are typically fast roads and that it is the extra bounce that typically causes problems for overseas batsmen in Australia. Baggers said the MCG is a highway. You reference an England game where there was medium bounce at the start but pitched slowed down, meaning less bounce, but never deviated or broke up. But the things is, the MCG was a seam bowlers pitch in the India test last year as it was even slower than the year before. Bowlers dominated. 

Now what you call fast and bouncy is propbably compared to the Gabba and WACA cos you probably don't watch much international cricket. Whereas someone from the sib continent or WI until 2 years ago, would still consider the MCG a bouncy track. Your pitches are much bouncier than NZ's also. 

So I really do not understand any of your "points". No offence.

It was certainly anything but a "fast bouncy track" when the poms were here before that. 

Your insistence that it is a fast bouncy track and willingness to argue that (up until now), is the point.

It seems you now realise you were wrong on that. I never mentioned the generic term "road" (which seems to hold different meaning to different people anyway). 

I only claimed that it wasn't conducive to pace, bounce, seam or spin. The conditions generally don't encourage swing either. It has been a nothing wicket and has produced dour matches. This has been the criticism of the pitch in recent years.