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The news of Befold.
On the Front Foot with Brian Waddell and Jeremy Coney, powered by News Talks dead B at iHeart Radio.
Hello, nice to be back on the front foot with you. The black Caps squad for the England series just adjusted a little bit to suit conditions or is it his name? During the week, sim Salvey ends his his career in Hamilton. Is the concussion replacements rule in first past trick a fair? And is England second favorite for the home series? Here, as suggested last week by AGAs not too short? Do we go in as favorites? Do we want to go
in as favorites? We've got Warren Lee's former New Zealand coach and New Zealand week keeper and selector and everything else, along with Jeremy Coney who we discussed these issues. Do we go in as favorites?
Jerry, I wouldn't have said that as strongly as that was. I know we've just come out of India very different conditions. We're coming back to something that we know. England know it as well, don't they. They will feel, I think, a lot more comfortable than where they'd been recently in terms of the pictures and conditions. They certainly gave us a bit of a belting the last time that they
were here. And I'm talking about their batsmen attacking our sort of medium fast ish bowlers, and I think perhaps the pictures and the size of the grounds might just suit them a little bit as well. They've got, of course Wokes and Matthew Potts similar to New Zealand style of bowlers as well. They've got a wee bit of place in Olie Stone and Gus Atkinson as well. And I don't know whether they'll use their spinners too much. They'll probably select show of bashir I think down in
the first Test. So look, I think it's a very close run thing. Actually, if anything, they have more dangerous players. I would say that, yeah, well are we better off just taking the old underdog's tag?
We're fighting from behind, Wally. We always seem to have the underdog tag, even though we're playing pretty good Test match cricket at the moment. Are we better that way?
Well? I think we are. But history sort of says that we'll be the underdog in many of these series because we deserve to be, and I think in this case the conditions are going to suit both teams a lot more than the cricket that they've played recently. However, I do agree with what Jeremy's saying. I think they may be slightly stronger in certain areas on pictures that
might do a little bit for the seamers. And I think really we're still at a stage where we're we've at inexperienced in certain areas, and I think that the amount of cricket that the English team plays, the way that they've played an awful lot of cricket and this sort of these sort of conditions, I can't see us being the favorites.
Well, we'll reflect on that in a moment. Also, the side that New Zealand has picked, but one of those that's in the side, of course is film Saudi, and I guess Saudi is finally faced up to the reality newest time was up and he will say goodbye to Test credit well, we think so anyway, unless you will get into the final of the World Test Championship that will be in Hamilton. But he knew his time was up.
Just playing a gamp. His enm was an a dream country. So to do that at a young age was pretty special. And I guess to sit here and it's gone, it's going to string you quickly and set here and I guess in time of the next along you reflect more. But but it's just been been a great ride and there's there's still a little bit to go. But certainly didn't know it took that field in Nape. You didn't think we'll be sitting here seventeen years on, that's for sure.
But it has just been a real privilege and a real honor to to to I guess fulfill a childhood dream and rips in our country. I guess you look at what's in front of you. And last year it was the one day we'll cup and we had to
teach when he will cup. Earlier this year we had this this chunk of Test cricket, which I guess was all exciting parts along the last last twelve months and you sort of you're near the end of that that exciting, exciting part and you sort of look forward and you're like, you look at it and it's a marquee series against a great opposition, one obviously which started again against all those years ago, and and you sort of look at it and it feels feels right, one last chance at
three grounds that have been been pretty good to me and and places I really love love playing it. So it's sort of, yeah, conversations with with close ones and and this is where we sort of landed. But yes, it's it's a tough decision, but I think it's the right one. Also, got some promising young bowlers coming through, which I've thoroughly enjoyed working alongside and and hopefully taught them a thing or two on the way, and and they've certainly taught me a thing a thing or two
as well. Just so that's been been a pleasure and it's it's their time now to keep driving this team forward.
Well, he's been a great seven for the game, Wally Tim Salvie. I mean, it's been a long career and I think now he probably has seen the writing on the wall, hasn't he.
I think he probably has. And one of the things that really hit me when that that retirement and announcement came out, was you know, I'm going to play my last test in Hamilton, my home ground and New Zealand cricket of okay that and then what about the player who doesn't play at Hamilton because Saldi plays in his play? So are we actually I actually thought that Saudi had played his last test, to be honest and un necessarily
think his record or anything. But I don't know that when you look at the number of players we have who have been in and out of the team, they're gaining experience, they're tool well, but they're not getting enough experience. I don't know that by the time that the Hamilton Test comes around that Tim Sowdy will be would be
guaranteed of a place in the team. And I would hate to think that when you look back at it in ten years time, someone was given a game because it was a retirement game, and yet it's a test match what every player who plays cricket in New Zealand wants to attain at some stage. I'm not sure about that.
Yeah, interesting that, Jerry, But that's the way things have done these days, isn't it.
It seems well it shouldn't be, and we don't put test teams on the sentimentality, do we.
I mean, Sowdy's probably.
In New Zealand's best four seemas or five seamers while Jamison and Sears are injured, but as soon as they come back, I can't see him make that lineup at all. We all know Sawdy's past achievements, and that's really what we're sort of talking about at the moment, but we also know he's not quite that Saudi that we've known now.
He's been a.
Stalwart and a great foil with bolts, and he improved as he developed that outswing, of course, and using the crease and the wobble ball and.
The three you know, he did those things.
He used to nail Yorkers, and because he was tall, he had a short ball there for himself to use, and he worked players out and worked them over a bit, and he became a clever bowler, pulled them a bit wider of the stump's fine bowler, very accurate catcher in the outfield and in the slips. I got the impression he loved being in the New Zealand team too, and became pretty central to it. While with no more than that than me and set to finish second to Hadley
in terms of wickets. I think, did I see somewhere he got too? He's got two hundred ode eyes and one hundred twenty wickets as well. Ye you know, he's adapted to the shorter formats. So he's been a great New Zealand cricketer. But it is you know, fifteen wickets in the last ten Tests that kind of doesn't you know, It sort of says that it's time.
Yep. He did a great job when he was leading the attack seven hundred and seventy international wickets and he's been a great performer. Any special memories on what he achieved, well, I mean, I know there are a couple of very good bowling performances. I don't know that I can remember too many of his batting performances, although he did get sixty on on one of those Indian Tests which helped me with hell and win in that series.
I just think he's someone who had a really mixed start with New Zealand team. He had issues of fitting into the group. The fact that you're now on tour and this is the behavior that's required, and that happens to a lot of people. I think he went through that ership quite quickly and he learned the lessons and therefore he started to develop a mind that could sort out his game and the game of the players he
played against. And I think his career has been absolutely fantastic. However, I I want to go on about this too long, but I hope that Sam Wells and Gary Stead are still picking the best team when it comes to a Test match to fit the conditions and the team we play against. It's got to be the best team we can put on the park. Otherwise we deserve to be called the underdogs. If we're just saying well well done. It's been a long career and you two players. One's
a bestment, one's a bowl you can play in the last. No, that's not the way Test cricket is. Test cricket is the top game you can ever play, and we've got to keep it that way.
One of his best bowling performances, to my mind, came in Bangalore. I was lucky to see the performance in India seven for sixty four. Aside that they contained Pijara Coley, Dony Tindokal was on that team as well seven for sixty four and Bengalora is a pretty good achievement. The other one jury was at seven for thirty three. He took at Sky Stadium in Wellington in the World Cup in twenty fifteen against England and goes Southe.
Then a good start for England is there and he bowls is bowling, Bell's bowled and airy drive. It was full and it's in the play around it a bit. Just as I was saying it's a good start for England, they lose their first wicket and then now eighteen for one is his pitch, mubbyl Yorker and mooween's out. Whoa wow, wow clean bowlder Yorka might have swung a little bit again. Itthing rather late on it to me.
Seth again.
One hundred and four for five.
Taylor goes without scoring New Zealand flying in Wellington to.
The bowling of Southey, and the teacher I'd got behind Land across the all just left him ever so slightly. There's a lovely delivery again from Southe. Here he is to Wokes and bowld five for Sauthe brilliant performance with the ball five for twenty six it's one hundred and ten for seven. Saudi bars to him and this one has him hitting towardsman Off and as Kyle caught by Vitty. That's six for Southey and again an unusual stroke. Vitri
has made ground to his left. He's taken the catch and brought us on his way.
Saudi again balls has edge and taking it slip. There's the seventh. I won a performance by Tim Saudi. This has been He's taken seven for thirty one the best figures buy a New Zealand to a one day international cricket and he's absolutely swepting a aside.
Yeah that was that was Actually I think the game almost over before lunch and all the English medium of really hacked off. They might not get a lunch, but yeah, look one the first one you mentioned is the one that stands out for me because in Indian conditions on a surface that didn't suit him quite so well, he couldn't keep on swinging it. He had to find other ways to get good players out and to get seven for I think it was about seven for sixty odd
or whatever. But he held the whole New Zealand bowling innings together. There look It's like any player, I mean, he's played over one hundred Tests. You're going to have some good ones wadds, and you're going to have some days that are not so good, of course, and you try and make your average days a little bit better, and you're always trying to push to keep going, and you know you're bound to have a few good days
and so will. There will be lots of people listening to this to who'll be able to think of many more than I can right at the moment. But that's one I certainly remember thinking, boy, that's a very good bowling performance.
Yeah, you look back at the career in the earlier stages like twenty twelve, twenty thirteen and those years. In twenty thirteen he took thirty six Test wickets that year and played eight Tests. Now the contrast that to Jimmy Anderson, who actually played fourteen Test matches that year and took fifty odd Test wickets. And so you know, Saudi and the New Zealand bowlers probably come a distant second to many of those players with the opportunities they get.
Wally, Yeah, that's exactly right. One thing that we mustn't forget is we look back on clicker as the past easier for old people like me. But the Hadley Chatfield, that sort of thing was that was a combination of people. I think sometimes we perhaps overlooked the fact that Saudi was quite quick to say, this doesn't suit me today. The work at taking doesn't suit me. The win's not in the right. I have to take a minor role
for Trent, for Trent Bolt to take wickets. And I think that the number of times I've seen them play together, and I think they had an understanding of a really good understanding of whose day it was going to be, and the other player was quite accepting of the fact that he had to play more of a containing role. And I think I actually think that Tim Sowdy was very good at that throughout the latter part of his career. Well.
That was an important part of any cricket side though, to have a bowling duo at the top and two guys that did compliment each other.
Jerry, Oh yeah, I mean you challenge the different edges of the bat. They were different bowlers in a way. I thought Bolt was just slightly quicker.
He perhaps.
He provided a different angle, really, I mean, and Saudi did that by using the crease whilst staying over the wicket, and so so he found ways. And that was the thing I suppose about Southey Bolt I thought had just slightly he looked as if he could run through a team a little more quickly. But that's only me from you know, a distance watching. They both were terrific together. I think we just got to say that was great that they what a happy coincidence they came together themselves.
But you're right about the It was right about the number of games that the Big three in particularly England play, and you were mentioning Anderson there as far as New Zealand and say that, you know, not the Big three are concerned. You know, the Big Three plus seventy one percent of their Test series our three Test match series and twenty nine percent are two Test match series. Ours are exactly the opposite, seventy one percent of two tests
and twenty nine are three tests series. And well that's where we make our money when the Big threey come to town, isn't it, Which is precisely why we played so many two tests series. You know, three Test matches is a rarity. We're looking forward to it this particular time. Because our boards, you know, they you know they want to play just a two tests and then play a few short format matches.
You know, it's a money it's a money issue.
Well, getting back to your original point two, Wally about whether or not Sauthy should play Hamilton. What about in christych the first test coming up? He has led the attack. They've got a deck that I imagine will be made for seemas because spinners have been pushed a little bit to the background in terms of selection with Satna not being chosen there. But they've still got those who can turn the ball. But Henry O'Rourke and Sauvey, should that be our seam attack or does Nathan Smith to look.
At well, I definitely have seen Nathan Smith a few times earlier on in his career, and I was nothing but impressed when I saw him and Alexander a couple of seasons ago. Seldom can you say this guy has got something special. He's an athlete. He runs in as if he's one hundred percent fit. He runs in with a rhythm that says, on my day, I can do special things. And I think it doesn't always happen. But I have seen him at his very best and I've thought, my word, this guy sometime is going to get an
opportunity seldom given to a lot of other people. But it's possibly because he just looks athletic. You see a lot of fastball and you think, God, they're struggling to get to the picture. They struggle, they struggle to get into their rhythm. They really know this guy when he's on his day, he's got something special. And I think I'm not saying they should just keep chopping and changing these players, but we have done a wee bit of
that in the last couple of seasons. We've had an awful lot of seeing Boulders play for New Zealand and never been seen again through injury and lack of form perhaps, But we've got to settle on someone soon to make that replacement. And I think he has every opportunity.
For Seema's part times Betner, then for the Test match, do you see yeah?
I think so. Well, we don't know that, we don't know what they're going to offer up and have the conditions, but we've got a fair idea that's not going to be what they've been playing on recently, so it is going to be a seam as sort of thing it may be, and I think you're heading towards that that maybe, well, who's the spin riff? There's only one? And also you've got to give the guys the opportunity. Those who have performed recently have surprised a lot.
Of people a row.
He's surprised a lot of people the way he seemed to claim an experienced head before his time, and I think that's fantastic. We can't give them a couple of games and throw them aside. We've got to start looking after what we've got. And yeah, I think we've got every opportunity of picking four really good seemas at the moment.
But of a dilemma, Jerry, isn't it well that the selectors, I mean they've left Bracewell, Ajas, Patel and Sanna are out in this test, haven't they. It's going to be for seemas, isn't it. That's what they're basically saying. And the selectors are not going to fight nature and try to attempt to, you know, try and get Hagley over to turn aggressively.
You can't. You can't just do that. So I would say it's a seam shootout.
There's no or a swing shootout as well, So batsmen better gear up for that sort of those sorts of questions. I think, and you know, and I think if they're wise, they'll take that movement beyond the first innings, if they can, if we're good enough to do that, because you know, whether that's a little bit longer grass on it, whatever they feel they have to do. We want to have a chance to bowl at England and we don't want the toss to determine that. I mean, I'm talking about
how do we beat England. We beat England by the ball moving. If we allow New Zealand pictures to get flat and for the English batsman to hit through the line.
We'll get hit.
I'm afraid that's it. That's what will happen. That's where their strength lies. And so movement is the key against England. I mean, they did it to us last time. If you remember, look at what they got eight hundred and twenty three for seven against Pakistan at five point five. That's where they like to dominate with them a different condition where it turns and it changes instead of batting for that length of time and Royal Pindi they batted for thirty seven overs in the second deck. They try,
they have trouble when the ball is moving. So that's the sort of thing I think we should prepare and we are going to have to fight it out ourselves with our batsmen.
That's the way we have to do it.
That's interesting, Wally, because if that's the case and we use the Seamas, we're going to have to either have one of Phillips or a Vendra or else we don't pick will Young, So who is it out of the top six, Because you're going to have Blundle at seven. Who's going to miss out in the top six? With Williamson back in the side, I.
Think it's really hard to tune around to will Young and say, you know, well done, that's fantastic, and we really think you've got a future and now you're not going to play. I think there's something we have to It's a funny thing with our psyche about the way we bat in a lot of these games, especially against the top three teams in the past, is that we go out to bat when we say two or three down, as if we have no confidence at the next player
coming in. I think that's something that has really changed with the English team. I think they have the Australian approach of ten fifteen years ago, where it doesn't matter. They have one hundred percent confidence in the next player, so the next player can come out and play an attacking array of shots and say I'm going to take it to you. That's the way that that's the way that Obviously McCallum's got some influence, but that's the way they can play. I don't know that that really suits
the way some of our players think. And I think that what worries me is we're either going to be really strong fighters at five six and seven or we've actually got to say, now hold on, we're better than that. We're going to continue with the way we want to play. I just think that we don't fight. It disappointed me schri Lanka obviously, but we didn't fight fight at all, and it was test cricket and I'm not saying that
the huge result it was. It was inevitable that we were probably going to look but we could have fought harder and showed a wee bit more of that gritty determination that players have played with in the past. And it's one or the other. You can't you can't sort of expect one player to go out, Phillips in particular, and play this attacking role and on his day it's going to save It's not going to save things when
he got two days to go. So you've got to We've got to either have the approach that we trust each other or we're going to fight harder. And I think that's a big thing for the New Zealand team going into the into the series with England.
We will have time wall because of the way that England plays. They use time up, particularly with the bat, in order to bowl the opposition out. So time is available for the opposition if you're good enough, and we can use that time as we did. If you think in that second Test where we were held on to win by one run, our second innings went on and on and on and on for one hundred and sixty seven overs. If we're good enough, we can do that.
As far as the question about Young, if christ Church is not going to turn and clearly the selectors don't think so, if it's necessary, do we need two part time spinners. So the question for me becomes who is the better batsman between Phillips and Young. Yes, Phillips bowls a few overs and can hit. He's done a very good job so far, particularly in India, did well. He feels well in the gully. That might be an area where the New Zealand might struggle to replicate. And he
of course in the outfield. But Young, to my mind, should play and he can bat it three. Williamson can go four and they can all just slide down. Williams's bad at four before he's coming back. They can slide down. It's all slide down one. And so Mitchell ends up at six and Blundle seven the keeper, and then you have your four seemers, including Nathan Smith as the next one down at eight, and then your three bowlers. We haven't decided quite who those you know that triumvirate will be.
But Young is unflustered. He showed he was confident. He defended accurately, He picked the deliveries to attack, He took his time, He didn't rush quite as much as the other New Zealand batsman who wanted to make a statement and get their runs before they were got out. I thought he's become and he's also become a very serviceable batpad and maybe can be to the seemers, which might be needed as well.
So I personally think he handled Boomra well.
He looked calm, He looked a test player to me, and I thought, you've sat on the sideline, you know, a sideline too long now, Son.
That's a fair enough point too. So it looks like Ravendra might have to do some spin bowling out of the side that we will select, and we will have four seemers. We're interested to see what comes up from the pitch at Hagley.
Brian Waddell Jeremy Coney on the front foot.
An intriguing issue came up during the first round of the Plunket Shield, the use of concussion substitutes in the domestic game. Not a post to them. I think they're important in terms of player safety, but for me, shouldn't they be like for like In one of the games, both wicket keepers needed substitute players concussion subs.
One both chose.
One chose to be replaced by another wicket keeper who didn't have concussion. The other thought they'd bring in another seam bowler, and so they put a seam bowler. I disagree with that. To my mind, it should be like for like how do you see it, Wally, I know.
You're thinking like for like means if it's a wishy keeper who's injured, it must be a wikei keeper who comes in. But if you're taking a lot of plas, you can't do that in the first class. Well, we would Phillips fit in? Does he come in to if this even happened, would Phillips even replace a spin bowler or would he be a special fielder, would he be a wicket keeper? Would it be a guy who comes into.
I mean, I don't know that you can sort of say like for like, because because most of these players are sort of what we might call multi challenged, they're all all round us these days. I don't even know if I agree with the replacement rule. I'm not even sure that that sits too well with me. I was even in the past sort of wondering why there was no runner, no replacement runner, and all those different things have happened, and you sort of thing, I don't know
if it's necessary. I know the safety thing, and I know because of certain situations overseas in different games, everyone jumps on the bandwagon. But I don't know that we were getting overruled and we're changing things too quickly.
Yeah, I don't know either. I would have thought in the first class team you only take twelve when you travel. I thought cost reasons would be a fairly good reason for that.
Another plane, I see, do you okay another wicket keeper, but surely so a flight.
From Otago Otago playing Auckland. Yeah, if you fly them all the way at to Auckland and back for a day.
Well you have to. If you were like for like yeah, well do you not agree with theseus?
Well?
I just think, I mean, well, if the cost is not an issue, I mean, it's a bit odd to have two keepers out.
But however more, were they standing up what it was happening in this game?
Weren't standing up what they got replaced?
There was no spinners, hardly used. Thirty seven of the forty wickets that fell fell to seemers. So unless you were standing up to a seema either one of them, they would be standing back.
I don't know.
I mean I would have thought, at this stage, before Christmas, with the tracks a bit more grass on them, that most of the most of the twelfth Men would be seemers or a batsman. I mean it seems fairly speaking what I think are you saying?
Are you saying.
That if you bring another seama back in, I mean, if he's a keeper, he's a keeper, yep. But if you slide somebody else, like a batsman or a spin bowler into do the keeping, and you suddenly have an extra seema in your midst and he bowls, he starts bowling some overs and it freshens everybody up, or he takes one completely bowler out of the play because he's not bowling.
Well, is that what you're complaining about.
Well, that's that's one of the things that could happen. It could become a real roart for the So I look, we it's a fast bowler's pitch. We need another sema here just to rest our other seamers so that we can keep attacking the opposition.
Are you're not sort of slightly biased thinking that there are too many of these rules coming into the game. Yes, I mean basically you would give the umpires something to do because they do very little and the matter ref Yeah, that's right. Those other people on we may have to bring someone else along as the replacement umpire, you know, sitting on the sideline saying you can have that keeper
but not that keeper. Are we going to end up saying the guy was left handed who got injured, therefore he's got to be a left handed player who comes. I don't know.
Can the umpires need a concussion substitute as well?
Do they?
Well they might do, But I think Whil's point is a rather interesting one. About a left hand and left arm bowler. Is the same thing in print Bot got injured. He's a left arm seema. You can't bring in a right arm seema. You've got to bring in a lifter. So it just goes on on forever, which it possibly will in the future.
Don't worry.
Yeah, well there is that possibility now. It's just it was just something I thought I would bring up because it was It was interesting to see that two Wicke keepers in fact needed substitutes. And you know, we're seeing players being checked every time they get hit on the helmet. They're getting check these days. They're going to change the helmet and then go and sit out in their period as the doctor comes on and sort of ask them questions about their private life that they don't want to answer.
But I'm sure that there will be someone who can provide the answer that we require for that. We're running short of time, guys. There's a test match coming up in a couple of weeks. Lovely to have you back with us, Wally and adding your expertise. We look forward to perhaps hearing from you again, and you'll be doing a bit of work I think during some of the games during the summer, is that right?
I will appear on one or two games. I'm looking forward to the test in christ Juge. We're having a reunion, yes on the team that beat England back in nineteen seventy eight and I had to look up the records of that game to find out who played. Obviously I have because I got invited, said I couldn't remember exactly what the team was, so I look forward to being at Hagley for the start of that game.
Yeah, thanks, Wally. When we look forward to you and Jerry painting the town red in christ Church celebrating in nineteen seventy eighteen that Jerry didn't play for. But I'm sure you'll enjoy it all the same, Jerry went.
You, Yeah, I will. No, I would have known most of the lads.
In fact, I was down there for the nineteen seventy three reunion when Australia were down in christ Church and some of those players will still be there and they might be coming back. I mean, I think Rock Collins was in both those sides.
Bold boycott out the second innings for a duck.
That's it.
That's the one.
Just a couple of things before we go. Jerry at the moment to acknowledge the achievements of Frankie McKay in the women's game. During a recent match in the HBJA over the last weekend, she past the most number of runs in New Zealand women's domestic one day competition. She's been around a long while, one hundred and fifty two runs, so she's overtaken Amy Settithwaite and she's got those runs
at forty six point eighty three. And through the same game she got the double most wickets in New Zealand women's domestic one day competition Craikie Becai's got one hundred and seventy six at twenty point one point seven. Well, you can enjoy those figures, Canta. It's a that's an outstanding achievement by someone who's really committed to the women's game, sure is.
I mean she opens the batting for Canterbury, doesn't she as well? And she obviously enjoys being in the sick of the contest, doesn't she opening the batting and with her spin bowling. I think she probably would, you know, more than likely evolved in those power plays as well when the opposition went into bat So she's right in there. But more importantly, I think to play for that length of time for the same province, and she's been in and out of New Zealand sides, hasn't she.
You'd know that better than I.
But you know, very important to keep those experienced players through one generation to another and then perhaps even to another, so that you take on a kind of a position amongst the players where you know they gravitate, you know, the newer players gravitate to you. They listen to what you say, You pass on your accumulated knowledge, and that's
very much part of a sporting team. I think the makeup of a side, you get different levels, and one of those levels is the experienced player who speaks sense, who doesn't allow things to get too carried away in the room, and those kinds of things I thinking out on the field as well, So well done Frankie McKay on the personal things that you've spoken about, but also the length of time that you've played for Canterbury as well.
Yes, indeed, and of course she does a lot of commentary now and she's very much respected in terms of her opinion and understanding of the game. So a great achievement. We'll try and grab hold of Frankie and talk to her about a career at some stage, along with others. The other thing I wanted to talk was just we've had a couple of emails and one of them i'd like to acknowledge came from Darren Thanks for your last
podcast regarding the series in the air. I know that I've bagged him in the past, but would like to say well done, Gary Stead and to the lads of the team having watched cricket since the eighties, the series was very very special. Just goes to show test cricket is not boring. Whereas when was the last T twenty you remember? Like comparing opera with a boy band and
I think we can say amen to that. Jerry. He also through in a question a final question what is the best way forward with regards to Tom Blundell as a batsman. Well, I think we sort of covered that erea in the program to a certain extent. He's now likely about at seven. He's still there as a keeper. Had a few disappointing outcomes in that series, but it wasn't easy to keep working in India on that last tour,
Darren says, his batting seems to have fallen away. Yeah, but he's there for his keeping and provided he can do that, I think we can accept some slip ups in the batting. I'm sure he's not happy with it and came back and played domestic crackerving got sixty for Wellington in the game that ended last weekend.
Yeah, Tom Blundell has you know, every player goes through difficult times.
He has two skills.
You know, he's an all rounder and keeping, certainly when you go to a place like India or Sri Lanka and the heat constantly up by the stumps, with the ball bouncing at different levels and turning different ways and unexpected turns, sometimes very difficult and to keep you know, clean sheet all the time. And the same when you go out to batwise you've got men all around the bat and you're against you know, quality spinners, so it's
never easy to get starts. As you go in at number six or seven as he was, the spinners have already been on and got their spell going, and so they are in rhythm and you aren't. And you know, he got bold a few times, I think in India, and it was just a case of either making a good stride and playing but between where it pitched and your stumps. So if it's outside the off stump and you're not quite sure if it's going to go straight on or turn back in, you play between where it
pitches and your stumps. And if it just goes straight on, that's fine, you can let that go. But you can't go out there with your hands. As you knows, you can't go out there with your hands and create a gap between your front pad and where your batter is. And because if it drops, as the course the spinners can do, they not only drift it, but they'd get it to drop as well. And it's a wee bit shorter than you think it'll turn back in between your bat and your pad, yep.
And I only hope that he just puts that reverse sweep away for a little while as well, because that was a feeling. Well he can now I think, yeah, he'll play more orthodox now that he's back in the country. The start next week. Jerry, I'm sure you'll be almost packing your bag for Christs, won't you.
Yeah, it'll be getting close to it.
Wadds. It's going to be an interesting series. I'm really looking forward to it. New Zealand will be feeling.
Comfort and I think after coming from that that fantastic you know result over in India, and most of those players are being included in the squad. We've really only got a couple of change out. I mean there have been something. The spinners have been left out, haven't they really? But most of the rest, Yeah, most of the rest are there, so I hope they have it. I hope we have a really good series because it's our only tests this season, isn't it.
Really? We don't get any more. Up to the Christmas English.
Yeah, Barmie Army and the supporters will be there. We'll have a lot of fun and I'm sure we'll be memorable from both sides point of view.
And I'll catch you. I'll catch you in Wellington. Yes, well, you'll be quite a big wig there. Won't you. You'll be a big wig.
You'll be up there, up there, just drinking your G and t s with all the with all the highbrows.
Yes, I might spend some time in the order room.
With the with the fifth finger cocks and it's just so it's nice there and with your little cucumber semis.
That would be lovely ones, be lovely to see you. Make sure I'm not there.
Yeah, I like you. Everyone good.
I take care of.
Summer.
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