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On the Front Foot where Brian Waddell and Jeremy Coney, powered by News Talks Dead B at iHeartRadio.
Hello, a month gone and the new year, and we're back doing what we do best. Talking Cricket on the Front Foot, which includes a prestigious accolade for immediate curve, comes with no surprise named the ICC Women's Player of the Year for twenty twenty four see twenty titles decided. Has the standard improved in the New Zealand game by the constant play in the short format? Will we ever be able to match the Ossies in promotion and crowd numbers they gained from BBL, but we have outdone them.
The Wisdom World Test team has been named two black Caps no Ossies a fair outcut. We'll discuss that final eleven shortly. I thought i'd be just a little bit parochial this morning, chaps wearing my cricket Wellington shirt.
You'll have yours on.
I'm still in them a pajamas ones.
I was going to ask that us the next question.
I always Wellington jerseys to bed.
Yes, exactly, yes, of course, Well a man who could have two on this morning because he was a Central Districts man and I don't know who he would have wanted to win the title. And yeah, not yet, but they didn't get anywhere.
Okay, all right, well no, actually it was. It was a perfect outcome. And I was clearly keep from my old alumni to when the the men's version and thrilled for the women took the wee women to win. So yeah, yeah, I got, I got the I got the got the Cornell there excellent.
Yes, indeed, well that's that's good. Let's talk about somebody who's got more than the Quernella. One of the stars of the women's game, Amelia k first New Zealander to win the Supreme Award and either the men's a women's category of the ICC winning the Women's Player of the Year, and for Amelia it was a special award ending what has been a demanding year.
Yeah, I mean after the year that I guess heat's challenging periods for the group after ten losses on the bounce, but did to win the World Cup was pretty special. So that's obviously the highlight. And be able to contribute for New Zealand and have the award at the end, that's special, but it's not really something you play for. Yeah, I think it's huge. I love playing for New Zealand,
I love representing the White Ferns. And for me, we have an outstanding group of players and support staff and I think within the last year my bowlings kind of improved so much and a lot of that comes down to the spin group we have. I love training with them, the spin coach with we have with Paul Wiseman, and just the fun we have with the ability to work
hard in between. I think it's really important. And yeah, go out there and enjoy my cricket, keep things simple and love representing the team with some of the guest mates.
So how special is it to be recognized among an outstanding group of women cricketers.
Yeah, women's crickets growing and it's so good to see. And yeah, the other players that were nominated. I think we're also nominated for the fifty over it Player of the Year. And yeah, there's so many amazing cricketers around the world and we, I guess, get to see it more in the international but also in franchise leagues where sometimes you get to play with those players and it's so competitive. There's so many good players and it's just awesome to see the growth of the women's game.
So what's the plan for this year.
It's a good question. I just been trying to get better each and every year and work hard and find little things that are going to make me better. But I think this last year has been my bowling and not much has changed necessarily, but I think TEA twenty cricket players are coming hard at you, so just trying to bowl my best bawl and have builds that match that and keeping it really simple, and it seemed to
work this year. We've also played in conditions that have suited my bowling, and I guess to buy where the watch ups are a bit slow and low, So I think, yeah, things were in my favor as well, which helps.
And yeah, just simple plans.
What about the prospect of being asked to captain the White Fans in the future.
I'm not too sure at this stage.
I think obviously she'd step down his Tea twenty captain after the world and there's things to think about there, and you know, after this well being break. I think for me, it's just focusing on what's next. At the moment, it's super smashed and trying to lead to Wellington Blaze well and when that title is the goal and then yeah, it's taking each thing as a thing as it comes. And when if I get asked to captain, it's going
to be something to think about. It's not something you just want to say yes or no too lately because it's a huge onre to be out to captain new Zellen, So it'll take some thought and if I do it on and make sure I'm ready.
Well, a lot of contenders for that award, did Jerry, but I think that it was probably ritually deserved across all forms of the game. Really, Amelia cur has just been a wonderful contributor to the woman's game. And you know she's been playing ten years, she's only twenty four.
Yeah, you're right, Wa, it's been some journey for her, hasn't it, and she rightly acknowledges, you know, all the people that have played a part in the sort of cricketer that she's become already, and there's a fair few years left if she wants them. So I think she's been personally New Zealand's best or round player for a few years now, and that's all the players. Frankly, I guess because it was a t twenty World Cup year that that played quite a significant part in deciding the
Player of the year, if you like. It was the sort of the highlight. And certainly in that competition she excelled. You know, I know that she didn't score the most runs. It wasn't an easy place to score runs. Actually, Dubai and Charger, they get the ball kept a bit low and it turned a bit and so it wasn't that easy for batsmen. There are a lot of catchers dropped. Hundreds of catchers dropped, weren't there in that in that tournament.
But just if you look at say her bowling, for example, she had six matches, which is more than some of the other bowlers. Of course, making the final fifteen wickets, which is the most of any player, averaging seven economy rate of four point eight in the straight rate of nine, one.
Bag of four.
And if you then look at the people she got outs in the final against South Africa, she got the you know, the top player, wolf Art out from South Africa dismissed her. She also dismissed the number three bosh. Then you're to look in the wonder for the game before that, the Semi and the West Indies, she got DeAndre Dottin out there their top scorer and another thes two wickets. Pakistan she got Fatim Masana out, the top scorer for Pakistan and two others. Sri Lanka she got Atapatu,
their top scorer. You can hear a pattern coming through, can't you. She gets good players out and she's always been even when they lost against Australia, Beth Mooney, Elise Parry, you know she got those players out and so she's always done that and she gets good players out and so that makes a heck of a difference to her side. And then of course with the bat and the final, she got the top score for New Zealand forty three or thirty eight. So you know she's a key player.
There's no doubt about it. She's also could I just mentioned the catching. She is by far and away our most accurate catcher. I'm not saying she doesn't drop catch as ever, everyone does, but on that particular tournament, catchers went down like mellow puffs and a church vestry meeting and it was just that was to be honest, I mean, she was way ahead of everybody else there as well.
So is that where I go to get my mellow puffs in a church vestry meeting?
You do what you do, That's exactly where you go. Boy, that's right, you.
Mos. I watched her play in the T two D finals over the weekend and you know, I instantly think of the female version of Kin Williamson. Is that a fair comparison.
Well in the woman's game, yes and no. But her ability as an all rounder, as a truly, truly, very probably I argue you the best all round her in women's cricket. It's hard to go past that. I mean, she does it. And Jerry's point around. She she gets the best players out, she gets wickets, and that's not just in New Zealand. I mean I think she's just pretty much far too good for most of the people
in domestic cricket. But she gets the best of the internationals out and that just says something and then and then goes in and that's it one or two or three. No, No, she's she's sister. Just just a class act. So perhaps even more because I don't think Cane bowls anymore or throws or whatever he used to do. So yeah, I'm a huge fan and of course just another great player out of Wellington, and yeah we should.
Know this.
I was just referring mainly to her batting and her ability to be innovative without taking risks or playing odd shots. I mean I watched her do what Glenn Turner used to do when the ODI game was first started, looking for areas to score.
He used to chip the.
Ball back over the bowler's head until they found a way of coming out. And she did that perfectly against Northern to get them through to a defendable total. I thought, you know, that is the sort of thinking that you need to be an achiever at the top level, and it comes to her naturally quite clearly.
When I see a medicurve bat, I mean, she's a beautiful batter in the current current parlance. She plays cricket shot, whereas I think some of the some of her colleagues don't quite have that ability and therefore resort to, shall we say, somewhat more funky versions of trying to get runs. But she just has the ability to, as you say, play beautiful shots and then when she needs to she can play the ramp and whatever else. You No, she's some class act one hundred percent.
Yeah.
I think I watched her a little bit in the weekend. It's interesting, Wadds when you look at she started. I don't know how old she was when she started playing for New Zealand. Was twenty sixteen. She can't have been too oixteen. Yeah she started.
Yeah, well, she.
Batted anywhere between ten, number ten and number six at the start. Early on they obviously regarded her as a bowler first and then a batsman.
But she moved up, you know.
In twenty and twenty she went to number five and got runs there, and then number four she got that two hundred and thirty not out against Ireland actually that would help the average. And then she in twenty twenty two she became our number three basically, And I think I agree with Moose in the sense that you know, you generally have your best all round batsman in the side.
At that position.
You handle the new ball if you have to, you lose an early wicket, you handle the powerplay if you're playing ODIs and t twenties. And then when the advantage of the relaxation of the field restriction and the gaps appear, she can take advantage of that playing orthodox cricket shots. And it particularly is obvious to me when she plays in the off side. On the off side, she which
it's a stroke that relies more on body shape. I'm not thinking about a cut, because those those big hitters can play cuts as well, but they can't play drives. The bottom hand comes into play and they heave it through mid on or they even try and go squarer as they you know, they look to supply a lot of power to the stroke and so but she doesn't do that.
She drives.
She drives over the bowler, she drives over the covers, she drives along the ground, she punches.
Off the back foot. She's got all the shots.
That's not to say she's perfect, but you know, she has all the shots, and so she can play the appropriate shot to the ball. That's bold to her and so you see that. You can see it straight away. She's averaging something like forty nine and nod eyes at number three.
So she is our best player and she adapts.
I thought in the weekend she dragged her Wellington team on too.
She dragged them by the scruff of the neck. Come with me to win this.
We got low scores, two low scores, one against Northern and one against Otago, who bowled beautifully, I thought.
But she just dragged them along, said we can win this. We can win a little bit of help from the.
Ossies, a couple of Ossie mates because she plays over there in the Big Bash. But nevertheless, you know she was the one pulling them along, no doubt about that in my mind.
Yeah, and she was needed to.
Of course, I know all sides have injury problems, but Wellington had something like six of their front line first team picks injured. Leek Casperick with a broken thumb, Zara Gently with a broken hand. There's another player I forget to name who has a hand injury, the girl Plimmer.
She's recovering from a legan injury. Yeah, she's away from the team now, so you know it's tough, particularly in the women's game where they don't have quite the depth that might be valuable if the men's side have have an injury. So you know, she's she's certainly a remarkable player, I think, quite clearly the next choice as captain, although you wonder what that will do to her game at the top level, whether she's going to have to take even more responsibility than.
She does now.
But she seems to handle that responsibility with ease, doesn't she.
Oh? She she seems to be have a very calm demeanor. I really like her demeanor. There's a calmness about it, much as Kam Williamson has. There's no panic. And I guess, yeah, defending one one hundred and four runs, well, they had a precedent from the prior year where they defended something like eighty odd runs, And yes, so they wasn't their
first rodeo so to speak. But also I was quite I thought it was great to have a couple of Australians out playing in our our game, you know, exposure to them fantastic and and I wish we could have more of that to a certain extent and now domestic game, but that's another that's another topic of course. But and they did pretty well on my dad and contributed yeah much.
Yeah, well, at some stage we can have that discussion.
Brian Waddell, Jeremy Coney on the front foot.
The Stags and the Blaze, the Dream eleven, the Super Smash champions, the Stags winning for the fourth time and Wellington Blaze going back to back in a competition they've dominated. She can't stay out of the news too long.
Medi Kerr.
She led the Blaze to success in a tight, low scoring match much the same as the elimination final on the Saturday. But she's class and has the knack of making good decisions even if she isn't the dominant individual now wonder she was happy. A great title to secure and.
So so so time to go back to back and to do it defending a load, I mean after twenty overs when you hit to bowl well and just fight like how to win that game. And the character of the team showed not this year but last year as well. It's yeah, I'm so proud of the group. If you told me at the start of the day, I would have taken more than one hundred and five or whatever it was every single day, So I didn't think it was enough, but I believe every minute that we could
win that game. And with run rate pressure and with taking wickets, we stayed in the fight. I'd love to play a fine and where we make it easier for ourselves.
But yeah, it's very special.
Yeah, I think first and foremost it's about winning the power play. There's two fielders out they can take the game on and just set the tone with five dots to start and just keeping on building pressure. And then Hannah Darlington was exceptional today to take four in a final. The wickets she got were massive and I think every bowler stepped up and played their role. Yeah, I'm so proud. I think nothing's faced us this year. We have two
new coaches at the start of the campaign. They've been exceptional, so calm, and they've helped this group massively in a short space of time. And then to lose a lot of key players for us and to turn up today and for the whole comp with injured players that are on the sideline and to believe every single day is the most most important thing. And that's what I'm most proud of.
And the coach you referred to as Johnny Bassett Graham, who was coach of the under nineteen men's team and he joined the Blaze midway through this season. At the twenty twenty competition.
Two pretty fantastic games of cricket. Though, so very proud of the effort.
The women had to play it pretty hard last year and it was as close as last year's contest as well this year's wasn't it.
Yeah, very much so. I guess I had the fortune of watching that game at home last year. But really cool to see how, I guess the character of this team. They never say die, attitude, the fight to the end, and I guess just a yeah makes up then come from a pretty tough situations. Yeah, a really cool moment for us.
Yeah.
Character is important too for this team this year in particular because you had to do it the hard way. Every side gets troubled by injuries, but you had a fair feast of.
Them, didn't you.
Yeah, we did, and pretty pretty big players for their scroup in terms of what they add to the team and the individual performances, so you're obviously big losses and yeah, I guess it does show the character and the fight of this team how they were able to do it.
You're new to coaching the side, what was the key to you in terms of coming to grips with coaching this team that has a proud record in this competition too.
Yeah, I think I've made a pretty conscious effort remind the whole team that it's their success that they've had along the way to get here. It's, you know, a slight change and coaching set up shouldn't really impact that. It's very much just keeping on the recipe that they had that's been so successful over the years. And I guess just trying to keep them mie and calm, level headed and remind them that the game the players there to be enjoyed, so we've tried to just keep mice
and relaxed and enjoyable. I guess, how did you feel with just one hundred and five on the board trying to defend that you would have loved a little bit more to defend for sure. I guess I was really confident in our ability in the field, and I guess the ballers across the board have the ability to squeeze or take wickets at different stages, so you're always hopeful.
So I suppose you're also fortunate you have a world class player leading the side as well, and that makes a big difference in any team. I know she's only one person and the team make the performances, but it's nice to have that as your lead.
Wasn't it.
Yeah, she's a fantastic person first and foremost. How she's led this side as and truly awesome just to watch and be a part of. She's got a great cricket
brain on her. We know how skillful she can be, and I guess, yeah, in big moments she's she's won in the ball in particular, and then it's just capable of opening the game up and turning turning a game on its head, I guess, which I think she did twice yesterday in the elimination final and then again today's sort of put us in a much better position.
Yeah, because I guess she must have looked at Otago and thought, well, you know they've being the front runners and they have a pretty good.
Sigh Yeah too, right, and you know they beat us twice in the sort of pool play well round robin stages, and yeah, it's always going to be a tough game against them one and they've got a lot of depth. They're Buddy WAF coached by Craig and yeah, just happy to be on the.
End of a w there in the country.
To my belief, Central Districts overpowered the black Cap Riddle at Canterbury Kings with Will Young showing the skills and resilience to withstand the powerful Cannedy bowling attack.
Yeah, awesome to be here today. Finish, finish, top of the table, go straight through the final and hold our nerve against a really quality Cannibory side. I can't wait to get into the sheds shortly with the boys and celebrate.
Yeah, the top of the table.
As you say, in terms of qualifying, what's the reason for the success of the side this year? Because it's a difficult comp isn't it It is?
Yeah, you know, anything can happen in TI twenty cricket. But one thing we did say early in the comp, off the back of some competitions, but we've sort of been slow starters. We said, look, let's let's take every game as if it's a final. It's an opportunity to showcase our skills and and and play with a smile on our face. And that's something that we've or a bit of a mantra really that we've we've had in this group. And I suppose we showed up to the
basin today and it was business as usual. Another final, another opportunity to do just that, to show what we can do and and smile and represent Central dis priet.
People have a chance to assess how strong the competition was this year. Was the quality what you would have expected from TEA twenty Yeah.
I think I've always thought that Super Smash is of a really high quality. I mean, you just saw today the amount of black Caps that were in the final. It was awesome to see. And and there's black Caps right throughout right throughout the Supersmash teams. There's obviously a bit of a juggling act with the international calendar and guys, you know, wanting to rest and make sure that they're fully prepared and ready to go and called upon for
black Caps duty. But I think it's awesome that the guys come back and pay for their play for their domestic sides as well.
Yeah, towards the end with the international players and it showed the value that they can bring.
You know, you're gonna cook Canterbury. They had an international bowling attack. They short. Yeah.
Yeah, at one stage Henry Shipley was on the sidelines. Has obviously paid for New Zealand. So it's a hell of a bowling attack. And as you say, like other black Caps like Darrell Mitchell came in and you know, that cool head and the a man for a crisis. I guess you could say, you know, he really got really helped put Cannibury on a roll and gain some momentum and they went from bottom of the table to the finals. It's amazing how quickly it can happen. So yeah,
fair play to them. They had some real wind in their sails heading into this final, so it was awesome to put a stop to that and yeah finish on top.
Yeah, you and Dane Flema looked to you had some inventum and some desire to win absolutely.
Yeah.
Yeah, played with Dame for a hell of a long time now, so it was awesome to share a partnership with him in the middle and get us off to a good start at the top.
So now you're off to the international scene again, way overseas. You don't get time of a rest after this one, no, no.
Just quick insight. So I get back to ap just after ten tomorrow and then I'm back at the airport at three o'clock to fly to or start the journey to Pakistan. So yeah, yeah, just answer the next thing, and yeah, Pakistan will be a really interesting challenge. We've got to try series first up with South Africa, US and Pakistan, and then Champions Trophy will come around real quick. And that's the top best best eche sides in the world, so it's a really exciting prospect.
And subcontinent teams in conditions that they know and enjoy, that's right.
And we've got all subcontinent teams on our side of the pool, so there's no easy games and there's no easy beat so we're going to have to hit the ground running over there. But as I said before, it's really exciting and I can't wait to get over there and get stuck in.
Thanks few time, going still rate with you, miheah, Thanks very much, Frie.
Yeah, interesting point you made earlier Moose about the Australian women being part of the New Zealand competition. I think you're right in terms of the women's game, they certainly need overseas experience and that kind of quality just around the dressing room and being able to help their players, because we've got a lot of work to do with
our women's game to bring it along. And add to that point the fact that in the final Canterbury had the US bowling attack, you know, five impressive, irresistible bowlers who demolished Northern districts in the elimination semi final, but were handled well by Dame Cleaver and by will Young. But that lifts the quality of your game and your competition, doesn't it.
I don't think there's any question about that. And and I wanted to to to touch on the fact that there was some discussion on the television about that the Wicked where he wasn't he was too paced as they often say and such like. But but then when you when you when you watched Young and Dame Cleaver in my god, that now there's there is an underrated player, isn't it? Together with their captain Bruce two very fine players. But coming back to it, the way that Young in
particular just says what a class act he is. Just play beautifully handled a very very good attack from Canterbury with a plum and I'm very measured and they won up with ease, didn't they fantastic because it's a lot of unheld and young players in that CD team, and you know, there's a lot about what they've done in this system and how they brought young players on. I know,
I actually enjoyed that. I really did enjoyed seeing them win too, and comprehensively young though, very very good, isn't it.
Yeah, look, I agree with the youth policies that they seem to have chosen.
I mean, boil the young opener.
Clark, I didn't know much about who came in towards the end and played some beautiful couple of beautiful drives or Heathy was it might have been Heathe? Yeah, Heathey sure came and bowled his offices. I thought that was I mean, it's really I think it's great that we're seeing some of these junsters coming in and they're obviously reasonable quality players. And so even despite the fact that Young and Kleaver are a little older, and you know,
Cleaver hit it very cleanly, didn't he. He picked up the links early on and attacked and looked to take the quicks on. Young just played a measured, anchored innings as we know that he can, and that helped when you're chasing.
You don't want to lose early wickets.
When you're chasing a low total, you put yourself under pressure. You stick or twist. Sometimes you don't know whether to attack or how to play, but he did so. I was pleased that they also bowled pretty well. I thought on that pitch, you know, using the slower bouncer and things like that, that that claimed wickets, getting men caught a deep third man and that sort of stuff. So well done to CD, I thought Kenton. They were certainly
surely a batsman light You can't. You cannot select a side that has o'rour, Jamison, Henry and then Shipley and folks.
You can't. You can't have.
Five seamers and then have Sody in there as well as sixth bowler. A seventh bowler is Maconchie and then you could use Mitchell for a couple of overs. They just got too many bowlers, so that really is a mistake by Canterbury.
I think.
They needed another batsman in there, and so it was costing, not the first day, what it does when you get all those bowlers, and especially in the semi final. I
just thought it made the toss too important. You win the toss and bowl of those bowlers and they what were they fought five down for seven runs Northern I think something, yeah, So I mean it was it was that ruins the ga actually unfortunately, but in the second day it was very different, very different bowl and second defending a modest total pitch a different color.
Green had gone and instead of.
Gray cloud, topious gray cloud on the Saturday, suddenly there was a vast sweep of blue Great Wellington Day.
And so of course it.
Was a time not to use all those You couldn't pick Shipley and folks together.
They had to have a batsman.
Yes, that was probably one era where they made a mistake. As such, while we're talking about players and those players you mentioned from Central Moose that they've got to be seen at higher honors at some stage. But also the Canterbury Boil he was launched a little bit in the final, but he the left hander, is a powerful, clean striker of the ball as well, and I liked the look of the way he plays at the top level.
They've canob we've certainly had a habit of producing a lot of very fine players. But but but but I think as we've touched on and when we've known that about Kenneby, and I agree with you about Boyle because isn't his brother also playing in c D. Yeah, yep, sons of one Justin Boyle. He also a Wellington to fire recall and pretty useful player his own right. But but I I I think that what it was, what's in what I've enjoyed about the supers messages, and I
see it's also a greater interest from the public. Perhaps it's because it's free to be here. It's been covered on one of the sports station a lot more than had previously. But what I'm also seeing is the emergence of young players. You know, the couple we haven't mentioned as the left arm from c D Lynux very the young young quicker I think his name's Finley or we've got three very important wickets. Yeah, that's that's the final.
Well you and if you went around other teams, there be other players there and I'm starting to see emerging level of death. Now can they go on to the national level? Who knows, But I'm rather buoyed by that from what I see around and say, some very very good players. I just would I don't think THO were in the current selection policies of how New Zealand cricket operate. Whether there's much root for them because it's harder to get out in so to speak, isn't it?
But it may help the New Zealand game. I don't know, but it's certainly something that we need to investigate. As I say, the season's over, I'm just going to deliver a bouncer.
It's time on the front foot.
Here he goes.
The bouncer.
You're not allowed to do it in Tea twenty cricket, but I'm going to deliver a bouncer.
It's all over.
I won't miss the excessive celebrations that greet every wicket taken and anything that is worthy of just a normal ovation. And I won't miss the nonsensical, banal player interviews during play that add nothing apart from the fact they breathe heavily into the microphone because they're stressed, and they frankly add less than nothing to the tedious play by play exchangers dodge that bounce up.
Well, well I'm going to agree with that. Not often you and I do, you know, feel so happy, happy towards each other, Brian. I just I just feel I think that this whole drive towards getting closer and closer to the game that comes from the broadcasters, and they always are trying to put the people and viewers as if they're players, and that's not possible unless you climb the fence and put some whites on and you selected.
You know, it's it said, drive that, and you.
Don't really learn too much, You're quite right, you just you just hear the usual sorts of things that the occasional one who is going to tell you about the game, then that's quite illuminating. But therefore you have to select that player very carefully, and.
I don't think they do.
I'm sure the players just look at it as upon it, you know, as oh you do it, I don't want to do it, and no, I don't want to do that, and and and so you give it, perhaps, you know, to someone who I don't know whatever the reason is. But I did see one that worked, and it was a bowler in England left arm quick and he was on the mic at the same time he was bowling, and he said, now I'm going to bowl this one here.
I'm going to bowl us such and such and see because of so and so and I'm going to change my field and he popped it around there, and you give you became quite involved in the whole thing, but he was actually bowling at the time, you know. So that's different than speaking to someone way on the boundary who's getting feeling a bit cold.
Well, and on that topic. The reason why I think we're subjected to it is because there have been examples of that, and I recall one in the Big Bash when one s k Warn was bowling to McCallum and said what he was going to bowl and truly did And of course Shane Wold was not only he was a phenomenal brigadar, but was actually pretty useful broadcaster, and he said, I'm going to bowl this when I'm gonna bowl that one, and then probably did and knocked him over.
McCallum there was and that that was just fabulous stuff. But unfortunately you can't always repeat.
That on the front foot with Waddle and Cony.
Let's just finish up with well I slap on the face for the oz Pat Cummens men have somehow missed out on a place in the Wisden Test Team of the Year and it's created a lot of controversy. Our old friend Jim Maxwell made a comment that got himself into a bit of trouble with the Wisdom editor. Jim said they are baz bullshitted, that's what he call them. They need to play hard o versus this Ossie team,
and that I think that's typical of Jim. But the team is Jaswell, Duckett, Williamson, Root, Brook, Mendus, Jamie Smith, the keeper, Jadajia Atkinson, Henry and Boomera. Now to a certain extent, you know, all have a claim to a place, but not to have an Australian or a South African in consideration, to my mind, defies the purpose. Is it all done just by stats?
Clearly? Yeah, any other just there can't be any other basis for that.
Yes, if you pick a side on averages alone, then it's the players in the teams that play most games, particularly at home, or you're playing opposition that are weaker sides, or you're playing both of those things weaker sides at home, and then you what you get in the end is just spurious teams. This side, for me, it only has four bowlers. You know. The backup to the bowlers are Roots and Brook and commandumendous, well command do menace is only bowl He bowls left arm spin. He's only bowled
seventeen overs and tests. Brookers are sort of a slow medium bowler. It hardly bowls. And we know what Root bowls as well. You know they're going to rely a hell of a lot on Judasia. They've chosen the Aussie way with the lion you see as the fourth bowler, and they've chosen Judasia to do that job.
That's okay when you're on turning.
Tracks, but then you know, do you need three seemas if that's the case if you're on a turning track? And what about if you're playing in Aussie on New Zealand, South Africa or England and he gets through is over so quickly the seemas don't even get a rest from bowling. So that seems that seems a very weird kind of idea to me. Is Smith the best keeper? Jamie Smith? He's only played nine Tests. He played three against the
West Indies in England. He played three against Sri Lanka in England, not really having any threatening bowling, you know, opening bowl he opened the batting. Those two sides had no warm up games to speak of. And then he played three against Pakistan, he missed out when England got eight hundred and thirty remember they got that or something like that. And then he played against the two spinning
tracks and he didn't get many runs there. So I'm not sure whether he can say yet that he can be judged as the Test.
Keeper of the year.
What about Punt who missed a few Tests because of his injuries, he still got thirty dismissals and averaged thirty six as a keeper care He got forty six dismissals in nine matches, got four hundred and fifty runs at thirty three. What about Rizwan twenty two dismissals from seven matches, five hundred and thirty nine runs. If you want the batsman averaging forty four, there are other players they could have looked at.
I don't know how you can have a team which doesn't have Commons Indoor hazel Wood when informed Hasard have been injury prone these days and you've got I mean, I know Henry's got great a lot of wickets, but I think I'm picking Hazelwood over Henry, and I'm certainly picking Commons over Atkinson all day, every day.
And how do you what about Roba?
Well absolutely absolutely, you know wow, Yeah, that that then becomes a real attack, doesn't it. You put Ravarda in there, and and and the other two. I'm afraid our boy probably has to miss out as do Zatkinson. But I don't I don't get the number two two opening better in the world.
Well, that's correct, not Ducket either. Duckett there's a middle order player transformed into an opener. He doesn't let the ball go. No, who's heard of an opener who doesn't let the ball go? Anyway?
The new idea, Yeah, interesting talking point, and it's something that we can probably we might try and get hold of Jimmy Maxwell and see if we can get his view on it at some stage. Might be something worth doing. Jury we haven't crossed Gym for a while.
Yeah.
No, we'll have a credit with him and also invite the Wisdom the guy the selector on as well.
The Wisdom editor.
Yeah, we'll get him in as well.
Yeah, so that'd be good.
Yeah, yeah, thanks guys.
Having a year to here, I'm sure that we've all settled into another month and we've got well, we've still had an international competition coming up this week. We've got the trip to Pakistan and the Champions Trophy. Pakistan are coming out here and we've got Ford Trophy and the hb J to look forward to. I'll see if I can find another bouncer with a new ball for next week. I'm sure we can create some interest in Thanks Motion Talk again.
Thank you too, Jerry, Thanks Mos, Yeah, cheers mate.
You guys mine out well.
Wonderful summart do
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