Bring on the Calypso Kings - Windies Downunder (And Basin Stats.)

Seems to be a recurring theme these days, Windies on our shores before Christmas. Well seems that way, in reality it's not the case.  With the first test on 1st Dec and 2nd on 9th Dec, plenty for both teams to chase.

So what of this series?  2 tests, 3 ODI's and 3 T20's (which is also the format for the England series in March) is enough for the cricketing purist yes??

Well this is the first time the Windies have played a test in Basin Reserve since 2013, and before that in 2006.  Both times Blackcaps won by a goodly margin. Fair to say back then the Windies were a fractured team and we won't know how they will fare this time there.

If one were to go back in history of Windies teams at The Basin we'd find the test results are even. 7 Windies tests,-  3 won, 4 lost and 2 draws.

In the last 20 tests at The Basin overall, we (Blackcaps) have won 6, lost 8, drawn 6.

There have been 60 tests in all at The Basin - 17 won by us, 26 drawn, and 17 lost.

So what of this West Indies team? As stated earlier, they have been fractured and were sliding down the rankings in all forms.  But over the past 18 months there appears to be a resurgence in the Calypso Kings with some talent starting to shine.  And they played test cricket in August. something the Blackcaps can't attest to doing. I'm thinking this tour will be a watershed for them.  And for us!!

Yes what about us?  Last test cricket was in March so we will go into this series very much underdone.  And if we lose any of the two tests our ranking is likely to slide (Currently at 4, WI 8) and  even more so if series loss (be nice to stay ahead on Australia in test rankings)  I'm picking a drawn series, one test each.

The pajama stuff I don't usually follow too much, but if the Windies come to play, I'll certainly come to watch.

After the Blackcaps finish their T20 duties on the sub-continent I'll add my teams for he three forms of the game to play the Windies (After perusing the Plunket Shield games. There is very much an open palette for all three forms.

Latest Rankings, some slots to play for.'

ICC Test Rankings.
10 October 2017 Team	Matches	Points	Rating
India	36	4493	125
South Africa	34	3767	111
England	43	4497	105
New Zealand	32	3114	97
Australia	34	3294	97
Sri Lanka	39	3658	94
Pakistan	34	2988	88
West Indies	30	2260	75
Bangladesh	23	1651	72
Zimbabwe	10	0	0
ICC ODI Championship
29 October 2017 Team	Matches	Points	Rating
South Africa	53	6386	120
India	53	6379	120
Australia	52	5948	114
England	54	6156	114
New Zealand	49	5432	111
Pakistan	46	4560	99
Bangladesh	34	3114	92
Sri Lanka	64	5322	83
West Indies	40	3077	77
Afghanistan	30	1618	54
Zimbabwe	41	2129	52
Ireland	25	1028	41
ICC Twenty20 Championship
29 October 2017 Team	Matches	Points	Rating
New Zealand	13	1625	125
Pakistan	23	2843	124
West Indies	20	2395	120
England	17	2029	119
India	22	2545	116
South Africa	20	2238	112
Australia	15	1665	111
Sri Lanka	24	2177	91
Afghanistan	25	2157	86
Bangladesh	17	1289	76
Scotland	11	737	67
Zimbabwe	13	842	65
UAE	16	827	52
Netherlands	9	441	49
Hong Kong	13	599	46
PNG	6	235	39
Oman	9	345	38
Ireland	15	534	36

New Zealand cricket 2017/18 - international and domestic.

Yeah I know, it's almost upon us, well the domestic stuff is.  Remembering last seasons winners:

Plunket Shield - Canterbury
Ford Trophy - Canterbury
Super Smash - Wellington Firebirds.

Fair to say it's going to be a funny season, not funny as in Hahaha funny - no "the format and draws" funny.  And to confuse things even further, the International fixtures have the Blackcaps playing India away in October/November, West Indies in December/January, Pakistan for ODI's in January, a T20 tri series in Australia and back to home versus England.

The staggering thing for the coming series, 4 tests (WI and Eng 2 each) and 16 ODI's (not to mention 12 or so T20's) which sort of means that Blackcaps are out of domestic cricket for most of the season, maybe only playing domestic stuff after England.

It is good though we have plenty cricket, International and Domestic.  I'm wondering why former powerhouse in International cricket is once again relegated to December.  The West Indies need good cricket in good cricketing conditions and a little warmer in the summer sun.  And Pakistan seem to be perennially fixed with the shorter form of the game here in January.

The internationals pretty much take care of themselves. So what of the next level down??

Starting with the premier trophy - The Plunket Shield.  Starts on 23 October and plays through to 24th November and resumes on March 4th and goes through to 5th April 2018.  I seem to recall some marquee long serving stalwarts retired at end of last 2016/17 season and with a huge international schedule, it's important going ahead to cater for injuries and cover, so plenty for the domestic boys  to look forward to.

The Ford Trophy (3rd December to 24th February) is enticing this season (and Supersmash 13th  December  to 14th January 2018) so a must viewing that domestic line up.  Be good for selectors too to bring in fostered talent and give them a chance to shine (no pressure).

My biggest disappointment is that lack of a 3rd test?  If we can share with other teams then why not here?? And how did the Day/Night test impact on the draw for those tests??

Roll on Team Blackcaps, will be with you (and my Central Stags) all the way!!

Times, they are a-changing - Thoughts on the West Indies

Since their inclusion in the senior ranks of International Test cricket, then ODI's and finally T20's, the Caribbean has supplied a team (or teams) that largely were very competitive and until 1992 won or drew more matches than they lost.  The player to left epitomised the success his teams enjoyed.  One look at the match results at Cricinfo show that that initial period was full of creditable performances.

One could, right through their history, name great players that performed and inspired, until recently. Looking back at that result sheet, which included Tests, ODI's and T20's one could see a leveling off of results.  It's not a sudden demise. From 1993 onward shows a sudden downturn in wins across all formats, though with the occasional success here and there.  But what is this sudden downturn aligned to?

Throughout the 1960's, 70's and 80's the Windies were in the top echelon of Test and ODI cricket.  Players were household names.  And for very good reason.  They lead by example and were the epitome of hard uncompromising players, on and off the field. And they had a cricketing conveyor belt. Someone retires or is not picked and there is a champion player to step in.

But alas, times changed as did the demographic in Caribbean sports and culture.  Believe it or not, the 1993 motion picture, Cool Runnings, signifies a change in sporting talent direction, showing how other sports were fighting for the athletes that always previously chose cricket.  An upsurge of Basketball and Athletics from early 80's, saw a downturn in talented junior cricketers progressing into senior international cricket.  Or if picked and not nurtured they were walking away from the sport and going elsewhere.  A lot of the downturn in talented cricketers was also attributed to poor administration and displayed also in the state of their main cricketing venues.

So what of that coincidence between Cool Runnings and downturn of WI cricket?  Well all is not lost.  The records showed that WI have continued to excel at T20 and they win when they play Zimbabwe and Bangladesh (both regularly home and away)  But with that movie, as stated, the emphasis on sporting pedigree shifted.  Cricket had adversaries.  Usain Bolt enshrines the DNA that has gone on before.  WI athletes know they have the genes to put themselves out for 10 or 20 seconds and earn greater glory and $$$.  Quicker and less stressful than a five day cricket test.  The USA NBA and NFL want speed and guile and in Caribbean athletes they get them.

Simply put, a group of islands that survived on 100+ years of cricket all year round, now had viable competition.  And it's struggling.  In the past 10 years there have been instances where facilities and grounds have been woefully inadequate.  To me, a sign that administration is struggling.  And the ICC knew about the issues and seemingly failed to step in. Then more recently, the players took a stand for themselves and stopped an ICC sanctioned tour to India over a pay issue.  Another indication WI cricket was in disheveled state.  And of course, when mothership is not functioning well, the crew show their sadder side.  And players come and go as administration fails to come to grips with selections and poor man management. The Performance drops even further.  The stark reality is if this state continues, then the only outcome will WI becoming an affiliate nation.

So what is the best fix for their current issues. A few things really.  Players have to allow wages that their board can play, let admin pay and organise, players play and smile.  Both have to bite the bullet on all accounts.  The cricketing world needs to help too.  Assisting with ground preparation and upkeep, and buddying up with administration.  Initially I wanted ICC to step in and bolster the management and finance sides, but if they do that then any cricket nation will have the rights to the same assistance.

In summary, WI cricket is skating on thin ice.   It is sinking into the cracks left by other sporting options. And you can't changed demographics that change a sporting landscape.  It's a sad thing yes, I love watching the likes of Big Bird, Master Blaster, Sir Garfield, Gayle, Richardson, Ambrose and all.  What the cricketing world needs to do is help WI cricket bring new names into the forefront for the good reasons.

Tale of the Tape - Test cricket series results from May 2013 to June 2015 inclusive.

Just a little exercise in boredom. Results tabulated in Latest Test Ranking Order.  These results cover two years from May 2013 to June 2015 inclusive.

South Africa
Played 6  Won 4 Lost 1 Drawn 1

Australia
Played 5  Won 3 Lost 2

India
Played 5  Won 1 Lost 4

New Zealand
Played 7  Won 3, Lost 1, Drawn 3.

England
Played 6  Won 3 Lost 2  Drawn 1

Pakistan
Played 7  Won 2  Lost 1  Drawn 4

Sri Lanka
Played 6  Won 3  Lost 2  Drawn 1

West Indies
Played 6  Won 1  Lost 4  Drawn 1

Just goes to show the current ranking format is shit!!  India ahead of NZ, England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka??

Editted to Add:

If one was to apportion points for series results (3 for series win, 1 for series draw) and individual test results (2 for Test win, 1 for Test draw) for the past two years as quoted above this is how the teams would stack up in order:

Series Points Individual Tests Points Total for Ranking New Zealand 12 23 35 Australia 9 22 31 England 10 19 29 South Africa 13 14 27 Pakistan 10 16 26 Sri Lanka 10 10 20 West Indies 4 11 15 India 3 11 14

Digesting the finalists - Cricket World Cup 2015

It's fast drawing on finals times and so far the table looks set in stone.  Well almost!  Pool B top four is not clear cut.  Windies will beat UAE in their final match and end up on 6 point, same as Ireland and Pakistan.Temporarily they will fill 4th spot on NRR until the Ireland and Pakistan match is played.  And here is the rub of the green.  If Pakistan beat Ireland and Irelands NRR worsens, the Windies go through (as they will improve their NRR vs UAE one suspects.)  So the likely Pool matchups are this after some crystal ball gazing and interpretations:

Pool A
New Zealand Should end on 12 points but could be on 10 - 1st
Australia  Should beat Scotland and progress to 9 points - 2nd
Sri Lanka who will end on 8 points - 3rd or 4th
Bangladesh - now here's the rub of the green, if they beat New Zealand then they move into 3rd on 9 points behind Australia on NRR. Probably 4th.

Pool B
India - Should beat Zimbabwe and top the group. 1st
South Africa should beat UAE and finish 2nd on 8 points
Pakistan should conquer Ireland and end up 3rd on 8 points and weaker NRR than SA
West Indies should knock Ireland out on NRR which is strange as Ireland beat West Indies in Pool play and probably have a stronger case to go through.

So Quarterfinals matchups.

New Zealand vs West Indies  New Zealand are the form team with India in this Cup, but against a resurgent West Indies will have to be on their A game.  The Windies does have some class, but across the board they appear a little fragile.  Win Rating NZ 80% WI 20%

Australia vs Pakistan - On paper the Australians should prove too strong but what is well known, given a chance to upset, Pakistan will and they have the firepower to do so, as long as their top order fires and helps the team cause.  Win Rating  Aus 65%  Pakistan 35%

India vs Bangladesh - really, no contest and this game will serve as a warning to all other teams in the finals.  Win Rating  India 100%  Bangladesh 0%

South Africa vs Sri Lanka  The Big Game!!  These two sides are excitement machines and it would be a shame one doesn't make it to semis or final.  So where will a win come from.  Both have formidable batting lineups and a strong bowling cadre.  The key is how Malinga goes.  If he doesn't take wickets then South Africa are ahead on points.  Win Rating  SA 55%  SL 45%

Old Age Catching Up with Some Teams

The New Age of Test Cricket

The key indicator as to how a test team is doing is by its results.  And generally teams that have had steady selections and have played together for many years are the ones that have good results, a majority of the time.  Case in point is the current Australian Team.  Apart from that Ashes Blip and the loss of some key players over a staggered time-frame, they have been near nigh unbeatable. But is their star about to wane?

Yes I got to wondering, what does age mean to a team, more importantly a winning team?  So I did some delving and decided to analyse all the ages of the top 8 teams in world Test Cricket (Based on the teams last test line up) and the results tend to suggest older teams get better results and you’d expect that, with one exception.  See if you can spot it?

Country                                Average Age                      Last Five Test Results

Pakistan                                          31                                           2W,2L,1D

Australia                                         30                                           4W,1L

Sri Lanka                                        30                                           3W,1L,1D

West Indies                                     29                                           4L,1D

South Africa                                    29                                           2W,2L,1D

England                                           28                                           5L

India                                                28                                           1W,2L,2D

New Zealand                                   26                                           3W,2D

Yes you see it too, a team that is very young (the age weighted up with Fulton and Taylor) and playing

winning cricket.  But it asks a question of the teams at the top of that age ranking.  How long will the top three go before they are forced to inject youth to replace the old guard?  Australia, especially the likes of Harris and Johnson, will be one that shouldn't be too affected by player replacement as they have a good domestic competition that breeds replacements.  Historically they inject, adapt and show promise pretty quickly.  But will they have the same competitiveness we expect from that team in two years’ time?

And that’s the point of this article.  Two years from now??  How many teams are in rebuilding mode as we speak?  New Zealand has injected youth over the past few years (7 players 25 years and under) and that team is now showing promise.  The West Indies too are a team playing the selection game but fair to say their test results don’t reflect just yet?  Teams like Sri Lanka and Pakistan will soon need to start shedding that old guard so in two years’ time expect them both to be struggling a little for a time.  South Africa, India and England are at crossroads.  Retirements, selection quandaries, and just poor play are crippling them.  All teams are (or were) littered with older players and they just aren’t making things happen.  Seniority should mean general good form and at times they do show it, but not enough.

I guess one could quite easily dismiss this study.  Results will vary, home and away competitions tend to do that, but my bet come 2016 there will be some very real surprises in world cricket.

A Year Out from the CWC 2015 - Who is in the Frame

A Year Out from the CWC 2015 - Who is in the Frame

One Day Cricket, often lately as seen the lesser light of the three forms by cricketing pundits, is resurgent.  It's unfair to say the players don't like it as judging by recent matches, there is plenty to play for and series haven't been cut and dry nor dominated by one side, except perhaps the New Zealand versus India home series just completed and Aussie over England.

Teams do love the game, it's generally close and generally well followed by the spectators. Last year, especially in New Zealand, there had been calls from the cricketing public to just play Tests and T20, but to be fair that was by a public that was following a team that couldn't compete too well.  The recent series wins by New Zealand away to South Africa and England started to change some minds, then the good performances at home to West Indies and India, coupled with the launch of the CWC 2015 has seen those detractors diminish and more folks going to games and being in a positive frame.

So what of the Cricket World Cup.  Who will be the teams to watch?  Well it's a year away yet and to be fair there are some critical series to be played out this year.  I'm going to analyse the teams and will firstly highlight those cricketing nations that are causing all the ructions in world cricket with their stance on controlling the game.

Australia.  Currently Number One in the rankings and with a comprehensive 4-1 defeat over England at home suggests they will be in the mix next year.  But their 3-2 loss earlier last year in India suggests on their day they could be fragile, but on home soil clear favourites.  However I do think come semi's they'll fold.

India.  Currently Number Two.  With a series win over Aussie last year, and a win over Windies at home too, they looked the goods, but away losses to South Africa and New Zealand must have dented their chances, and with recent losses to Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup, they may be struggling.  They are a young new team with some old heads, but they need to pull some more consistency out of the bag, especially away, to be a threat at CWC 2015.

England.  With series losses in 2013 to New Zealand and Australia at home, then a 4-1 thumping away to Australia, England are struggling.  They are still rebuilding to some extent and at time of writing have managed to square their ODI series in the Caribbean after two matches.  In a years’ time, maybe a semi-finalist come CWC 2015, but have to improve markedly.

And now the teams biting at the top three’s heels.

Sri Lanka are a dark horse in the equation.  Perennially a top five ODI team, they do have the fire power to win matches, though they do tend to rely heavily on Kumar Sangakkara, Lasith Malinga, and spin.  If they appear at CWC 2015 without one or two of those three they'll be in the mix but not rated a chance. The key to this supposition is their recent loss to Pakistan 3-2 at home.

South Africa are also a dark horse.  They do alright at home but also have issues playing away and with CWC 2015 being an away tournament they may find themselves on the losing end more often than not.  They do have a good well balanced unit so in with a chance but they'll need a lot going for them.

West Indies are another to watch.  They seem to be a team that one day plays very well, the next playing like dogs.  They recently drew the series versus New Zealand, and currently share the series with England.  The Calypso kings on their day could be world beaters, but realistically they may end up also-rans.  Mind you, in the past few months they have been a young team playing on the back of key players out injured.  They have a year to get it right.  Can they?

Pakistan to me are the form team in world ODI cricket.  They win the tight ones.  They win away (naturally they can’t play at home).  They play a good 50 over game, across the park.  Well balanced, well captained, playing well.  I'm sticking my neck out here, but I'm going to say they will be in the final of next year’s CWC 2015.

New Zealand.  The other finalist.  I think the key to how both Pakistan and New Zealand are going is New Zealand's series coming up in UAE in November.  This series to me will be the defining moment for both teams and a momentum swing leading into CWC2015.  New Zealand in the last year have won three ODI series (2 away), drawn 2 (1 away 1 home) and lost a series in Bangladesh, a blip on the radar (and a different team now).  Playing the CWC games at home will be a fillip, thinking back to 1992, and they should ride a wave of support and parochialism.

Of the rest, Bangladesh will provide nuisance factor, winning the odd one or two, yes they should be buoyed with their series whitewash of a weakened New Zealand team last year, but as can be seen in the Asia Cup, against the top teams, and even on their home soil, they are out of their depth.  Afghanistan will also be a fun team to watch, winning their match versus Bangladesh quite comprehensively means they too will surprise in some games. Ireland, Scotland, United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe will be there to make up numbers.

Blackcaps Team to tour West Indies and Pakistan (UAE)

Fair to say you don't change a winning team.  But how about "tweaking" a winning team?  Judging by recent tests and ODI's we've found a winning formula so you'd expect there to be little or no changes to the touring teams.

I think the ODI/T20 teams will remain standard as is format.  But what about the tests?  Well how much better could they be?  Two key areas definitely do need some work.  I'll firstly concentrate on the top order, in particular the openers.  It's utterly fair to say they are not doing their job.  Of the two, Hamish Rutherford is a work in progress and will be retained.  I think in the West Indies he'll find the tracks to his liking.  I personally don’t expect a 50 every time he bats, but if he can convert his starts to a 40 or 50 every four innings he'll be there for a little longer.

Peter Fulton on the other hand is on shaky ground.  Sure his two centuries against England last year are keeping him in the team, but if we want to advance in world cricket (and the standings) he has to deliver some results in the West Indies.  If not, he'll be replaced.  It's an opportunity for NZC to develop the team should he fail for the future.  So that rules Flynn, Papps, Redmond and Guptill out and leaves the star of this summer of Plunket Shield and one test cricketing opener Tom Latham in the frame.

I'm not asking big things from either Rutherford or Latham as a viable top order partnership.  If they can manufacture 40 - 50 runs as a partnership it takes a little pressure off the remainder to follow.  If one or both fire, then all the better.

The other key area is obviously the spinning option.  Ish Sodhi is the incumbent, and still a work in progress.  He has to go for both tours and will probably find himself in work at both venues.  But if he fails to make a mark in the game at the top level??  So who is there biting at his heels?  There are a number of options.  The first is the possibility Todd Astle could make an appearance.  Or getting Nathan McCullum transplanted from ODI/T20.  He may not be a wicket taker, but can tie up an end.  The only question is can he bowl 40+ overs in an innings (if needed to)?  There are no other apparent successors.

So with that in mind, the Test Team for both tours.  15 Man sqaud.

Fulton

Rutherford

Williamson

Taylor

McCullum

Anderson

Watling

Sodhi

Southee

Wagner

Boult

Latham (to cover 1,2,3)

Brownlie (Cover 3,4,5)

Neesham (Cover Fourth Seamer/Allrounder)

Milne  (Cover Pace Bowling)

New Zealand cricket currently has a dearth of riches to choose from, but for those riches to come through the current 11 need to be playing poorly.  My own observation is that that’s not going to happen in the near future.  There is balance, there is form, there is belief.  And this team is a winning team.  Tweak at your peril.