a very good win to the Black Caps in a must win game for them.
Given the known conditions of the pitch (that it slows down as the game progresses), I was surprised that Hooper elected to field first, especially when NZ is so good at slowing the pace of the game down & restricting the opposition by strangling them for runs!!! After the WIndies batting V SA I would have thought they should have gone in to bat and said "catch us if you can", as the Kiwi's failed miserably V SL trying to do so. :duh:
I thought that the NZ total was a good 30 odd runs short of what it should have been, even allowing for the Astle dismissal, as most of them got a start - 5 scores of 20+. The loss of 5 WI wickets for 13 runs was the winning / loosing of the match. Even tho' the Kiwis had 2 mini collapses of their own they were able to regroup each time and hit out at the end of their innings. Sarwan & Jacobs added some respectability to the WI total, but I never got the feeling they would be there at the death, & the WI tail was never going to threaten the total once the asking rate got up over 7 per over.
I hope that the Vettori opening experiment is a one off, otherwise this is a clear signal to everyone that the Kiwi batting lineup is in very big trouble & the selectors have got their squad wrong (as I have been saying for some time)!!!!
I was dumbfounded when I saw that McMillan had been dropped & that Sinclair had not been brought in - only 4 specialist batsmen V WIndies!!!!!!! :O I am also surprised to see Harris as a starter in both matches thus far and IMO he has done nothing to justify his further selection ahead of a specialist batsman in Sinclair, who was the only Kiwi batsman in some form in the Indian series!!!!
Their efforts in the field showed why IMO NZ rates as good a fielding side as either OZ or SA. Their weakness is inconsistency as per V SL, and this was negated by playing Vincent in the field as opposed to 'keeping - he provides the spark in close which was missing V SL. Oram & Adams also showed why they are highly regarded with some outstanding pieces of skill in the field, and both did was what asked of them with the ball to great effect.
I felt sorry for Cairns with his 1st over back after so long off - he still looks very very rusty. Bond generated good pace to establish himself as the No3 WC speedster thus far.
Some concerns with Astle re a groin injury may mean that Sinclair may have to start V SA. With Rhodes out for SA re his broken hand I would now rate NZ a better fielding side than SA.
If NZ is to have any success V SA, their batting must come together - again the worry is the top order. Most importantly the Kiwis must make partnerships & stop SA from doing the same! This team only needs the top order to find some form & consistency & they will be a very potent threat - unfortunately they have not shown this for quite some time / series!!!
Finally a change of luck would not go astray. So far both questionable decisions have gone against the Kiwis (Jayasuriya & Astle), with the 1st having a major impact on the result of the game V SL, and the 2nd stopping the Kiwi batting order just when they were getting going. I would hate to have the same thing happen in what is now the most crucial game in the WC thus far.
