England Cricket tour of New Zealand

[Cali]

Warm-up match for the Test series against New Zealand is due to start in just under 40 minutes in Dunedin.

What are people's predictions for this Test series, and indeed the one which starts virtually straight after back here in the UK?

Edit: Apparently the tour match has already started at 10pm UK time. I thought it was starting at 11 given the info on the BBC site.

 

[GMac]

Hopefully they'll do better than in the one-dayers, although their recent test form's nothing to write home about either. Messrs Hoggard & Harmison need to rediscover their form if the team as a whole is to prosper in the coming months. That said, they should still be too good for the Kiwis (especially as their best test bowler Shane Bond's no longer available) - 1-0 to England would be my prediction for the upcoming series.

GM

 

[Cali]

I'm pretty confident about Hoggard getting his form back, he was unfortunate in getting injured last summer. Harmison, however, is a different story. He generally doesn't tour well given his tendency towards homesickness and his body seems quite fragile for a fast bowler. I'm not sure that I'd put him in the team - I'd go for Broad or Anderson (I think they're both in the Test squad!).

 

[Candlelight]

We'll wallop the lot of ya.

Especially now that one of our two opening batsmen decided to punch a window.

Yeah. He's tough.

Is the test really in Dunedin?

I really should pop down the road for a look see...

Oh no I see, up in Hamilton.

 

[GMac]

Must admit I had a chuckle about that one Another addition to the "weird & wonderful sports-related injuries" Hall of Fame......

GM

 

[Cali]

Well, generally speaking we did alright in that warm-up match.

Steve Harmison is still horribly inconsistent and I would not pick him in my XI for the Tests unless someone else plays badly. Ryan Sidebottom has a hamstring strain and is sitting out the next warm-up match as a precaution; if he does not play then my Test bowling attack would be Broad, Anderson, Hoggard and Panesar.

 

[Candlelight]

Must admit I had a chuckle about that one Another addition to the "weird & wonderful sports-related injuries" Hall of Fame......

He admitted today he was sorry for his "pathetic" behaviour, but said he didn't have a drinking problem.

He then stood up, tripped and fell out the window.

 

[Cali]

Much better showing from England today

Harmison got a 5-fer and Andrew Strauss ended the day on 55*

 

[Cali]

Well well well, what a turnaround in this match Well done Ryan Sidebottom!

 

[GMac]

Don't speak too soon - they'll do well to scrape a draw after the atrocious batting display from the top order this morning (or evening as it is here). Two leaden-footed wafts. a straight one that Vaughnie played all around and a frankly appalling LBW decision against Pietersen (just because he didn't play a shot doesn't mean you have to give him out - as an umpire of 13 years standing, that one made me cringe) has left them staring down the barrel. Colly, Bell and Ambrose have to try and grind out the next fifty odd overs, because if they don't sell their wickets dearly, it'll soon be over.....

GM

 

[Orac Zen]

...and it is.

Err, I mean, poor England.

 

[Cali]

...and it is.

Err, I mean, poor England.

That result was what I expected. The pitch doesn't seem to have been the greatest anyway.

 

[Jamee999]

A very poor performance for half the game, tbh (excepting Bell and Sidebottom), in the middle two innings we played well, but in the 1st and 4th, there was a LOT to be desired.

 

[Jax]

England were so good in 2004 when we were undefeated in Test Series and got to number 2 in the world. Despite losing to AUS in the next one and a small dip against the other nations we were still good but 2007 and 2008 has been so poor for England overall.

I don't get it, just like the Rugby team, win something and downhill

 

[GMac]

One gets the impression that some of the current set up are still living on the glories of that period..... They've collectively gone backwards since September 2005 at Test level, and whilst losing Simon Jones & Flintoff to long term injuries hasn't helped, several of the others (Pietersen, Strauss & Harmison being the most obvious but there are quite a few others) have either stagnated or regressed instead of improving. Unless some heads are collectively banged pretty soon and they start to realise that they're nowhere near being the second best test team in the world right now, I can see them getting clobbered this summer by the South Africans and again next year when the Aussies visit these shores again.

GM

 

[StolenThunder]

England appear to be having a little accident again.

 

[GMac]

Hmmm - 342 isn't a bad score on that, all things considered. On the one hand, they had three top order batsmen get out after making starts but they could just have easily been skittled for 180 if Ambrose hadn't played like he did. Given they've already got both Kiwi openers out in the first 7 overs and the ball's doing plenty, I think they're doing OK.....

GM

 

[RevdKathy]

Actually, we did quite well last night. That's encouraging, though I wouldn't go so far as to say 'hopeful'. If England can just settle down, the two teams ought to be well matched, and we could see some decent cricket.

 

[GMac]

Indeed - from this position (1st innings lead of 144 and motoring along at 127-2 as I write this - Cook just out for a patient 60 that featured his very first 6 in test cricket) they should be able to bat the Kiwis out of the game by lunchtime tomorrow and have plenty of time to bowl them out to tie the series up

GM

 

[StolenThunder]

England have recovered well. 277-9, lead of 421, isn't too shabby at all.