With Bangalore eliminated in the first semi final, the NZ contribution to the IPL is done. (Okay, except for the 3rd place play off, and Fleming’s work as Chennai coach.) Just as I turn my attention to the competition.
Oh well. Time enough for me to summarise the NZers achievements before the whole thing wraps for another year.
Only four NZ players in the comp this year. Some were missing from injury – Ryder, Oram, Mills – and Styris was simply not wanted.
Brendon McCullum
114 runs in 5 innings. Half of those in his last. Ho hum. But of course, after his very first IPL innings, it was always going to be downhill for Brendon.
Ross Taylor
88 runs from 7 innings. Dear me!
Daniel Vettori
33 runs from 3 innings. And just 2 wickets, going for over 8 an over.
Shane Bond
1 run from 2 balls faced. A credible 9 wickets at an average of 25.
Nothing to write home about – pretty sorry in fact – but recorded for the record.
Congratulations to Australia, who are easy winners of the Aus–NZ–Pak test tri-series. And congratulations to NZ, who take second place due to alphabetical ordering.
Okay, it is now nearly a month since we mangled our slim chance in the second test after dismissing Aus for 231. I think I’m starting to get over it.
It was a nice opportunity, getting Aus out for less than 250. We haven’t had a first innings lead against Aus since 2005 (Christchurch, and that was only 1 run). And I can’t help but be disappointed. This is despite the fact that I should have expected the Aussies to fight back like rabid dingos. Also, Pakistan’s crash in their second test makes ours look fairly mild.
The truth is, there is such a gulf between Aus and NZ at the moment that it takes more of a miracle than a 231 for us to fluke a win.
So no improvement in the NZ team over the past year – in fact, a backwards step. 0-2 to Aus in 2010, 0-1 to India in 2009. Let’s see where we are in 12 months time.
A more moderate and realistic assessment will see the game over, lost, by lunch. Not the best result, but I will be quite happy that we didn’t go down by an innings to a score of 459.
Hauritz to McCullum, no run, full ball hits the foot marks and turns sharply from outside the off stump, McCullum doesn’t offer a shot and the ball thuds into his front pad. Huge appeal but not given, the decision is referred and it looks like McCullum is safe as ‘virtual’ is not available because the cameras have been taken down due to the wind
Ponting is not happy with this result and is having a talk with the umpires about it, unsure what he is trying to achieve, maybe saying he would not have referred if he known no ‘virtual’ was not available? Or, are they discussing the future of referrals in this match?
The only real thrashing of the 2010 Chappell-Hadlee goes to New Zealand. A 51-run victory. A 51-run thumping.
It was great to see the bowlers finally taking some wickets (first time we took the full 10 wickets we should note). They’ve been quite effective at keeping scoring in check, but haven’t been so threatening. Last night they were able to do both.
Add to this the ability of the batsmen to keep up a half decent scoring rate even while wickets are falling.
There are weaknesses in the team, but strengths also.
So Australia take the trophy home 2-3. Well, it was their turn. It was our turn last time, even if…well, enough dwelling on the misfortunes of the past.
A very nice start, a very nice end, and a big hole in the middle.
In any series that New Zealand does well in, the wins are hard fought, such as the 1st ODI, and some of the losses will be hard fought too, such as the 2nd ODI, but some of the other matches will be busts, such as ODIs 3 and 4. So here’s expecting that 3 and 4 were just a dip and that 5 in Wellington will be another hard fought match.
