Game 2 NZ vs Aus (January 14th)

So we lost. Anyway, it was nice to able to catch the CBN telecast online rather than following the game on cricinfo. I'm pretty much a child of the Channel Nine Network, I mean I've grown up listening to these guys every year and I have great respect for the commentary team; but I guess it's only when the opposition is the team you support that you realise how parochial and biased they (the Australian commentators, with Tony Greig and Mark Nicholas) can be. But I'll save the detailed rants for the course of this series. Of special note, no one seemed to think Gilchrist's catch to dismiss Nathan Astle needed any further questioning, though it looked unconvincing at best. Oh well..

Despite the heavy margin of defeat, the kiwis looked pretty competitive. Apart from Bond's hat-trick (which unfortunately came after the damage had been done), it was a good outing for the kiwi tyros. Mark Gillespie came out with pretty creditable figures, and both Taylor and Fulton looked in great nick. Taylor's clean hitting was easily the highlight of the day and I just hope he doesn't go the Kevin Pietersen way, ie out of the tourney injured. The way we folded up after his dismissal was surreal, to say the least.The experienced heads were quite miserable and I hope the think tank has realised that it's wishful thinking to expect Daniel Vettori and James Franklin to fill up the allrounder spots. We're so short on batting right now we have no choice but to play a seventh batsman in Hamish Marshall next time. That would mean sacrificing either Franklin or Jeetan Patel, but today's events showed we're no worse off using the part timers to fill in overs. The fear that playing McCullum as opener has exposed the once dependable lower order badly appears to have been vindicated, but I would give the experiment a few more games.

The commentators seem to have already decided Australia will win the tournament and the NZ vs England games will be 'entertaining' (how charitable). That looks a safe bet, much as I hate to admit it. But the truth is the Australian bowling wasn't exactly menacing and if it stays this way that's the best I can hope for...although there was no Lee and McGrath today. Cameron White can bat but his bowling looked pretty ordinary. On the evidence of today's game NZ have something to build on for the next seven games even though John Bracewell appears to be doing his best to screw things up.