The summer's done but we've barely had time to let the events over the past four months sink in, with attention now being turned to the World T20 in the West Indies. NZ have named a squad of 15, with as many as 7 players on standby.
On paper this looks like one of the stronger lineups we've been able to assemble, but will they be able to get through the tournament without the usual glut of fitness problems? Five of the squad - Ryder, Oram, Mills, Redmond and Butler - are returning from injuries. Add to this the general fitness problems of guys like Bond and Styris, and we could see yet another series of muddled selections and players rushing back and forth.
The bolter in the squad is Canterbury's Rob Nicol. From whatever little I heard of him, I imagined a dour opening batsman who was briefly a contender for the test team. Now it seems he makes the squad as a big hitter and part-time spinner. The backup list still finds room for Peter Ingram, James Franklin, and Shannan Stewart (not to mention an injured Andy McKay), but no BJ Watling and Kane Williamson. I find this tendency to almost completely separate the test and limited-over sides quite puzzling.
As if to vindicate this selection policy of covering all bases, Jesse Ryder has picked up a minor injury while playing for Wellington. He has been just about two years into international cricket, but already I get the feeling his career will go the way of Shane Bond's.
Top Cricket From The Second Tier
13 years ago
2 comments:
I hope to see Millsy back! He was out for long enough. But of course he needs to start off cautiously first. What's his status?
Wes' last blog:
A match I would have loved to watch
I think mills is back to somewhere near full fitness but has had no matchplay under his belt for a while. Excellent bowler in the shorter forms, certainly, but I don't know if the world T20 is the best place for him to be making a comeback.
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