It's India vs Sri Lanka again, but wait, thank god for the third team. The two subcontinent heavyweights are looking to fine tune their WC preparations given that (for India in particular) there won't be a whole lot of one day cricket coming up in the rest of the year. For NZ, it's a chance to test out fringe candidates and what life could be like without DLV carrying the team.
I don't hold high hopes of NZ making the finals but then Zimbabwe showed last June what can happen when India and SL take their final spots for granted. We fielded quite a strong team in the replica tri series last year and were well beaten by India and Sri Lanka, but success against Pakistan in the UAE suggests we are better prepared for subcontinent conditions this time. Although the absent Vettori likes to believe we are better as a chasing side, day/night conditions would appear to dictate a different approach. I suppose the likes of Tuffey, Mills and Southee should be a handful under lights.
No Ryder, Baz and Vettori puts a lot of responsibility on guys like Styris and Oram, and Taylor pretty much will need to come good to ensure NZ of a final slot. A minimum of four games should be good enough to get an idea of:
a) Ross Taylor's captaincy credentials, as Dan might decide to pass it on after the World Cup
b) whether Gareth Hopkins should be the number one backup keeper, and if he gets to nail the gloveman's test spot vacated by Baz.
c) whether Andy McKay is as pacey as Vettori claims, and how he shapes up against quality opposition.
d) where the much talked-about Kane Williamson and BJ Watling fit in.
In terms of what to expect, we could try counting the number of times:
* observers claim that the games are loaded against the team batting second.
* it is pointed out that India and Sri Lanka hold the head-to-head record for number of ODIs played.
* the commentators observe that the kiwi attack is without Shane Bond.
* Suraj Randiv gets touted as murali's successor
* the observation is made (following a close contest) that the one-day game is far from finished.
Top Cricket From The Second Tier
13 years ago
3 comments:
India actually has quite a few ODIs before the World Cup. We play 3 against Australia and 5 against you guys, followed by 5 more in South Africa early next year. That's 13 ODIs plus 4/5 in this tri-series.
Thanks for the clarification Mahek, I was going by what I had heard and didn't look up the schedules.
Have added you to the blogroll, shall we exchange links?
Have blogrolled you too buddy. Always good to come across blogs on other teams :)
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