🤔Was England's Test Series Victory Over New Zealand As Sweet As It Seems? |🎙️Following On

[@richardray9373]

Kane has 2 of the most brilliant hundreds one could witness against Australia.

[@kennethcrowther2277]

If Jameison can get back, which is absolutely a possibility - he's still determined to do so, then Henry, Jameison, O'Rourke, and also Ben Sears when he's fit again, that would constitute a magnificent pace attack. I heard Williamson was thinking about playing until the 4 test series in Australia in 2026/27. He probably will i reckon. He could go a little bit beyong that too, maybe another year. Then he'll be the age Ross Taylor was when he retired. For your info, Kane scored 140 & 59 at the Gabba, and then 166 & 32* at the Wacca in the next test. He dosen't get to play as much test cricket against Australia. It's criminal that they don't play more test series agsinst each other. I believe NZ would gain more confidence agsinst them if they did. A few other NZ batsmen are ageing and have been below their best in this series and over the last year. Slightly suprisingly, Ravindra had a bery poor series, seamingly not being mentally quite switched on to it. He's a super talented young star. But i think some others could still recover their best form for another year or two, as in Latham, Conway, Mitchell and Blundell in particular. Blundell looks encouraging in the last two tests. Phillips and Santner have heaps to offer in test cricket going forward as thet mature as test cricketers. Ther are some other excellent players in Young, Nicholls, and Chapman who have a few more years left in them too. Some of the new yound batting talent are great at white ball cricket, but need to learn to play red ball cricket, such as Finn Allen & Tim Robinson, but Mitchell Hay looks like a great find, as does the young Canterbury opener, Rhys Mariu who at 22 years of age is churning out very big first class runs against some decent enough attacks, to be averaging well over 70 after ten to fifteen games, with some huge scores. There are others too, like young Mohammad Abbas from Wellington - NZ born and bread no less. There's also Nathan Smith who looks a very promising fast bowling allrounder going forward, plus some great Canterbury pace bowling talent such as Frazer Sheat, Cameron Paul, Zakary Foulkes, and when fully fit again, Henry Shipley. We really need to keep these young pacers fit, and get them fully fit and firing again first. There's a lot of talent there. New Zealand need to get at least another decent test series in next year, other than just Zimbabwe, who aren't really test match standard these days - I'd love their young talent to prove me wrong, but they don't get enough top long format cricket in their players to able more tests and improve. NZ need some tougher opposition before going to England for 3 tests and then Australia for 4! NZ, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and also Bangladesh and the West Indies, really need to find a way to keep cultivating players good enough to enable them to keep challenging the so-called Big 3! Quite frankly, the future of test cricket is dependant on that being the case, and keeping England, Australia, and India on their toes, and sometimes beating them too, and checking their arrogance. If test cricket is ultimately allowed to die over the next 10 to 15 years, it will be nothing short of a huge cultural crime! I mean that most seriously. It's just such a great sophisticated, dramatic game. Commercialism and short millenial concentration spans be damned!

[@ConradMcBad]

Harmie was spot on here - the Hagley test will be where NZ will reflect on the series as a wasted opportunity. If they'd held onto even half of those 8 dropped catches, that fixture would likely have taken a similar course to this one at Seddon Park. Probably should have carried a 150 run lead into the 3rd innings rather than a 150 run deficit. It's a shame as well - because a hard Christchurch pitch dying on days 4/5 would have made a 400+ chase a real possibility. Might've been one of those classic matches.

[@jasonsherratt870]

Might could and should does not wash

[@kennethcrowther2277]

​@@jasonsherratt870yea whatever pal. That's what one does with cricket, and the truth is, he's absolutely correct, in that it could've been very different. It was also very uncharacteristic for the NZ team.

[@gkirkbride5565]

If my auntie had balls she'd be my uncle. Truth is Englands approach in last testbwould be very different with something on line. So you can't say it would have been 2-1 NZ for those catches.

[@ConradMcBad]

​@@gkirkbride5565 Never said NZ should definitely have won 2-1. I didn't even say NZ would definitely have won if they set England 400 to win at Hagley. It was a dry wicket that was dying out, with plenty of time to play on it - would have been a great test of England's patience and depth. The dropped catches killed what could have been a great game.

[@larrygerry985]

This is a terrible series for both sides, because it does not solve their issues. Stokes is on 1 leg, Crawley is not good enough, Pope is average, no spinner, and a selection policy on feelings

[@321Adi123]

Bethell looks the part - he is class player, not a Bazballer (He is in the Root, Kohli, Smith, Williamson mould) The only other class player in Englands line-up is Stokes, who has not been the same since his mental health break in 2021 Brook is a different player, a KP sort - will give incredible highs and a little more inconsistency compared to the Fab 4

[@Blade14717]

To be fair selecting on feelings has gone quite well so far

[@R0b7]

If Bethell can open we are in the clear, Crawley is not good enough

[@dcbbot]

Bethell has been a revelation and Eng bowling stocks are stronger than they thought. For NZ, O'Rourke is def the real deal, Young should get a palce in the side to shore up the batting, and Santner may have finally learned how to bowl with a red ball. Flaws remain, but both teams have had some positives.

[@joshymccy]

You don't strike me as the sort who would be claiming its been a positive series for england if they lost 2-1 but crawley scored big runs and stokes didn't get injured. They beat a good nz side away from home. Carse looks a handful and bethell has shown what hes capabe of. Plenty of positives