West Indies tour of NZ
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@frugby said in West Indies tour of NZ:
@Chris I'd argue that Nicholls' returns at international level in the past 36 months makes his domestic form somewhat redundant.
A guy who has come off 150 in his last match for NZ and is outscoring all the other domestic batting by a fair distance is who I would be picking ahead of a hope.
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Nicholls is very maligned for a guy who has had a good career for NZ. Has scored two limited overs hundreds this month alone.
He seems to have troughs and then save his arse with a big hundred but he's hardly alone there. Not to mention he does a lot better at home. He deserves his recall.
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I had a scan through the ford trophy score cards and there isn't really anyone else really pressing their claim, so the call up for Nicholls makes a but more sense. Maybe Josh Clarkson (also scored a century) could have been worth a try, but he's probably more of a fit in the Bracewell/Neesham role than batting in the top order. Another chance for Tom Bruce? He struggled when he got his last chance but a long time has passed. Not sure if he's still eligible though, I vaguely recall seeing something about him switching to Scotland but I didn't check.
Nicholls is almost comically dominant at NZ domestic level though - I feel like every time I check a score card he's scored another ton. It's a shame that he never really pushed on at international level.
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@Cyclops said in West Indies tour of NZ:
I had a scan through the ford trophy score cards and there isn't really anyone else really pressing their claim, so the call up for Nicholls makes a but more sense. Maybe Josh Clarkson (also scored a century) could have been worth a try, but he's probably more of a fit in the Bracewell/Neesham role than batting in the top order. Another chance for Tom Bruce? He struggled when he got his last chance but a long time has passed. Not sure if he's still eligible though, I vaguely recall seeing something about him switching to Scotland but I didn't check.
Nicholls is almost comically dominant at NZ domestic level though - I feel like every time I check a score card he's scored another ton. It's a shame that he never really pushed on at international level.
Well he has 9 test centuries which is a lot more than others some who have played more tests,that is not a bad record by NZ standards.
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@Cyclops said in West Indies tour of NZ:
I had a scan through the ford trophy score cards and there isn't really anyone else really pressing their claim, so the call up for Nicholls makes a but more sense. Maybe Josh Clarkson (also scored a century) could have been worth a try, but he's probably more of a fit in the Bracewell/Neesham role than batting in the top order. Another chance for Tom Bruce? He struggled when he got his last chance but a long time has passed. Not sure if he's still eligible though, I vaguely recall seeing something about him switching to Scotland but I didn't check.
Nicholls is almost comically dominant at NZ domestic level though - I feel like every time I check a score card he's scored another ton. It's a shame that he never really pushed on at international level.
What ?
Have a look at NZs history. It is hardly littered with batting legends. Nicholls has had a good career, he was part of NZs best ever era and still has something to offer.
As I mentioned before he has a better record at home ( as lots of guys do )
Is it cos he's no Kane Williamson or even Ross Taylor ?
10 test hundreds when only one guy in our history has gotten more than 20 is a decent return.
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With a minimum of 2,000 test runs Nicholls has the 11th highest test average all time for NZ
Only KW, Crowe, Richardson, Taylor, Turner, Mitchell, Jones(Andrew), Sutcliff, Fleming and Conway average more.He sits above McCullum, Latham, McMillan, Wright, Coney, Astle and many many more.
Only 8 Black Caps have score 10 or more test 100's and hes in that list.
His ODI record isnt as good but his average of 34 is the same as Astle, Chapman and Elliot and is higher then Fleming, Latham and Ryder
So not sure why the hate.
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@Virgil said in West Indies tour of NZ:
With a minimum of 2,000 test runs Nicholls has the 11th highest test average all time for NZ
Only KW, Crowe, Richardson, Taylor, Turner, Mitchell, Jones(Andrew), Sutcliff, Fleming and Conway average more.He sits above McCullum, Latham, McMillan, Wright, Coney, Astle and many many more.
Only 8 Black Caps have score 10 or more test 100's and hes in that list.
His ODI record isnt as good but his average of 34 is the same as Astle, Chapman and Elliot and is higher then Fleming, Latham and Ryder
So not sure why the hate.
It's ridiculous.
If he was competing against the Australian team of the 2000s then yeah, he falls short. But he's not.
KW sits alone. Crowe very much alone as our second best. Taylor slightly below him.
Easy to forget that Richardson was an excellent player ( given he's such a TV star now )
Different eras and all of that but on paper Nicholls is still better than any number of top 80s players like Coney, Wright etc.
In saying all that and speaking purely from the test side perspective I'd still want KW, Young, Mitchell and Ravindra in ahead of him as it stands. Nicholls may be in line for a spot if Young opens instead of Conway which is a distinct possibility.
But the narrative that Nicholls is some kind of chump who has never delivered is utter bullshit.
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Nicholls is a good batter. It's a testament to our strength these days that he's not the centre piece of our batting order (there are plenty of sides from the 90s and late 2000s/2010s where he would have been).
He did okay at test level. I don't really remember him ever really looking like he belonged though. He did well to cash in against some weak touring sides and also had a few innings where he'd look like he'd figured it out but would then struggle again afterwards.
I felt like about 3 summers in a row he'd be one test away from being dropped only to score to a century (sometimes being dropped a few times along the way).
Based on his domestic performances my hopes were that he'd become an able deputy to Kane with an average in the low 40s. He's never looked like being that. That's what I'm disappointed about, I'm not trying to write him off as someone who has been a total zero.
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@Cyclops said in West Indies tour of NZ:
Nicholls is a good batter. It's a testament to our strength these days that he's not the centre piece of our batting order (there are plenty of sides from the 90s and late 2000s/2010s where he would have been).
He did okay at test level. I don't really remember him ever really looking like he belonged though. He did well to cash in against some weak touring sides and also had a few innings where he'd look like he'd figured it out but would then struggle again afterwards.
I felt like about 3 summers in a row he'd be one test away from being dropped only to score to a century (sometimes being dropped a few times along the way).
Based on his domestic performances my hopes were that he'd become an able deputy to Kane with an average in the low 40s. He's never looked like being that. That's what I'm disappointed about, I'm not trying to write him off as someone who has been a total zero.
That's accurate and the emergence of Mitchell ( especially ) and Ravindra and Conway plus the promise ( still frustratingly unfulfilled ) of Young has meant he's on the outer. That depth is good for NZ cricket.
I don't think it's realistic for too many of our guys to have records like KW ( once in a blue moon ) or Taylor ( who in any other era would have been our absolute best batsman )
Even the best sides will often have that mid 30s battler in the middle order.
( and he might plunder a massive unbeaten double ton to get that average over 40 vs what is a poor Windies test team )
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@Cyclops said in West Indies tour of NZ:
Nicholls is a good batter. It's a testament to our strength these days that he's not the centre piece of our batting order (there are plenty of sides from the 90s and late 2000s/2010s where he would have been).
He did okay at test level. I don't really remember him ever really looking like he belonged though. He did well to cash in against some weak touring sides and also had a few innings where he'd look like he'd figured it out but would then struggle again afterwards.
I felt like about 3 summers in a row he'd be one test away from being dropped only to score to a century (sometimes being dropped a few times along the way).
Based on his domestic performances my hopes were that he'd become an able deputy to Kane with an average in the low 40s. He's never looked like being that. That's what I'm disappointed about, I'm not trying to write him off as someone who has been a total zero.
Conway to me is the bigger disappointment.
Still might come right again but i doubt it. He looked like he had the goods to end up one of our best, 45+ average a heap of 100's etc. -
@Virgil said in West Indies tour of NZ:
@Cyclops said in West Indies tour of NZ:
Nicholls is a good batter. It's a testament to our strength these days that he's not the centre piece of our batting order (there are plenty of sides from the 90s and late 2000s/2010s where he would have been).
He did okay at test level. I don't really remember him ever really looking like he belonged though. He did well to cash in against some weak touring sides and also had a few innings where he'd look like he'd figured it out but would then struggle again afterwards.
I felt like about 3 summers in a row he'd be one test away from being dropped only to score to a century (sometimes being dropped a few times along the way).
Based on his domestic performances my hopes were that he'd become an able deputy to Kane with an average in the low 40s. He's never looked like being that. That's what I'm disappointed about, I'm not trying to write him off as someone who has been a total zero.
Conway to me is the bigger disappointment.
Still might come right again but i doubt it. He looked like he had the goods to end up one of our best, 45+ average a heap of 100's etc.Really ?
Greatbatch started well. Matthew Sinclair ? John Reid ( the younger one ) finished up with a terrific average before playing enough for it to drop.
Craig McMillan was a mids 40s hitter whose form dropped too.
Lou Vincent got a sensational ton on debut in Australia !
Tom Latham ?
Conway is probably in that bunch somewhere, might be slightly early to write him off although as you allude to it's not looking too likely.
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Intriguing stuff. Windies 146/6.
Henry and Jamieson excellent ( the latter with two wickets )
Smith 3-37 off five.......
Tickner decided to open a pie shop conceding 44 ?!?!?! from four.
Hope has a Kohli like record, average over 50, hes on 59. WIll be key to them getting a good total.
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