As it stands I won't be a part of the one-day series against the West Indies. I got the phone call a couple of nights ago and was told that they were staying with the same bowling unit. How can I argue? They're going great, doing their jobs and staying fit; everything they should be doing! And on the other side of it I'm doing everything I can to show that I'm up to international one-day cricket. I'm bowling in the positions that the selectors have asked me to; I'm hitting the areas, pretty much, that I should be but I probably haven't got the wickets that they'd want from me.

Our most recent game against Canterbury was another one of those poor performances that don't do anyone any good. You can come out of some bad matches with a couple of people doing well. This one though, no one really shone out. We put in a pretty good bowling performance and a score of about 270 was probably what Canterbury should have got to; we held them to 242 by picking up wickets towards the end of the innings.

I bowled my 10 overs by the 40th and took myself off the park. My back, which has been tightening up in the last match, was getting pretty sore. It didn't affect my bowling but it wasn't great to be standing around with in the outfield. I got some treatment as soon as I was off the park and it loosened up quite quickly, but as there was no point me heading back out there I took the time to keep resting it and doing the back arches that would help it settle down.

So, 242 to chase - not a huge target but one that was going to take some getting if Canterbury's attack got it right, and they did. Shane Bond came out, bowled quick and swung big and they were tight and consistent from the other end. After nine overs we were 35 for 1, not too bad, but from there it all went downhill. 45 for 5 off 15. 95 for 8. 164 all out. And in that 164 Luke Woodcock and I put on 42 for the 10th wicket, he getting past 50 and I reaching another personal best of 19*. In that 19 I hit my third six of my domestic and international career. That added Andrew Ellis to a small group of three that I've put over the fence. Todd Astle in a four-day match and some other guy called Ntini or something in a Test match at the Wanderers. I'm not trying to brag or skite, they just don't come around that often so sometimes you just got to tell the world. Sorry Ellie, Todd and Makhaya!

Continue reading "Laughing at the Aussies while trying to rent a flat"

So, the 'Referral System' and my views on it; well, let me explain it first.
If either team is not happy with the decision of the on-field umpire from an appeal then, under this system, they have the right to refer it to the third umpire. Each team gets three unsuccessful appeals per innings; that's a minimum of 12 per team per Test match. If your referral is upheld, as in you disagree with the on-field decision and the third umpire agrees with you, then you don't lose that referral. Following? The system says the footage has to 'conclusively' prove that the on-field umpire has made a mistake for it to be overturned. But, they are only allowed to use TV replays, no sound, no 'snicko', and no 'hot spot'.
Got it? Good.

So, in reference to Baz's [McCullum] dismissal, with the technology that is currently available, only the TV footage, there was no way to say that Baz definitely did not hit it as you couldn't see 'daylight' between the ball and the bat because of the camera angles, therefore the third umpire had to stay with the on-field decision. But if you look at the trajectory of the way a ball and the plane the bat was following there was no way that Brendon did nick that ball. A decision that angered not just Baz, I can tell you. And this is where this 'referral' system fell over.

Shoe on the other foot, had the on-field umpire given it 'not out' and the Windies referred it to the third umpire, again with the footage available, the decision would stayed with the on-field decision. So from the replays he was, therefore, both out and not out depending on the on-field decision. Confused? So were we! And this is not the reason why the system was introduced. It needs some tweaks.

Continue reading "The use of referrals"

Day five and I've bowled ever day of the Test. The body was pretty tired, I didn't have the muscle soreness that I would usually, but the body was feeling tired. I knew I was going to have to work hard for every bit of rhythm and pace out in the middle.

Early bus to the ground for the fifth day in a row; there's no point spoiling what has been working. And when I say that, I mean it. Cricketers, generally, are superstitious. Although ‘superstitious’ is almost the wrong word. If something is going well then we will repeat those things we have been doing. A shirt you've worn when you did well is then considered lucky and will be worn day after day. The breakfast you eat before you head down to the ground will be the same as the day before, if you've had success. A lucky bat, a lucky pair of socks. Any day when you done well, I can almost guarantee you that cricketers will try to replicate the actions that honestly have nothing to do with the end result because we are mental! We have issues. We believe in silly routines that hopefully will bring us continued success.

Continue reading "Mental cricketers, and christmas greetings"

I don't know if you can hear, but that's a bath running in the background, and once it's full, I'm going to sit in there and finish writing this. Why, because I can, I want to and mostly because I feel like I need a damn good soak.

Now that's a day of Test cricket; two down at the start of play and seven down at the end. With momentum swings at crucial points throughout the day it was one that could have gone any way. We're certainly not disappointed with where we are; three wickets in the morning and we'll be right back in there.

Bath run, lovely!

So today, it took us 16 overs to make a break through, and we get two at once. Marshall nicks one off Jeets and then Shiv, first ball, leading edges a full toss back to Jeets who happily takes the dolly catch. We got Shiv out. This is a cause to celebrate, and we do. That was one tight huddle in the middle of the ground, it turned into a bit of a rolling maul; we knew how big a wicket he is.

Continue reading "The plan to get Shiv"

Batting warm-ups are great. We're two down and there's no chance I'll be bowling anytime soon. I head down early again to get a net in before we start to warm-up properly. Over to Nelson Park to get on the bowling machine and I had a really good 'net'. Started with some full stuff, which wasn't really going to help me if I get a bat today as they're not going to bowl full to me, then moved onto some shorter stuff. That's more like it. Felt pretty good, the feet were working and I was seeing it okay. It's always a lot different out in the middle though.

Watching Timmy Mac bat yesterday was just brilliant. Watching him bat today was even better. He was like a barnacle on the bottom of a ship, he just would not budge. No matter what the Windies threw at him they just couldn't faze him - just couldn't get to him. All day he just dead-batted the good balls, ducked the short balls he didn't want to hook and stroked the fuller ones where he wanted. He looked great and fully deserved this, his first, Test match hundred.

Jesse Ryder, again, hit the ball like nobody else can. He is one serious player and stroked his way to a pretty 57. We sit back in the changing room watching him bat with awe just wishing we could have as much time as he seems to have.

Today was a very special day for Dan, but it seems to have slipped by without too much of a mention. He joined an exclusive club: 200 Test wickets and 3000 Test runs. It was a pity more wasn't made of it as this is one amazing club to be a part of. From me, congrats Dan. Amazing!

It was my turn to bat and guess who was bowling? I had a quick chat with Fidel this morning congratulating him on his 100 Test wickets which he completed yesterday afternoon. A quick chat and a laugh and a "I know what you'll be bowling to me when I bat" thought skirted through my mind. And I wasn't wrong. First ball - a bouncer - and I start to get under it, it grazes my shoulder and takes a bit of my helmet and heads down to fine-leg. Jeetan and I come back for two. Maybe I was a little silly coming back for the second, although I'm not backing down from this 'fight'. Next ball, bouncer, I duck this one better, it sails over my head. Third ball, another bouncer, and I swayed this one as it was a touch wider. Actually starting to feel quite good, I was picking the ball up early, even in the gloomy light, and felt sure in getting out of the way of the short stuff.

Fourth ball, I was expecting this one to be full and almost set up for a drive; Iain, don't premeditate, it only gets you into trouble! It wasn't full, another short one, and a late duck gets me under it quite safely in the end. Last ball of the over, this one has to be full. It was, thudding into my pads. I felt it was heading down and was surprised they referred the 'not out' decision. Third umpire agreed, not out.

For the first time in a while I ended up with a not-out. These are, normally, good for the average, that's when you get runs that is. My nought not-out does nothing for the average but I do take confidence from innings like that every time a short ball passes me by without leaving an impression.

I was given the new ball. And it didn't go very well at all. Four overs for 33 is not how you want to start an innings. But that is what I've gone and done. I've bowled a touch too short and gave Chattergoon too much width. That's the consistency that I just can't keep for the whole match. It's a learning lesson though, and straight after the day's play I chatted to a couple of guys, got some feedback and will go into tomorrow with a target to get those figures back in my favour. And maybe, just maybe, four wickets; but I won't get ahead of myself there though!

And there lies day two of this Test match. A day I will never forget. A day I don't want to forget. I have never felt like that in a Test match before. I had bowled 16 overs the previous day and woke this morning feeling a lot better than I would do normally. I'm not saying I feel that tired and stiff after 16 overs, I just felt real good. I had done my hot cold the previous night, had a really good massage and hit the sack after writing this. A good sleep, a chat to my wife this morning, breakfast and down to the ground early to get my feet strapped up for today's play.

For those that are interested, the big toe is a lot better. It was still a bit 'weapy' this morning, but wasn't throbbing or painful to touch. Good job, that...otherwise the physio, who was 'oh so very keen' to get the paperclip in there, would have had some explaining to do!

I wore my compression tights to bed last night, these aid in recovery, and I wore them out onto the field too. It just keeps the muscles warm and ready to go. Warmed up well, felt strong and had a good rhythm to my warm-up deliveries before the start of play.

Dan told me, early, that I was going to be starting up and asked me which end I wanted. I wasn't really bothered; whatever fitted in with the other guy the best is how I usually approach this subject. Maybe I should be a little more demanding in future, as I got the end I really wanted as Dan was going to bowl from the other end. With a tail wind coming over my right shoulder, I couldn't ask for a better breeze.

Continue reading "A day I'll never forget"

So that's day one out of the way. Another mid-day start but this time the sun is shining. The deck just looked amazing, a definite bat-first wicket. We all hoped that the impressive tosser, Dan [Vettori], would come up trumps for us again. Alas, we lost the toss and are bowling.

Arrived at the ground on the early van, and headed straight over to the nets to get some work. I hadn't managed to fit in a bat the previous day at training so I thought I'd get some in early this morning. It was good, hit the ball pretty well and ducked and weaved well enough to feel as good as I can going into this match. Quickly back to the ground and I had a quick TV interview before heading off to warm-ups. A quick chat to Simon Doull about the preparation and way the match will go, also a quick chat regarding my blog. It seems that everyone is surprised that I am doing it, but as far as I can understand, they all enjoy reading it.

During that interview I said that if we had to bowl first it wouldn't be the end of the world. If you're going to bowl on a batting deck then often it's good to get in early, see what you can do when it is at its juiciest.

Continue reading "Two wickets, and a burnt big toe"

	I realised I couldn't just rely on my front arm to generate pace but also had to 'muscle' it from my bowling arm’s shoulder too © Getty Images

I had a late call from Dan [Vettori] the night before asking if I wanted to play golf. It was a 6.30am leave, but I knew where we were playing, and there was no way I was going to miss this round. Eight am tee off at Cape Kidnappers Golf Club. That place is amazing. Look it up and check out the quality of the place - unbelievable views, amazing scenery and a brilliant, yet really tough, course. It's fair to say it cost me a bit, especially as Baz [McCullum] and I, who were partners playing against Dan and Jeets [Patel], lost the round and had to pay for the other two, including balls, carts, clubs, lunch and whatever else those two could add to the bill. But it was all worth it, I'd pay double to go back and play again; although it's two-minute noodles for tea for the next week as I can't afford anything else.

Continue reading "Losing in golf, and some bowling revelations"

I love Wellington, but, on days like today, I really hate the place. You see, Wellington is known for its wind. And when travelling between cities we fly. Wind, flying and me don't mix too well. Today is no exception. Leaving Dunedin with slightly overcast but still skies was nice, however, the descent in to Wellington was terrible. I get motion sickness and the bump, drop, bump, drop motion does nothing for me, well actually it does, and it makes me feel very, very bad! And here I sit in the lounge, writing this with an ice water sitting next to me and a motion sickness pill to take before we board our next flight to Napier. I should have had it before leaving Dunedin this morning!

Anyway, onto the cricket. Alas, nothing to report on for yesterday. We left the hotel for the ground at normal time. A small drift of drizzle was about but nothing of note. Not much had changed by the time we got to the ground, apart from the cloud build up which was a little greater. Ten minutes later and that had changed quite a bit. It was now proper drizzling; not quite raining, but more than just a wisp of rain. Another 10 minutes after that it was raining.

We knew, as players, that with this rain, play today probably wouldn't happen. The outfield still wasn't great from the rain earlier in the match and it really didn't need a top up of water. The thing was too, that with the amount of time we had already lost in the match a result was going to be a hard one to work. And losing more time today did nothing for that cause.

Continue reading "Wind, flying and me don't mix"

	Dan Vettori: an outstanding bowler and player © Getty Images

As I always say, it's great to be off the park. Seeing that last wicket fall is one of the best feelings there is, only beaten by actually taking that wicket yourself. Something that didn't happen for me today, but it was Dan's honour and by bowling Shiv he picked up his sixth wicket for the innings and his 50th wicket for the calendar year. An outstanding performance from just an outstanding bowler, player and guy!

Today just wasn't my day. Things just didn't work for me. I tried as hard as I could to bowl my maidens, to string together dots. For some unknown reason, I wasn't up to it. I wasn't trying too hard and getting tense; I wasn't too relaxed and had no intensity: it just wasn't my day. It's easy to say that, but I have to sit down tonight and have a good think about the day, what happened and why. These are often the toughest nights; a bit of soul-searching and every effort to turn it around for the next day. Although we don't have to go out and bowl straight away, hopefully not for quite a while actually, I will hit the nets in the morning and work some things through.

I did have a look at the computer tonight that records the proceedings of the day to have a look at my action. There was one thing that wasn't quite how it should be. My front arm wasn't doing the work it should have been. I'll have a bowl tomorrow and work though it in preparation for the second Test.

So, a day in the park in windy and cold Dunedin. It wasn't that bad actually, if you could keep your hands warm that is. It could have been a whole lot worse too. We could still be bowling; Jerome Taylor Jerome could still be batting with Shiv and, I guess, it could have been colder.

Taylor had one of those innings that I'm sure he had only dreamed about before today. Everything hit the middle of his bat. His previous high score was around 30 and today he pumped us around the park for 106 off 107 balls. A special innings, well played. Shiv, on the other hand, took his time. His 76 took 200 balls. Now that's a weird technique, it obviously works, but when you're standing at cover fielding and you can see the whole of the back of his bat, it just seems strange.

Millsy came out today with a couple of points to prove, and had a great day. Kyle did the job that I was trying to do, but couldn't do today. He bowled in the areas the pitch asked for and kept it tight and was rewarded with three very good wickets including a stunning catch at square leg by me. Okay, so it lobbed to me and was the easiest catch I've ever had in a match. But nevertheless, I did have enough time to think about a pretty straightforward catch I dropped off Kyle here in Dunedin last summer against Bangladesh while it was travelling to me. The brain is a crazy organ! It plays so many silly games with you.

I hit the hot-colds tonight after we got off, and then to the dining room for a meal once the day's play was over. A quick chat reflecting on today's efforts and a preview of tomorrow in the changing room and then straight back to the hotel and on here to get this done before my massage at 10pm. It'll be straight to bed after that too.

I said yesterday we were greeted with blue skies; today, not so.

We got back to the hotel last night at about 7 pm. As we had come off early because of bad light, there were clouds around. They opened up a little soon after we got back and stayed open for most of the night. We headed to the ground at 9:45, earlier than yesterday as play was due to start 30 mins earlier. Due out in the nets at 10:15 am to start warm ups. This was going to be a 'batting' warm up.

We already knew that play was going to be delayed a little because of the rain over night so there was no rush to get across to the nets. We milled around for a while and then I decided to get padded up and head over for a 'net.'

It was fine when I went into the changing room to get changed, it was very persistent precipitation when I went to walk out; the shortest 'net' of all time. I turned around, got unchanged and went and made myself a coffee. This was going to be a long day! And it was!

Continue reading "The 'card school' gets active"

	Daniel Flynn's well-made 95 was the highlight on day one of the first Test between New Zealand and West Indies in Dunedin © Getty Images

With blue skies above us and a pitch that looked pretty good our plan, as we go into Day One, is to bat first. And bat first we did. Dan won the toss, again; just adding to his impressive tossing ability! We were pretty sure we were going to be batting no matter what. Early in the warm ups we noticed that their spinner, the 6ft 8 Benn, wasn't warming up as if he was playing. That can only mean one thing, they will play the extra seamer and will want to bowl first. Therefore, no matter what, we'll be batting.

The new opening partnership of How and McIntosh headed out to face the new ball. McIntosh has shown every ability to bat for long periods of time, often for not many runs. And this was the case early in the day. I think it took him about 36 balls to get off the mark. He showed no hurry, no worry about sitting on zero for such a long time and was off the mark with one that raced through the hands just above the head of the gully fielder.

When Howza was out and back in the viewing room he commented on Mac's state of mind, the side that we couldn't see. "This could be one long duck on debut." Mac speaking to Howza in between overs. It didn't happen and Mac looked good till he tried to take on Gayle and couldn't clear mid on. A disappointing way for him to get out after showing some pretty good guts and determination to the quicks, who bowled pretty quick.

Continue reading "Flynny turns it on"

Let's kick this thing off.....

Finally some sunshine. I'm not going to come out and jump for joy about how much, but it was enough for us to get outside and train. Training on grass is the best thing for us. And unfortunately we just have to train indoors sometimes, just one of those unavoidable. Indoor training is just so hard on the body. Generally it's artificial grass straight on top of concrete. Genuine surface for batting on, but it's to bouncy and quick in comparison to what we generally play on. Not to mention it's hard on the ankles, shins, knees etc. So, normally the bowlers won't 'run' in and bowl on these surfaces; it's just not worth the injury risk. Although yesterday, with the forecast in mind, most of the bowlers did some form of bowling indoors. There was a chance that it was going to be 'showery' today and that would mean that we would have to, again, train indoors. So we all got some bowling in to make sure that we had some under our belts.

So training today, outside, on some pretty good training decks. They played pretty well for being under cover for the last 3 days. All bodes well for the bit out in the middle of University Oval. Got four overs under my belt, one to warm up, two at full pace and then one to work on different things like bouncers and other lengths. This is normally what I would have done two and three days out from a match, not the day before. But you do whatever you can to get ready when the opportunity is there. Felt pretty good. Worked hard on part of my action that I have never been happy with and am always working on; I bring my bowling arm back behind my head and almost down to my left shoulder blade. This creates a lot of torque and can mean I miss the timing of other parts of my action if things aren't going well. So I'm always trying to have it 'load' up next to my head rather than half way down my back. Maybe, just maybe I'm onto something today after chatting to our bowling coach yesterday. I won't be worrying about it too much out in the middle tomorrow, as it's too new to really be 'grooved' in, but it's something to work on.

The last couple of nights I've been studying some video footage of the opposition batsmen via a computer we keep 'a lot' of matches on. All our games are logged on it, and then some other games from around the world are logged on it too. This gives us a great resource to check in with our own skills as well as others. The bowlers will get together tonight to discuss bowling plans to the individual batsmen from the West Indies and we'll formulate plans to, hopefully, stick to.

Continue reading "Calling all sponsors..."