Does greentop trouble await Pakistan in New Zealand?

[Junaids]

New Zealand has been struggling of late.

The batting looks vulnerable and the bowling has been turned on its head since Trent Boult lost his bite, with the medium-paced left-arm short-pitched bowler Neil Wagner doing most of the damage.

The problem for Pakistan is that the groundsmen are reported to have been instructed to produce greentops for the two Tests at Christchurch and Hamilton, in the hope of restoring New Zealand's winning ways.

Today was the final match at Hamilton's Seddon Oval before the Test match starts in 20 days and the groundsman certainly has taken his orders to task. Here is what happened on Day 1:

Northern Districts 138 all out in 29.5 overs
Canterbury 112 all out in 35 overs (Southee 12-3-39-5, Anderson 3-1-5-1)
Northern Districts 13-1 in 7.5 overs

I repeat, that's just Day 1!

21 wickets on Day 1!

I hope the Pakistanis understand what awaits them. We are looking at a pair of serious greentops for this series.

 

[Moiza]

The only thing standing between a demolition job and New Zealand is Williamson.

There's no arguing that the pitch won't be green. The pitch will be just a tiny bit lighter in color than the outfield.

 

[Hasan123]

New Zealand batting is worse than ours. They are the ones who should be worried. Other than Williamson and Latham rest of the batting weak and questionable. Martin guptil will be opening, I mean come on that's a joke.

As long as Azhar and Sami survive 10-15 overs we will score big. I'll back Amir,Rahat, Sohail to cause nz batting trouble.

 

[street cricketer]

Said it as soon as the Ind-NZ series got over.

Boult hasn't lost his bite btw. Was the most impressive of all the pacers from both sides imo. Pakistan would do well to not take him lightly.

 

[Buffet]

It will be a greentop for the day 1 and then roads for the next 4 days.

 

[TheFlashPoint]

Stephen Fleming praises Tom Latham, calls for tougher cricket wickets in NZ

Fleming said the type of pitches prepared in New Zealand isn't helping the national side, particularly their batting, suggesting a move back to the pitches of yesteryear.

Green seamers which provided a good battle between bat and ball were once what was expected on a tour of New Zealand, but of late teams have come to expect exceptional batting wickets.

"Now I'm not a batsman in the competition, I do think the wickets are too good," Fleming said.

"I think we have to settle on a style of cricket in New Zealand, rather than try and be everything. We have to go back to what we know, and certainly even it up.

"The best games at the moment is where there is a balance between bat and ball.

"Domestic cricket, and test matches to a degree, there was a bit of talk last year about spicing up the wickets, which didn't happen. It certainly didn't happen at Hagley Park.

"The balance between bat and ball has to be consistent throughout the game and it's not quite right in New Zealand at the moment."

Fleming went on to lament the balance in New Zealand wickets.

"What are we doing here? We're just playing on roads, where it's hard to get a result, so we might be getting better cricketers but it's not equating to a jump up the rankings.

"It's not hard for a team to come and tour here. Go back to what successful New Zealand teams in the past have played on. To move forward, maybe we need to look at history and see what works."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricke...m-while-calling-for-more-even-cricket-wickets

 

[Slog]

Theres a good chance we might see 2002 type pitches which greeted India

 

[Barragan]

I would be shocked and surprised, if NZ don't serve up lush, green pitches.

Surely, they would be much more comfortable on those surfaces, compared to Pak.

Hopefully, Wahab isn't selected in the 11 because he is a complete dud on those tracks.

 

[Asim2Good]

Worry abt Turners your team have to face pretty soon in India

 

[street cricketer]

Theres a good chance we might see 2002 type pitches which greeted India

Still remember that series.

All matches got over in 3 days lmao..

Daryl Tuffey was lethal in that series.

 

[aloo paratha]

Said it as soon as the Ind-NZ series got over.

Boult hasn't lost his bite btw. Was the most impressive of all the pacers from both sides imo. Pakistan would do well to not take him lightly.

He had lost his bite for a while, could hardly hit 130 for the most part of this year, but thankfully he has regained his pace and I agree he has been the best of the 2 sides.

 

[aloo paratha]

If they produce a green top, it'll likely do as much, if not more damage to New Zealand than us. Our batting is pretty solid, all they have is Williamson and Latham, maybe Neesham to an extent, he played well in the few chances he got in India. An attack of Amir, Rahat and Sohail is no joke on a green top, we can wreck their batting!

 

[joly]

Pitches will not be green, a very good test series on the cards,excited! Pakistan will be benefited if it is a greentop, the pacers are toothless,so they can use some assistance

 

[NauV]

New Zealand has been struggling of late.

The batting looks vulnerable and the bowling has been turned on its head since Trent Boult lost his bite, with the medium-paced left-arm short-pitched bowler Neil Wagner doing most of the damage.

The problem for Pakistan is that the groundsmen are reported to have been instructed to produce greentops for the two Tests at Christchurch and Hamilton, in the hope of restoring New Zealand's winning ways.

Today was the final match at Hamilton's Seddon Oval before the Test match starts in 20 days and the groundsman certainly has taken his orders to task. Here is what happened on Day 1:

Northern Districts 138 all out in 29.5 overs
Canterbury 112 all out in 35 overs (Southee 12-3-39-5, Anderson 3-1-5-1)
Northern Districts 13-1 in 7.5 overs

I repeat, that's just Day 1!

21 wickets on Day 1!

I hope the Pakistanis understand what awaits them. We are looking at a pair of serious greentops for this series.

Here's my theory . . The best way for teams outside of Asia to beat Pakistan is to prepare batting tracks and nullify our bowling! Kinda like Old Trafford and Edgbaston . .

For me, as consistent as Pakistan's batting has been in the UAE, it has all the capacity in the world to self destruct in absolutely fine batting conditions (Sharjah against WI) . . Pakistan's ability to rack up 400s and 500s outside of Asia is weak to say the least . . the bounce in NZ and Aus will be good enough for this Pak batting line up . . As far as I am concerned, Pakistan's batting maxes out (on average) at around 350 . . So therefore, if I were NZ or Aus, I would just be creating flat tracks because I would rely on my bowlers to get Pak out cheaply with the extra bounce and natural movement you get in those parts of the world (esp with the new ball) . .

Now if they prepare green tops . . Our batting would ofcourse struggle, but rest assured . . our bowling with Amir, Rahat and Sohail (esp) will be just as lethal . . by no means am I saying that Pakistan would win . . I am just saying that in my opinoin Pakistan has a greater chance of winning when it's a "bowling match up" than they do when it's a "batting match up"

In conclusion . . I firmly believe that SA, NZ, Aus and Eng have their best chance to win against Pakistan by preparing batting tracks and nullifying our bowlers . . in a batting shoot out outside of Asia . . teams will fancy their chances winning against Pak more often than not . .

 

[jeetu]

Theres a good chance we might see 2002 type pitches which greeted India

That NZ team has Shane Bond as lead bowler bowling 150K on consistent basis.

 

[Robert]

Last time England were there we got three dead test tracks. A lot depends on the weather.

 

[90MPH]

I don't mind seaming green tracks but the problem in NZ is the team winning the toss and bowling first gets a massive advantage as the tracks flatten by day 2.

Either the pitches should be consistently seaming around or there should
Be a balance where the pitch favours the bowlers a bit at the start and then detoriate towards the end of end.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

I don't mind seaming green tracks but the problem in NZ is the team winning the toss and bowling first gets a massive advantage as the tracks flatten by day 2.

Either the pitches should be consistently seaming around or there should
Be a balance where the pitch favours the bowlers a bit at the start and then detoriate towards the end of end.

True.

Add to that some green tracks becoming a road after 2 days. Those are horrible too.

I would love to see a series between Pak vs NZ in green tracks that stay green.

Or tracks that have some life throughout and don't flatten out bad.

Any chance of that happening? [MENTION=141557]Chief Destroyer[/MENTION]

 

[Chief Destroyer]

True.

Add to that some green tracks becoming a road after 2 days. Those are horrible too.

I would love to see a series between Pak vs NZ in green tracks that stay green.

Or tracks that have some life throughout and don't flatten out bad.

Any chance of that happening? [MENTION=141557]Chief Destroyer[/MENTION]

It depends on the weather.

 

[The_Odd_One]

Green pitches will actually hurt NZ more because it will give more assistance to Pakistani pacers who on flat tracks have struggled to take wickets.

 

[Big Mac]

Rahat Ali trouble awaits New Zealand, they should be trembling in anticipation of his night watchman abilities

 

[troodon]

It will be a greentop for the day 1 and then roads for the next 4 days.

This.

Who ever wins the toss and bowls first will be in the drivers seat for the rest of the game. Team batting first will be bundled out for less than 250. Team batting second will score over 450.

Winning toss is really important in NZ Tests.

 

[Saj]

I actually think that if NZ prepare green tops the Pakistani bowlers will really challenge the home team's batsmen also, so it could in effect work in Pakistan's favour.

 

[salih]

I don't think the greentops of NZ will be as much of a challenge when compared to the bounce in Australia. I think Pakistan's batsmen are much more suited to facing swing bowling than bounce. The techniques are generally compact, and the batsmen are extremely disciplined (especially Azhar Ali), and will leave as many balls as it takes to get settled. This was showcased in England where, although the wickets were definitely not green mambas, there was something in it for the seamers, and Pakistan batted quite well generally.

Plus, the greentops will hopefully allow Amir to finally return to his pre-fixing prowess.

 

[Justcrazy]

Green pitch will suit Pakistan bowlers as well. Pakistan would not mind that . Low scoring games suit Pakistan more.

 

[pak4life]

Totally agree. Green wickets will not cause much problem as we don't have many dashers in our batting line up. A hard surface with bounce has caused Pakistan problems many a time as we tend to play on the front foot and are very poor pullers and hookers.We will struggle in Australia for sure.

 

[Deewana Mastana]

I can see Anderson and Neesham causing trouble.

 

[Aman]

All talk.

We'll get the usual 1 day green wicket, which we'll bat on and fold for less than 200 before Pakistan take a 200 run innings lead going into the third.

Dumb idea when you lose the toss 99% of the time.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

All talk.

We'll get the usual 1 day green wicket, which we'll bat on and fold for less than 200 before Pakistan take a 200 run innings lead going into the third.

Dumb idea when you lose the toss 99% of the time.

What happens if you bowl first?

 

[Justcrazy]

I don't mind seaming green tracks but the problem in NZ is the team winning the toss and bowling first gets a massive advantage as the tracks flatten by day 2.

Either the pitches should be consistently seaming around or there should
Be a balance where the pitch favours the bowlers a bit at the start and then detoriate towards the end of end.

They may loose the toss also.

 

[Bilal7]

I really hope they make the mistake of giving greentops to Pakistan. Ross Taylor's career will be over and Kane Williamson will have another failure.

 

[Aman]

What happens if you bowl first?

Depends on how well we bowl.

If Boult, Southee, Henry etc do well, we would be so far ahead of the game that Pakistan won't be able to fight back.

Our wickets become flat by day 2 and highways by day 3 on wards.

 

[abc_to_xyz]

New Zealand batting is worse than ours. They are the ones who should be worried. Other than Williamson and Latham rest of the batting weak and questionable. Martin guptil will be opening, I mean come on that's a joke.

As long as Azhar and Sami survive 10-15 overs we will score big. I'll back Amir,Rahat, Sohail to cause nz batting trouble.

We got a habit of turning out-of-form batsmen on.

 

[Hasan123]

We got a habit of turning out-of-form batsmen on.

That is a worry but still believe we will have enough to beat them.

 

[Timewaster]

Who ever wins the toss will win. Think this is stupid and not fair.
NZ pitches seam around a lot on the first day especially the first 2 sessions, then becomes very flat and get better and better to bat on everyday.
NZ cant prepare a green top because if they lose the toss they lose the game, which they tried against Aussie last year but lost the toss in both games.
NZ cricket seem to be a deppressing state again like it was 10 years ago.

Looking forward to this series though, on paper Pakistan should win, but that goes out the window on the toss.

 

[desirous of desire]

Pakistan is different than other Asian tourists .

Many teams become sceptical about giving Pakistan a lethal wicket as they always have well rounded attack.

 

[NZ Fan]

I don't think we are going to see the Green for 1 day then flat kind of pitches we've seen in recent years.

It will be a throwback to 2002 Indian tour.

3 Reasons for this.

1. the approach we've used in recent years hasn't worked for us. We lose too many tosses and are sent in to bat on a pitch that flattens out for teams batting second.
2. It's the first series of spring, this has been one of the wettest springs I can remember in NZ. So much rain, so I doubnt it's even possible to prepare a pitch any other way.
3. Our batting lineup is worse now that McCullum has gone, it's a good way to even up our chances if batting is difficult for both teams

 

[NZ Fan]

It will be a greentop for the day 1 and then roads for the next 4 days.

Not sure it will be possible to prepare a pitch like this. There has been so much rain lately that I think we are getting green seamers and matches that last 3-4 days

 

[NZ Fan]

New Zealand batting is worse than ours. They are the ones who should be worried. Other than Williamson and Latham rest of the batting weak and questionable. Martin guptil will be opening, I mean come on that's a joke.

As long as Azhar and Sami survive 10-15 overs we will score big. I'll back Amir,Rahat, Sohail to cause nz batting trouble.

Rumours that Guptill will drop to number 5. (Anyone but Ronchi please)

Jeet Raval and Dean Brownlie are opening the batting for New Zealand A this week against the tourists. I think this may be a straight shootout as to who partners Latham at the top.

 

[R1ddlR]

I think our England Tour experience will help us in NZ Conditions - playing against the likes of Anderson, Broad and Woakes to some extent in those conditions.

Agree with [MENTION=138837]Timewaster[/MENTION].

 

[Hasan123]

Rumours that Guptill will drop to number 5. (Anyone but Ronchi please)

Jeet Raval and Dean Brownlie are opening the batting for New Zealand A this week against the tourists. I think this may be a straight shootout as to who partners Latham at the top.

Thanks for the information. Will keep any eye out on there scores.

 

[Markhor]

Surely Guptill has to go, his Test form has been dismal.

Our batting despite the odd moment of madness, is more resilient and solid than its predecessors. There are a lot of grafters. However I still worry how we'd cope on green, spicy wickets.

We didn't cope well with swing and seam last year in Sri Lanka, particularly at the P Sara Oval where there was some live grass on the pitch.

 

[R1ddlR]

Rumours that Guptill will drop to number 5. (Anyone but Ronchi please)

Jeet Raval and Dean Brownlie are opening the batting for New Zealand A this week against the tourists. I think this may be a straight shootout as to who partners Latham at the top.

Does this mean Ross Taylor is being shown the door? i love Rossy but he needs to hang the boots.

 

[Boom boom legend]

Would love it if we had a greentop actually. Just feel Amir needs than one session where he could rip through a lineup to get his mojo back.

Hopefully we see him swinging the ball and a 5fer would be brilliant. It would really boost his confidence and show why he is rated so highly by many.

 

[Boom boom legend]

Although saying that, I think his performances so far have been fine considering how long he has been out and the conditions he has bowled in which haven't offered much help.

 

[NZ Fan]

Does this mean Ross Taylor is being shown the door? i love Rossy but he needs to hang the boots.

No way. Form is temporary, Class is permanent

Taylor will come right, look at his average

 

[Hadi Rizvi]

I think that if they prepare greentops then PAK will probably blow them away. Our middle order and Sami Aslam are solid enough to score on greentops. IMO it would be a treat to watch Rahat, Amir and Sohail on a greentop.

 

[R1ddlR]

No way. Form is temporary, Class is permanent

Taylor will come right, look at his average

i pray for his sake he performs well - he tends to play well against Pakistan and or at home anyways!

 

[yasir]

It will be a greentop for the day 1 and then roads for the next 4 days.

Why would they make a track that is heavily dependent upon toss?? - Well, Misbah has been winning lot of tosses lately, that may not work very well anyway

 

[yasir]

Surely Guptill has to go, his Test form has been dismal.

Our batting despite the odd moment of madness, is more resilient and solid than its predecessors. There are a lot of grafters. However I still worry how we'd cope on green, spicy wickets.

We didn't cope well with swing and seam last year in Sri Lanka, particularly at the P Sara Oval where there was some live grass on the pitch.

One of the difference between batting under Misbah is that Batting line up take overseas performance lot more seriously and with pride than before, Misbah and YK work lot harder in western conditions at this age, even if that does not always looks like to be working... Same is true with Azhar, Sarfraz and Shafiq (Hafeez use to hide from west, good that he is gone)...Sami has done the same, his concentration in England was exemplary, I don't remember any Pakistan opener so focus in those testing conditions against one the the best new ball attack (Anderson, Broad, Woakes, Finn) and blunt them all day... I expect same from Babar, culture is right in the team ATM...

If Conditions are very tough upfront, whole thing depend upon Azhar and Sami to see off the new ball, but they are our best bet against new ball any way... But its not going to be easy for Kiwis if Amir and Rahat gets new ball either and Pakistanis started Catching from very first over

Pakistan is not down and out with Green top, risk is equal for both sides...I am hoping for a good series!!

 

[Chief Destroyer]

I don't think we are going to see the Green for 1 day then flat kind of pitches we've seen in recent years.

It will be a throwback to 2002 Indian tour.

3 Reasons for this.

1. the approach we've used in recent years hasn't worked for us. We lose too many tosses and are sent in to bat on a pitch that flattens out for teams batting second.
2. It's the first series of spring, this has been one of the wettest springs I can remember in NZ. So much rain, so I doubnt it's even possible to prepare a pitch any other way.
3. Our batting lineup is worse now that McCullum has gone, it's a good way to even up our chances if batting is difficult for both teams

Encouraging signs. Would love to see a shootout.

 

[Hamza_]

England Prepared Flat Pitches and still were unable to win. Kiwis will prepare green tops

 

[Robert]

England Prepared Flat Pitches and still were unable to win. Kiwis will prepare green tops

Should have made four greentops and backed the seamers, but you rarely see these any more in England and Wales.

 

[Inzi_fan_No_1]

Still very early into NZ Spring/Summer. The weather will be cold and overcast. The ball will move green pitch or not.

 

[Rayyman]

England Prepared Flat Pitches and still were unable to win. Kiwis will prepare green tops

Amir and Sohail Khan will run through NZ on green tops. Guptill is soo bad right now.

 

[Rayyman]

Still very early into NZ Spring/Summer. The weather will be cold and overcast. The ball will move green pitch or not.

Won't be cold. 60 degrees F is actually pretty mild.

 

[NZ Fan]

Popped down to hagley oval last night guys and had a look at the pitch they are preparing for the 1st test.

A couple of things to note.
It's been one of the dampest springs I can remember so far, so much rain.
Rain is forecast every day until*the test starts in 9 days.
Yet the Groundsman has the sprinklers on the pitch anyway.

The photo is of the actual test match pitch

 

[NZ Fan]

Sprinklers are on the pitch!

 

[R1ddlR]

Sprinklers are on the pitch!

View attachment 70497

GREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN TOP.

Will the NZ Attack be: Milne, Nicholls, Southee, Boult?

I think Southee was injured and Milne isn't ready for tests yet? I really rate Nicholls i hope they pick him.

 

[ExplicitAI]

Popped down to hagley oval last night guys and had a look at the pitch they are preparing for the 1st test.

A couple of things to note.
It's been one of the dampest springs I can remember so far, so much rain.
Rain is forecast every day until*the test starts in 9 days.
Yet the Groundsman has the sprinklers on the pitch anyway.

The photo is of the actual test match pitch

View attachment 70496

I've never seen a cricket pitch looking like this ever in my life. This is so green.

 

[NZ Fan]

GREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN TOP.

Will the NZ Attack be: Milne, Nicholls, Southee, Boult?

I think Southee was injured and Milne isn't ready for tests yet? I really rate Nicholls i hope they pick him.

Milne won't play, he's always injured.

I wonder if we will go for 4 seamers. Boult, Southee, Wagner, Henry (it's Henry's home pitch).

But my guess is that Neesham plays instead of Henry (if not injured)

Havent heard an update on Southee's injury.


Interesting that you rate Nicholl's. He's had a tough start to his career and must be nearing his final chance..There are players with far better averages in First Class cricket knocking at the door.

My pick is that they play Guptil at 5 and bring in a new opener

 

[Abdullah719]

Milne won't play, he's always injured.

I wonder if we will go for 4 seamers. Boult, Southee, Wagner, Henry (it's Henry's home pitch).

But my guess is that Neesham plays instead of Henry (if not injured)

Havent heard an update on Southee's injury.


Interesting that you rate Nicholl's. He's had a tough start to his career and must be nearing his final chance..There are players with far better averages in First Class cricket knocking at the door.

My pick is that they play Guptil at 5 and bring in a new opener

Seems to be doing fine:

Tim Southee warms up for NZ v Pakistan test series with seven wickets in ND victory

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricke...-test-series-with-seven-wickets-in-nd-victory

 

[Hadi Rizvi]

Popped down to hagley oval last night guys and had a look at the pitch they are preparing for the 1st test.

A couple of things to note.
It's been one of the dampest springs I can remember so far, so much rain.
Rain is forecast every day until*the test starts in 9 days.
Yet the Groundsman has the sprinklers on the pitch anyway.

The photo is of the actual test match pitch

View attachment 70496

Can't wait to see Amir, Sohail and Rahat on this pitch

 

[Junaids]

That is a pitch made for Mohammad Asif, isn't it?

Pakistan has the wrong team for these conditions - I'd want Mohammad Asif, I'd want Ehsan Adil and I'd want Hasan Ali in the squad too.

 

[f.b.m]

Popped down to hagley oval last night guys and had a look at the pitch they are preparing for the 1st test.

A couple of things to note.
It's been one of the dampest springs I can remember so far, so much rain.
Rain is forecast every day until*the test starts in 9 days.
Yet the Groundsman has the sprinklers on the pitch anyway.

The photo is of the actual test match pitch

View attachment 70496

Do you play for St. Albans or Riccarton?

 

[Bilal7]

Most of that grass will be shaved off, guys, so expect more swing because of the conditions rather than seam movement because of the pitch.

Will be interesting to see how Yasir approaches this test.

 

[Junaids]

To be fair, the Aussies were equally baffled by a similar amount of grass on the pitch at Wellington nine months ago.

But they had the incredible good fortune to bowl first, and by mid-afternoon it was turning brown and the assistance for bowlers was gone - but they had skittled NZ for 183, and then rattled up 562 on the stone dead pitch that was left after the grass died.

November is a bit different - less blazing sun - even though it's Christchurch.

 

[f.b.m]

November is a bit different - less blazing sun - even though it's Christchurch.

View attachment 70501

Last summer was a lot dryer than this one. Here its just rained and rained this time so I'd expect the ball to seam around for a lot longer.

 

[NZ Fan]

Do you play for St. Albans or Riccarton?

Southern Districts!

 

[aloo paratha]

Insanely green But most of the grass will be gone by the time of the match.

 

[Big Mac]

Don't worry, the pitch won't look anything like that when the captains get together for the toss.

Spare a thought for me, having to open the batting on this wicket last season.

iirc I made 8 before giving catching practice to first slip, which I reckon puts me in contention for the test squad.

 

[Chrish]

would be foolish move considering what has happened recently..

 

[MenInG]

After being blasted by Stephen Fleming on social media last summer, Hagley Oval head groundsman Rupert Bool is remaining true to his philosophy a pitch should be fair.

So not for him a green top suited to New Zealand or a spinner's delight favouring Pakistan.

That will come as a relief to both sets of coaches in the countdown to the first of the two-test series, starting in Christchurch next Thursday.

Former New Zealand captain Fleming criticised Bool on Twitter before February's test against Australia after he stated "we're not here to serve up a pitch to suit New Zealand".

Fleming didn't see any reason why groundsmen shouldn't work with the home side to tailor pitches to their advantage with New Zealand regularly playing on dust bowls in the sub-continent which favour opposition spinners.

Bool said all first class groundsmen in the country liaised with New Zealand Cricket's general manager of grounds and facilities, Ian McKendry, and were given rough guidance, but not instructed what pitches to prepare.

"It's generally the same message of a good fair, cricket wicket. There's no real directive.

"It's up to the teams and the weather to help us out a bit."

Bool predicted a typical Hagley pitch, which would offer benefits for both batsmen and bowlers.

It should nip about and assist the seamers early on, but will flatten out and be a decent one to bat on as the test wears on.

In last week's Plunket Shield match between Canterbury and Central Districts at the venue, 24 wickets alarmingly fell to spin, but Bool didn't anticipate anything similar on a fresh strip prepared in the middle of the wicket block.

"It will be more traditional New Zealand conditions. [The last match at Hagley] was a bit of an anomaly for first class cricket. I don't think that will be likely to happen test match time."

He tipped the wicket to closely resemble the one used for the 2014 Boxing Day test between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, the first international match at the boutique ground.

"With the Australian test [in February], we had three 30 degree, very hot windy days, which sucked a lot of life out of the pitch very quickly.

"I don't expect that to happen in November. It's a really nice time of year to prepare a test wicket."

This will be the earliest Christchurch has hosted a test for the summer, with Lancaster Park staging December matches against Sri Lanka in 2006 and Pakistan [1995].

A November test presents its own set of challenges, notably Christchurch's temperamental spring weather.

Plenty of rain is forecast in the city over the next week, which will keep Bool and his ground staff extra busy.

Hagley has received rave reviews from both players and match officials during its short existence as an international ground.

It has been rewarded with 25 days of international cricket over the next two summers, including a much anticipated test against England in 2018.

Bool was proud of what he and his hard-working team had achieved. Only one Plunket Shield match hasn't produced a result since the ground was redeveloped in 2013.

He is quick to note how rapidly things can unravel, which is always in the back of the mind.

"Every game puts up new challenges. You're only one mistake away from having a real bad one and tarnishing the venue's reputation and something going wrong."

The 34-year-old is in his dream job as Hagley's chief curator.

He has two full-time ground staff in Ash Head and Steve Tsukigawa who he reckons "could run any ground in the country".

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricke...wicket-waiting-for-black-caps-in-christchurch

 

[Rinnegan Sasuke]

Don't worry, the pitch won't look anything like that when the captains get together for the toss.

Spare a thought for me, having to open the batting on this wicket last season.

iirc I made 8 before giving catching practice to first slip, which I reckon puts me in contention for the test squad.

I now see why you're such a fan of

 

[Markhor]

Rain is forecasted for Day 1 and Day 2 of the First Test in Christchurch - plus the two days prior to the start of play.

http://www.metservice.com/towns-cities/christchurch/christchurch#!/ten-day

 

[NZ Fan]

After being blasted by Stephen Fleming on social media last summer, Hagley Oval head groundsman Rupert Bool is remaining true to his philosophy a pitch should be fair.

So not for him a green top suited to New Zealand or a spinner's delight favouring Pakistan.

That will come as a relief to both sets of coaches in the countdown to the first of the two-test series, starting in Christchurch next Thursday.

Former New Zealand captain Fleming criticised Bool on Twitter before February's test against Australia after he stated "we're not here to serve up a pitch to suit New Zealand".

Fleming didn't see any reason why groundsmen shouldn't work with the home side to tailor pitches to their advantage with New Zealand regularly playing on dust bowls in the sub-continent which favour opposition spinners.

Bool said all first class groundsmen in the country liaised with New Zealand Cricket's general manager of grounds and facilities, Ian McKendry, and were given rough guidance, but not instructed what pitches to prepare.

"It's generally the same message of a good fair, cricket wicket. There's no real directive.

"It's up to the teams and the weather to help us out a bit."

Bool predicted a typical Hagley pitch, which would offer benefits for both batsmen and bowlers.

It should nip about and assist the seamers early on, but will flatten out and be a decent one to bat on as the test wears on.

In last week's Plunket Shield match between Canterbury and Central Districts at the venue, 24 wickets alarmingly fell to spin, but Bool didn't anticipate anything similar on a fresh strip prepared in the middle of the wicket block.

"It will be more traditional New Zealand conditions. [The last match at Hagley] was a bit of an anomaly for first class cricket. I don't think that will be likely to happen test match time."

He tipped the wicket to closely resemble the one used for the 2014 Boxing Day test between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, the first international match at the boutique ground.

"With the Australian test [in February], we had three 30 degree, very hot windy days, which sucked a lot of life out of the pitch very quickly.

"I don't expect that to happen in November. It's a really nice time of year to prepare a test wicket."

This will be the earliest Christchurch has hosted a test for the summer, with Lancaster Park staging December matches against Sri Lanka in 2006 and Pakistan [1995].

A November test presents its own set of challenges, notably Christchurch's temperamental spring weather.

Plenty of rain is forecast in the city over the next week, which will keep Bool and his ground staff extra busy.

Hagley has received rave reviews from both players and match officials during its short existence as an international ground.

It has been rewarded with 25 days of international cricket over the next two summers, including a much anticipated test against England in 2018.

Bool was proud of what he and his hard-working team had achieved. Only one Plunket Shield match hasn't produced a result since the ground was redeveloped in 2013.

He is quick to note how rapidly things can unravel, which is always in the back of the mind.

"Every game puts up new challenges. You're only one mistake away from having a real bad one and tarnishing the venue's reputation and something going wrong."

The 34-year-old is in his dream job as Hagley's chief curator.

He has two full-time ground staff in Ash Head and Steve Tsukigawa who he reckons "could run any ground in the country".

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricke...wicket-waiting-for-black-caps-in-christchurch

Was going to post the same article.

He's telling a few little lies there, it's hardly a secret NZ cricket have told him to prepare a greentop. I'm going to wander down at lunch time and have another look at the pitch. I predict he will have the sprinklers on

And in other news, Guptill finally dropped. I've wanted to see Raval get an opportunity for a while. Sounds like Nicholls will be at 5.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricke...ll-with-jeet-raval-todd-astle-set-for-callups

 

[NZ Fan]

Popped down and had another look at the pitch today. Bumped into Stephen Fleming and Brendon McCullum at lunch afterwards.

Sprinklers were on the pitch again. Fleming wants a green seamer for all 5 days

 

[Big Mac]

I now see why you're such a fan of

There are two types of people in this world. Rahat Ali fans, and people who have yet to realise that they're Rahat Ali fans.

 

[Pete Rose]

The pitch will make no difference to the results in this series. I expect Pakistan to continue as they have historically against NZ in NZ

 

[Amjid Javed]

A green wickets does not always mean that is going to seam around.. a lot will depend on overhead conditions to allow for ball to move around.. if kiwis want a green mamba then go ahead as that will help our bowlers run through kiwis line up easily in the game.