Depression and Destruction

It's been my first post in a wee while. Time, my new girlfriend, my new job, and actual time out in the middle have all conspired against me. However, the recent disintegration on the High Veldt has inspired me to pick the quill and parchment and spill a little vitriolic ink. Last night's second consecutive innings defeat at the hands of the Protea's would have other countries screaming the end is nigh, not a New Zealand cricket fan. The way in which our bowling attack seems to spend more time in the hospital bed than in the middle would have some fans crying about their luck, but not a New Zealand cricket fan. It seems that failure in cricket is such an inevitable occurence in the psyche of a New Zealand cricket fan that such horrific occurences (that being innings defeats and the inevitable injury of our bowling spearhead) are but the signs on the bumpy road that is our plight. Victories, held to be so few and far between, are met with unbridled elation, or sceptical dismissal. Suckers for punishment we are, we have become so used to life going on after another horrifc dismemberment on a foreign pitch that bottling the pain seems second nature. Oh to be Australian.

As for the cricket itself, Dan the Man has every right to express his disgust. The lack of test cricket we've played in the last 12 months (8 tests compared to SAffer's 19) has been the key to our horrific downfall. That and a frightfully poor buildup. Why couldn't have we arranged a few games v. a New Zealand B side before even hitting the High Veldt? Our bowling attack, amongst the wickets in the poor quality conditions provided for warm up matches, were rightfully exposed on two quality test match decks by their quality test match batsmen. And our batting, lord our batting, no runs either in the warm ups, nor in the tests. Our boys looked horribly out of nick and were exposed by a polished, practiced, South African side fresh from dispatching the Paki's AWAY from home.

My call? It may be too late to draft Skippy Sinclair into the ranks, the horse may have bolted, but at least give the guy another go. Drop Michael Papps, open with Jamie How or Flem and get them all as quickly as possible back into domestic cricket. As for our bowlers, the same dosage. Chris Martin and Mark Gillepsie didn't look too out of their depth, I like the fact we have two guy consistently bowling upwards of 135 kph in the lineup. However Iain O'Brien should be sent back to get some rhythm and Dan Vettori to counselling for the mauling he took physically and mentally. Poor Bugger, reminds me of Crowe's first tour of duty to Pakistan in 1990. An equally horrific affair at the hands of the two W's.

Oh well, I'm off to work now with the sole aim of avoiding any further discussion of last night's unmentionables.

At least the Lankan's are getting mauled as well.