I play because I love the game: Tendulkar

[King]

"Harmison has 22 wickets in 3 matches at an ave of 20 against NZ ? so , is NZ also a "lesser" team ?" They certainly are. Serial underachievers.

"Under achievers" is a very harsh word to use Donny considering the pool of players from which the 14 can be chosen. Rugby is "The" sport" and cricket is only talked about during summer. Despite all this NZ most often does as good as anyone. I don't reckon NZ is a top team but they are not at the bottom of the list either. Every world cup NZ makes it to the semis and that shows we ain't that bad. Definitely not the top team but not under achievers either. NZ achieves as much as it should.

[Donny]

Valid observations, Ravi. At least re. ODIs and WC record. My comment was about NZ in Test cricket where, in recent years and with world rated stars - Bond, Vettori, Astle, Oram, Cairns, Styris, Fleming, McCullum etc. - they fail.

[King]

Valid observations, Ravi. At least re. ODIs and WC record. My comment was about NZ in Test cricket where, in recent years and with world rated stars - Bond, Vettori, Astle, Oram, Cairns, Styris, Fleming, McCullum etc. - they fail.

You are right you would have expected them to do well consistently but major stumbling block has been the injuries. Everyone in the list above but for McCullum and Flem have rested more than played in the last 4-5 years. I'm sure when all the above listed players were indeed available NZ did very well. As of now we are back to where we belong no.4 or no.5 both in ODIs and Tests. I'm sure that is not going to change in the near future :tounge_smile:

[The Outsider]

Bond, Vettori, Astle, Oram, Cairns, Styris, Fleming, McCullum

The only world class cricketers in the list are Bond and Cairns. Given that handicap they do very well in cricket.

[Donny]

"Given that handicap they do very well in cricket." Do you realise NZ has not won a single away Test against anyone above 8th. ranked WI since August 1999, when they beat England in England ?

[The Outsider]

Do you realise NZ has not won a single away Test against anyone above 8th. ranked WI since August 1999, when they beat England in England ?

With only two world class players and one of them perennially injured I would not expect more given the performance of all test teams away from home over the last decade. At least they win at home relatively consistently and put up a fight abroad. I've seldom seen a NZ side roll over like Indians and lately Pakistanis do abroad.

[Chandan]

PS; is there anyway we can contact Prem Panicker and ask him to occasionally post a line or two on our site ?

I have his email id. But I'm sure he won't agree to comment on our site. Or if there are better negotiators who can persuade him, then I can give the contact id to him!

[MundaPakistani]

With only two world class players and one of them perennially injured I would not expect more given the performance of all test teams away from home over the last decade. At least they win at home relatively consistently and put up a fight abroad. I've seldom seen a NZ side roll over like Indians and lately Pakistanis do abroad.

They have a good set up and play the game in a professional way...i remember on our last tour of NZ during the series they were ahead about 90% of the time but Shoiab turned the entire test match and the series is about 20 mins and from 95/3 they crumbled to 103 all out...similar thing has happened on a lot of the previous tours(test match at Hamilton in 1993 comes to mind) so when they do lose it's mainly due to the other team's brilliance rather than their own mistakes which are often very limited.

[Predator_05]

I have his email id. But I'm sure he won't agree to comment on our site. Or if there are better negotiators who can persuade him' date=' then I can give the contact id to him![/quote'] Hwo come you are so sure that he won't comment on our site, Chandu ? Ours is the biggest Indian cricket fansite on the internet.

[Chandan]

He doesn't have time these days, to even come back and reply the queries on his own posts. In 2005, he used to reply to us regularly because he was in US then and working on some other project of rediff. But if you can persude him, here is the id: prem.panicker@gmail.com

[beetle]

Good read Mr. Panicker........:wtg:

[gs]

Yes as long as he is on a cricket field.

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: