Print

[langer17]

Watching him in the the 2 test series against Australia, he looks the goods. He's got a good solid technique and can graft an innings. Looks like a good find for NZ, and a loss for Australia as he could easily come into the team with the way it is atm.

The thing that is perplexing me is that he wasn't picked for the WA team, so he was just playing grade cricket over there in Perth. He then goes over NZ in 2009 to further his career, and he looks like a really good player. So how did they overlook him?

Maybe he just was burdened by not getting a go over here, and maybe once he left he felt free, then he started playing First Class cricket and scoring some runs. Good luck to him as there aren't many players I enjoy watching outside of Australian cricketers, but he is one of them. Others being Sangakarra and I can't believe I'm saying this........ Strauss.

Could an Australian be New Zealands best batsman? Well not quite, Taylor would be best, but he is up there.

[Village Trundler]

They had Phil Hughes and Steve Smith lined up to usher in a new era of Australian glory mate!! Who needs people who can bat or bowl when you have blokes of that calibre??

[Number4]

The Australian batsmen are New Zealands best weapon

[uknsaunders]

Brownlie is batting too low. McCullum should keep and bat 6/7 in the Gilchrist counter attacking role. Fat Jesse up to open with Brownlie 3.

I see alot of Trott in Brownlie.

[Manormanic]

I think the standard of Grade cricket in Australia is a factor here - there are plenty of Grade sides who'd give our weaker D2 county sides a pasting - so Brownlie may just not have been picked up because of the wealth of quality around him.  But you are right, he looks quite excellent - an old fashioned cricketer, the kind of guy who places a value on his wicket and knows where he will score his runs.

[Buzz]

I think the standard of Grade cricket in Australia is a factor here - there are plenty of Grade sides who'd give our weaker D2 county sides a pasting - so Brownlie may just not have been picked up because of the wealth of quality around him.  But you are right, he looks quite excellent - an old fashioned cricketer, the kind of guy who places a value on his wicket and knows where he will score his runs.

Sorry i don't believe the standard is that good or people like Phillip Hughes would be nowhere near the test team and the aussie batsman wouldn't get rolled by the Kiwi's.
the Div 2 standard is decent enough.

[Manormanic]

Sorry i don't believe the standard is that good or people like Phillip Hughes would be nowhere near the test team and the aussie batsman wouldn't get rolled by the Kiwi's.
the Div 2 standard is decent enough.

To be fair to Hughes - and I usually love bagging the village idiot of Australian cricket as much as the next man - he averages 48 in first class cricket and has scored consistently at that level.  He's also taken good South African attacks apart.

He may well be the kind of player who starts well but is quickly found out once people have had the chance to study his method, but I don't think he is an example to cite of the weakness of Australian state and grade cricket!

[uknsaunders]

True, grade cricket is closer to first class but the structure of Aussie cricket means that clubs fill the void where states sides 6-18/b teams would of been. However, the fact alot of talented players exist and can "step-up" to first class and even test level, doesn't mean every club is a virtual Div B County side. Levels of professionalism vary, as do the facilities to get the best out of players. Over a season, you'd expect county sides to come out on top.

Tends to be alot of county championship bashing by other countries. I know of lads overseas who ask me if they can play county cricket, even though they have a modest non-first class cricket career lol, but the attitude that it's a poor standard is one I can't understand. In my opinion, the decline of the West Indies is linked to very few of them learning their trade in the CC.

[langer17]

When the state players over here don't play for their states, they play in the grade comps and they are pretty much like any other 1st grade player. There are alot of talented players who play grade cricket out there who just never got/get the chance and would almost have to bend over backwards while doring a forward somersault to get a go.

Over here there are only 6 teams in the top comp in Qld, Vic, Tas, SA, WA and NSW. Then there is the Futures League, which is pretty much the 2nd XI but states have to pick a minimum of 6 players under the age of 23. After that it is Grade cricket.

Over in the UK there are too many teams IMO, which basically means that average players (by FC standards) can make it to the top. On the other hand though, it does give players more opportunities to play high up, which can lead to unearthing a good player.

[jw17]

We are the best test side in the world at the moment so if its not broke why should we fix it?

[langer17]

We are the best test side in the world at the moment so if its not broke why should we fix it?

The thing is, from what I've read on here, a few teams are leaking money.

[Manormanic]

To be clear, I did not mean to suggest that Grade cricket was de facto first class, merely to suggest that the relative strength of grade cricket in most Australian state was high compared to cricket in the UK, where there is proportionately more "Sunday" cricket - this is helped by the regularity with which proven state players play for their grade clubs.

As for the comparison with English first class cricket, I merely stated that some of the top grade clubs would be fancied against the weak counties of D2 - by which I mean predominantly Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Glamorgan.  In saying that, I consider the experiences of my nephew, who came very close to playing for Derbyshire (would have debuted but for a ligament injury) but who found Grade cricket in Sydney to be, erm, shall we say challenging and spent some time in the B sides.   

[jw17]

The thing is, from what I've read on here, a few teams are leaking money.

Surely thats the people behind the scenes that are too blame for that but in a pure sense of creating good players its going very well for us.

[langer17]

Surely thats the people behind the scenes that are too blame for that but in a pure sense of creating good players its going very well for us.

If they got rid of those teams that were struggling, then it would make the competition stronger as there would be players moving to different teams and there would be heaps of competition for spots. That's my opinion, but obviously it would never happen.

[Vic Nicholas]

To be clear, I did not mean to suggest that Grade cricket was de facto first class, merely to suggest that the relative strength of grade cricket in most Australian state was high compared to cricket in the UK, where there is proportionately more "Sunday" cricket - this is helped by the regularity with which proven state players play for their grade clubs.

As for the comparison with English first class cricket, I merely stated that some of the top grade clubs would be fancied against the weak counties of D2 - by which I mean predominantly Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Glamorgan.  In saying that, I consider the experiences of my nephew, who came very close to playing for Derbyshire (would have debuted but for a ligament injury) but who found Grade cricket in Sydney to be, erm, shall we say challenging and spent some time in the B sides.

Well he would be in good company!

Strauss struggled in grade cricket when he played in the Sydney comp before he was famous as did Botham who played over here in 1977.

Conversely Paul Collingwood was player of the year the year he was over here.

The top grade clubs would beat the lower rung D2 county sides, but that is about it.