Showing posts with label new zealand. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new zealand. Show all posts

Finn ready for challenge ahead

Posted: Monday, April 22, 2013 by Anonymous in Labels: , , , , ,
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Steven Finn is excited ahead of a "huge year" of international cricket which sees England host the Champions Trophy and take on Australia in back-to-back Ashes series.


Finn had injury problems in India before Christmas but played a full part in the tour of New Zealand and is expected to be a key member of England's attack  in The Ashes this summer.

The 24-year-old, who has taken 80 wickets in 20 Tests, has turned out for Middlesex at Lord's this week, his first appearance of the season.

He hit the ground running with 4-51 from 26 overs in Derbyshire's first innings. Punters may want to use their free bet to back Finn to top the wicket taking charts this summer.

Finn will be hoping to pick up a few more wickets before New Zealand arrive for a two-Test series next month, the start of a 12-month international calendar which includes the 2014 Twenty20 World Cup in Bangladesh.

"The next 12 months doesn't get any bigger, really. It's a huge year for us in both Test and one-day cricket. I really can't wait for it to start," the fast bowler told The Independent.

Finn said he was happy with how the winter went on a personal level, particularly his performances at the T20 World Cup where he was England's leading wicket-taker.

"I think I bowled well and kept the runs tight which is important. I was slightly disappointed not to play more of a part in India, to get injured before and after that one Test I played was disappointing. But I felt I got my rhythm back in the one-day series over there and then the New Zealand trip, as a whole, was also a success," he added.

Despite enjoying a good winter, Finn will face competition for his England place from the likes of Chris Tremlett and Graham Onions. Consistency will be the key for Finn during an action-packed summer.

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Possible KP Absence blows Ashes Series Wide Open

Posted: Wednesday, March 20, 2013 by Anonymous in Labels: , , , , , , , ,
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England’s hopes of winning another Ashes series on home soil are under threat after batsman, Kevin Pietersen, was ruled out of the spring competition with a right knee injury.

Pietersen, England’s talismanic number four, suffered the hurt during preparations for his side’s third and final Test with New Zealand, which begins on Thursday.

The 32-year-old is expected to be out for six to eight weeks, miss the Indian Premier League, and the start of the country cricket championship – an absence that could have a detrimental effect on his game heading into the international summer.

With England set to play a home series against the Kiwis before facing Australia, Pietersen will target that 16 May deadline as the date for his recovery.

However, there is still concern from cricket betting news outlets that he won’t be fit to face Australia later in the summer: a predicament that could leave England short in the batting order.

For Pietersen is the only real batsman England can rely upon to claw back a match-saving haul other than captain, Alastair Cook. Granted, Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, and potentially Joe Root are solid at the crease but they lack that flair and persistence that make great batsmen stand out in Ashes series.

Cook proved it last time out against Australia with three centuries, while Pietersen managed a 227 haul in Adelaide the same series.

If England are to scalp an average yet improving Australian bowling attack they need Pietersen in their order. Root is a good number six but neither he nor Jonny Bairstow are strong and experienced enough to take up a more important role up the order.

Hopefully, KP will quickly recover from this injury and be back in the England set-up without a problem, but there will remain a lingering doubt in the minds of fans claiming their in-play bet offer regarding his fitness heading into a major summer of Test cricket. Many such offers can be found at sites featuring betting apps although England fans should be wary of being overly confident against any Australia team intent on reclaiming the old urn.

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Buttler Impresses Despite England Loss

Posted: Thursday, February 7, 2013 by Anonymous in Labels: , , , , , , , ,
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England’s efforts to gain form ahead of their T20 series with New Zealand this February have suffered a minor blow after falling to defeat on the last ball of the game against an NZ XI on Wednesday.

Although England set their counterparts a tricky 170 to win after 20 overs, Tom Latham steered New Zealand XI towards the line with a resplendent 64, surviving four partnerships before Matt Henry hit the winnings runs on the final delivery.

A defeat is the worst preparation for England’s tour of New Zealand, which gets properly underway in the three-match T20 series this weekend, but one positive note can be taken from the defeat.

For Jos Butler recorded his second-successive half-century to put England in complete control in Whangarei, the 22-year-old smashing 52 form 36 balls from sixth man. 

Butler’s performance – which supported the England innings after Alex Hales and Jonny Bairstow earlier fell for four and two respectively – kept England in the tie and his 87-run partnership with Eoin Morgan (who also totalled 51) was a real positive on the day.

What England lacked was a strong bowling attack capable of taking down Latham after Samit Patel took Hamish Rutherford 58 runs in. Despite Stuart Broad taking a hat-trick the day before, the captain’s team-mates failed to live up to his level and Broad’s 3-24 on Wednesday proved too late to stop New Zealand.

With a win, a loss, and an abandonment the result of three practice matches, England head into this T20 series in inconsistent form. They do have an outlet to win games, however, which will please fans indulging in England betting with Michael Vaughan – for Butler and Morgan appear a genuine middle-order partnership, while Broad’s presence in the attack makes any batting side vulnerable to a quick collapse.

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