Darkest before the Dawn

Whisper it quietly but we may, just may, have a half decent New Zealand cricket team on our hands.

Back in 2010/2011 we had lost to just about everyone imaginable. Defeats against Bangladesh, India and Pakistan in test series and in one day series were followed up later by a huge loss to Zimbabwe in an ODI.  Had we played the Cook Islands we would have lost to them. But as the saying goes, it is always darkest before the dawn. Just as web sites were being made laughing at our inability to play cricket (damn there was supposed to be a link here to a website purporting to be a Black Caps supporters site with amusing things for sale like buckets to cry into and stuff - can't find it now though). Languishing in 8th place in test cricket and with that miraculous semi-final in the World Cup seemingly a long time ago, we pitched up to Australia and took a beating in the first test.

But with John Wright in charge, a shuffling of the batting order, discovering some decent bowlers in Bracewell and Boult, adding some steel and grit in Brownlie, and actually having a decent fight for places in the team (Ryder no longer a certainty) has made us into a decent scrapper again. If we could get McCullum to wear the gloves again we really do have a decent team. Removing Vettori from the captaincy has been a fit of genius. Without him having to be the best batter, bowler, captain, selector, coach, manager and masseur, we've freed up everyone else to be a bit better at their game.

The test series draw in Australia was fantastic, the follow up smashing of Zimbabwe was great including a first victory ever at Maclean Park, traditionally the home of our greatest humiliations, and today a beating of the world's best team, South Africa. Alright it was only in the pretend pub sport of T20, but a win is a win. And how good is Guptil at the moment, 6 half centuries in a row equalling Andrew Jones record for NZ. Bloke was unstoppable today, even after wearing one on the head from Rusty. Not bad for a 'skinger'.

You shouldn't make our Marty angry

We may well end up losing in the test series but I feel more confident that we'll give them a decent game now.

While we're talking cricket, this looks a bit blinking good. Fire in Babylon, the story of the Windies cricket team of the late 70s and 80s. Hopefully there's a bit of coverage of their loss to us in the test series in 79/80.