Australia tour of New Zealand - Feb 2016

[Aidan11]

Just heard about McCullum beating the record for the fastest test 100 in number of balls.


I'm so glad Viv's record has finally been broken. Nothing personal against Viv, it's just that it was against us.

Pity McCullum didn't thrash a double ton!

I saw briefly he'd gone past 100 last night but I had no idea he was smashing it around. My thought at the time was will he make it a big one for his swansong.

[The Professor]

"Brendon McCullum fast ever Test ton causes concern over future of Test cricket"

Oh do *modded* off

[alfie]

Was fortunate enough to see B Mc make his first 130 before I had to head out to play my own match. OK he had some luck - but what an innings ! Turned the game on its head - though what will happen tomorrow is anyone's guess. But what a wonderful day of Test Cricket!

[shankycricket]

Bren goes, another good catch. Incredible. Hard to beat for innings of the year...

Root's hundred at Jo'burg was better IMHO.


Will take a miracle for Australia to come out of this situation. I can see this going the Cardiff way.

[Making_Splinters]

Bren goes, another good catch. Incredible. Hard to beat for innings of the year...

Root's hundred at Jo'burg was better IMHO.


Will take a miracle for Australia to come out of this situation. I can see this going the Cardiff way.

370 is hardly a dominating score, especially given the form of the Australian middle order.

[Durhamfootman]

Bren goes, another good catch. Incredible. Hard to beat for innings of the year...

better than Stokes?

[Arthur Crabtree]

Yes, I thought Australia would be happy enough with where they are.

[Gingerfinch]

The Kiwi's have a slight edge, but I wouldn't be giving up just yet if I were an Aussie.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Bren goes, another good catch. Incredible. Hard to beat for innings of the year...

better than Stokes?

Or Amla. I think so. NZ were trapped when he came to the crease, three down,and KW's form trapped under a rock. The ball was well on top. He didn't just exert pressure on the Aussies, he got their wheels skidding tractionless into reverse. He took the game completely out of Smith's hands, and left him helpless.

And there was the context of it being his last game for his country, and being clapped to the crease. And delivering when the whole of his country was uncommonly desperate for him to do so.

Against that, it was often an ugly innings, and it wasn't all that controlled. It was a bit of a sustained gamble, like just leaving your money on red for spin after spin, without any betrayal of nerves. It wasn't a Test match innings because it didn't pay any mind to the likelihood of success in he circumstance. Yet he succeeded.

And it was the only innings of the year that felt it would be part of the lore of the game.

But the concept of best doesn't mean much I suppose, in this context. Root, Stokes or Amla's could be better. Brendon's will be better in that more people will remember it, and more people will celebrate it, and more people will pick it as best of the year.

[shankycricket]

Bren goes, another good catch. Incredible. Hard to beat for innings of the year...

Root's hundred at Jo'burg was better IMHO.


Will take a miracle for Australia to come out of this situation. I can see this going the Cardiff way.

370 is hardly a dominating score, especially given the form of the Australian middle order.

Australian middle order in overseas conditions under scoreboard pressure usually ends in tears.

[Durhamfootman]

Bren goes, another good catch. Incredible. Hard to beat for innings of the year...

better than Stokes?

Or Amla. I think so. NZ were trapped when he came to the crease, three down,and KW's form trapped under a rock. The ball was well on top. He didn't just exert pressure on the Aussies, he got their wheels skidding tractionless into reverse. He took the game completely out of Smith's hands, and left him helpless.

Stokes scored a lot more runs, at a similar rate, under very similar circumstances, against a team ranked higher than Australia, and helping to set up an unexpected series win on the back of it

It being McCullum's last match is a fair point, and it does seem a fitting way for him to bow out

I haven't seen either innings so I can't really draw any conclusions of my own

[Arthur Crabtree]

Stokes made his runs on a pretty good batting track where he was able to play through the line throughout. It was a better innings in itself, but that's not always the point.

Your experience of the game rests (I think) on the impact of historic moments that have that aura about them. And they usually matter because of very human stories. Like a quiet man standing up to a bully alone (both High Noon, or Gooch at Headingley against the West Indies). Or a bromance about two people buried under a huge landslide and slowly, piece by piece extricating themselves until free, like VVS and the Wall in Kolkata. Why was our generation so blown away by Lara's innings in Bridgetown? It was a great innings, but surely it was because the once great WI empire had collapsed, and the Australians had come to trample on the embers, and Lara, operating mostly alone, snatched back the dignity of the Caribbean with sheer audacity, if only for a while. In the historic centre of their game?

Brendon's innings was written in the same materials as these stories. It might not be as good an innings as others played this year. But it will be less easily forgotten.

[Arthur Crabtree]

Waffle over.

Kiwis have ball in hand.

I'm not on nightshift anymore.

[backfootpunch]

excellent bowling from boult this morning and a deserved wicket

the australian gower nicks behind

personally i thought stokes innings was better to watch, as the strokes were more controlled and lets be honest as thrilling as mccullums knock was he was just slogging

stokes' innings was proper batting, he was playing proper cricket shots that just happened to fly 100 metres

they are both brilliant knocks and two that i feel fortunate to have seen

it was certainly worth only having 5 hours sleep put it that way and the fact it was against the aussies makes it even more enjoyable

[Arthur Crabtree]

Early wicket, after the bowlers didn't seem to be getting much help. Usman goes.