Questions Unanswered
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Five ODIs and the make-up of the World Cup squad, and likely playing XI continues to be blurry.
At 18/4 it looked as if we might have been in for another early night. That might have suited some but not those selling food and beverages at Westpac Stadium.
Not only did the top order batsmen fall cheaply, but they used up quite a lot of deliveries in doing so.
But you can’t take anything away from Henry and Boult. It was hostile swing bowling from both ends mixed with occasional short stuff. And that ball that bowled Rohit Sharma was reminiscent of another opening bowler from Canterbury.
In the end Rayudu and co paced things perfectly and a cameo from Pandya at the end got India over the 250 mark. They are a very good side.
There was a feeling of experimentation about the way the New Zealand bowlers were used. Munro bowling his full quota for the first time in an ODI, Astle bowling through most of the last 10 overs, and Neesham getting an over at the death.
The New Zealand chase was not so smart. Wickets at the top meant they were always behind the chase, and the loss of batsmen once they got going kept the frustration level bubbling away.
In the context of this series a 35 run margin seems like a cliff-hanger, but it was still very comfortable.
Now to those questions, and the list seems to grow longer by the day.
Can Jimmy / James Neesham get through 10 overs without dropping his intensity?
Did those overs at the end push Todd Astle ahead of or behind Ish Sodhi?
Where does Tim Southee actually sit in the pecking order?
What’s happened to Kane Williamson?
Is it worth persevering with Henry Nicholls at the top of the order? If so, he needs to bat like Henry Nicholls bats rather than trying to imitate Colin Munro.
Can we really expect many runs from Colin de Grandhomme at a World Cup? Other sides will know that it’s time to turn to spin when he walks out there.
Why do the Indian players all have odd numbers on their shirts?
Do they need a refresher course on the run out rules?
What can be done to improve the way umpire reviews are called for?