We've burbled about New Zealand's batting order many times because to outside observers it seems so absurd that Vettori should bat at 8. And I'm afraid it's even more absurd that James Franklin should bat at 6. Why is it everyone other than the New Zealand coach and skipper who can see that, if they want Taylor and Ryder to bat 4 and 5, then the following players should be McCullum, Vettori and then Franklin, in that order?James Franklin has some talent with the bat, no doubt - he has a test hundred to his name and Andy Moles clearly has high hopes of turning him into an all-rounder. But a Test average of 20 and a first-class average of 31.5 mean that shoving him at number six in international cricket is asking for trouble. Franklin is not out overnight against India with NZ needing to bat out the last day, and even if he scores a match-saving hundred, he still shouldn't bat above 8 I'm afraid.
agreed.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Listening to the commentary I get the impression that he's recently scored a ton of runs in the NZ domestic competition, but thats hardly the toughest breeding ground. Franklin to me seems like one of those unfortunate all rounders who are very good at domestic level, but just don't quite provide enough impact in either discipline to warrant selectors perserverance. Another in this category is Andrew McDonald.
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