Australia v New Zealand: 2nd Test at Hobart – Kiwi batsmen to watch out for
After a crunch contest at Brisbane, Australia and New Zealand will once again up against each other in the second and the final Test of the series, set to be played at Hobart from December 9 to December 13, 2011.
The previous game was not an easy outing for the Kiwi batsmen, as they were bamboozled by the Aussie bowling attack. In the first innings, the Black Caps managed to pile up a decent total of 295, but collapsed on a paltry 150 in the second innings.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Dean-Brownlie-c1349 were the only two players who came up with something good with the bat, scoring half-centuries in the first half of the clash. Despite their poor show in the previous match, nobody can point a finger at the quality of the
Kiwi batting.
The tourists have a strong batting line-up, and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/BB-McCullum-c1129, Ross Taylor and Dean Brownlie will be New Zealand’s key men in the series decider.
Brendon McCullum
He is an aggressive batsman who holds the ability to smash the ball out of the park. He gives no respect to the bowlers who pitch the ball in his zone. A wonderful striker of the ball, the 30-year-old made 34 in the first innings of the previous game, failing
to turn his start into a big score.
On a bouncy track at Hobart, the fast bowlers will be http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746’s main strength. On the other hand, McCullum is going to be New Zealand’s important man at the top order because if he gets going, he will take the game away from the home side. So far in his
career, he has played in 59 Test matches, collecting 3449 at a fine average of 36.30.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/LRPL-Taylor-c1849
The Kiwi skipper lashed a wonderful ton in the warm-up game against Australia A, but could not carry forward the momentum to the Test series. He is probably the best batsman in the present Kiwi line-up, having a solid technique, coupled with a strong temperament.
In addition, he is belligerent by nature and loves to punish poor deliveries. As a middle-order batsman, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Taylor-c92915 is the backbone of New Zealand's batting unit. He is the leader of the troop, and thus, an additional responsibility rests on his shoulders.
He is experienced and well capable of giving a tough time to the Aussies. The 27-year-old batsman has clattered 2387 runs so far in his 32-Test-old career.
Dean Brownlie
There are many giants in the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MJ-Guptill-c1980 and Vettori; however, Brownlie will be a real threat for the home side since he has been enjoying great form recently.
He remained unbeaten in the first innings of the Brisbane Test, hitting a classy 77-run-knock at a very crucial juncture. He perpetuated his good run to the second innings and timed 42 runs when Australia’s young pacer, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/James-Pattinson-c1653, was troubling his
colleagues.
In the late middle-order, Brownlie is an asset for his team, and has the knack of changing his game according to the situation. At a superb average of 63.66, the Australia-born cricketer has scored 191 runs in his two matches.
The Kiwi batsmen will be under heavy pressure following their poor run in the previous game. Yet, the Kangaroos cannot afford to take them lightly, as New Zealand’s batting is still a strong unit despite their recent poor show.
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