Have we just lost butler?

[Mr Kiwi]

For some reason NZC seems to have taken issue with Ian Butler.

Firstly his non-selection last season - starting in Aus when nothing suited him better, right through to the Sri Lankan series when he was 'injured' but still playing club cricket in hamilton. Now he hasn't been offered a central contract.

He's the only bowler in NZ capable of bowling consistently over 140kph (Bond aside) and actually running through a team with a fierce spell (eg: vs Pak at Wellington). Yes he's still a bit young and wayward but the only way to fix that is to give him match experience. Furthermore he's still young enough to make a decent contribution past the next world cup - this seems to me to be a very foolish decision by the powers that be.

I still hope to see Bond and Butler bowling in tandem . . . but Butler has a UK passport and may well feel like using it after this latest snub

[Andy Mellon]

I'd like to see Butler back playing for the Kiwis again. It sounds as if NZC's hierarchy thinks he has a bit of an attitude problem? Or is it the NZCU that has the bad attitude? I'm not sure to be honest, but for New Zealand to be more competitive they need Butler, Bond, Vettori and Franklin playing together. With the support from Oram and Styris, that would be a decent bowling line up. Certainly better than Martin, Tuffey and Mills.

The other question is why do New Zealand seem to have more problems keeping bowlers fit than any other country? Look at the crocked bowlers they've had in recent times. Dion Nash, Shayne O'Connor, Chris Cairns, Shane Bond, Ian Butler. In contrast, most other test teams seem to have had less problems (excepting Ahktar's continual fitness struggle and Simon Jones knee injury). The other test countries certainly haven't lost such important players at such a young age as has occurred with Nash, O'Connor and potentially Bond. Does NZ Cricket lack a good enough physio team? Is it something to do with NZ wickets?

[Rob.]

I can't fathom why Butler gets rejected by New Zealand, he must have an attitude problem. Its not as if his competitors have been setting the world alight is it? He should stroll into that New Zealand bowling attack really.

[Andy Mellon]

Butler's only 23 as well. The NZ CU have basically said he doesn't deserve a place above Martin, Tuffey and Mills!?! Seems a little harsh on Butler.

NZ have also dropped Matthew Sinclair. He's basically said he's going to look for an overseas slot as an opening batsman where he can earn more money and forget about his international career. Sounds like he's on the lookout for a Kolpak deal!

It does seem odd also that the Kiwis seem to have more international rejects than most teams who are of a decent class. Spearman and Adams and now you can add Sinclair and Butler!

[Mr Kiwi]

Another crocked bowler to add to the list - Geoff Allot. The 'why do so many of our bowlers break down?' fills papers and talkback radio everytime rugby dissapears for more than two weeks. I don't think anyone has a decent explaination (bar perhaps some kind of genetic weakness . . .). It's more of a mystery considering that one RJ Hadlee kept himself largely injury free for his career (including playing county cricket in the 'off' season).

I might've read the same article as you - but apparently Butler's phone has been ringing away with offers to play in England this winter. I'm not sure of the rules - he's got a UK passport, does this mean he can play as an UK player? I guess it means he's a citizen and can vote, claim the dole, and play cricket.

I'm not sure about Spearman . . . it didn't take him long to play in the UK as 'Englishman' and play in NZ as an 'overseas player' and has since declared himself unavailable for NZ duty - now he's saying he wants to play for England!

I guess that's the one reassuring thing about the latest press around all this hooha; both Sinclair and Butler are both saying they want nothing more than to play for NZ again. They'll both get on the 'A' tour to somewhere later this year and are probably only a injury or two away from gaining a tempory contract on the Zim/SA tour so all is not lost - though they're still understandably gutted . . .

[Rachael]

I can understand some bowlers breaking down more easily and commonly than others: it strikes me that there's a huge difference, for instance, between a "natural" rolling in with a glorious rhythm and just letting the ball go (as Harmison does) and someone more mechanical straining every sinew (as Flintoff does) and someone different again who generates a large part of their pace through a quick arm movement (as Jones does).

I'd also suggest that some bodies are just naturally more accomodating of exceptional strains: even a bowler who seems to find it all effortless CAN break down whilst some robust types will always cope with heaps of abuse.

Now where I start scratching my head: I can only think that the reason we hear about so many more breakdowns is actually that an ever growing proportion of the bowlers are NOT naturals. This seems credible to me: these days the coaches understand bowling better than ever, they appreciate the requirement for a repeatable action more clearly, and they have really refined the art of getting a repeatable action out of pretty much anyone with aptitude - so a production line of big blokes with powerful shoulders and a clear competitive temperment end up getting fast-tracked ahead of more talented but somewhat idiosyncratic naturals.

You can see it in Tennis: guys like Henman triumph despite, not because of, production lines geared more around potential Jim Couriers.

The second explanation is perhaps more batsman friendly pitches: these just exacerbate the pressure to find second rate repeatable actions and make it harder for the naturals to triumph through their versatility.

[vvvrulz]

I completely agree about Butler, he has a rightful place in the side without doubt.

In fact in the local paper's, he too was somewhat bewildered, and made it clear that nz cricket is very much in his plans, otherwise he'd be off to England.

[Mr Kiwi]

Since retiring Mark Richardson's never been short of something to say. He turned up on stuff.co.nz with this about Butler:



"I'm disappointed for Buts, I have belief in him.

"He isn't quite there yet but we need bowlers of his type and he's getting dragged around all year but not getting any opportunities.

"He only gets to bowl in the nets and no one wants to face him because he is breathing fire and bowling at 150km/h on dodgy practise wickets."



haha - I definitely wouldn't want to be in the nets now!

[vvvrulz]

To be honest, im not sure Mark Richarson is cut out for journalism, some of what he says is a load of tosh sometimes.

[Zainub]

I like Mark Richardson as a commentator and journalist.

And I like that nick name of Butlter too.. ..Butts ...amusing, very amusing.

He should have got a contract, no two ways about it, but I'm wondering , how come he has a Birt passport, mom / dad / wife /girl friend from UK perhaps?