Winning the domestic Twenty20 competition would definitely have been the highlight of my career, and of course the likely potential in heading over to India for this lucrative Champions League tournament. It’s a fantastic opportunity I guess not only for myself as I have never been to India, but also for some of the youngsters to experience such a mad culture of cricket. A large proportion of our success in the Twenty20 competition this year was based around experience and power hitting. Ross Taylor hit the ball out of the park on many occasions and it gave our bowlers something to bowl at.

As well as some new boys on the scene namely Kieran Noema Barnett who in my opinion hits the ball as far as anyone else out there, highlighted by an over from him when he hit Daniel Vettori first ball for six and then the second. We were unbeatable on our home turf Pukekura Park in New Plymouth thanks to the short boundary’s there and the depth in our batting line up. Graham Napier our overseas pro would have been I think one of our better signings and his bowling at the top proved a match winning one. His raw pace and hitting ability down the order for us suited the make up of our team. I guess we can only hope that we are able to get his services as well as the others like Taylor and Oram.

If wherever this tournament is likely to be we must go over there with a view to win every game and show to the other playing nations how competitive we really are. The team that we are l??ikely to take over I think will give us that chance. Not only is it in New Zealand Crickets interest but we are going over there to represent all the other associations and we need to do well to remain playing in this tournament. It really does provide so many great opportunities for our players to express themselves and perform over there and who knows where that could take you.

It was I must admit a pleasant surprise to be called up for the Black Caps against the Australians in the second test in Hamilton. Having some runs under my belt and coming off a patient 100 against Auckland I felt personally that I was in pretty good form. Mark Greatbatch had informed me that there was every chance that I was to play this Test and so I went about preparing myself for the ultimate test. The feeling in the camp was good and although whenever we play against the Australians there is always some form of anxiety we felt that we could at least compete with them but we had to do this over five days. We felt that we competed in certain sessions in Wellington but then let it slip in the last sessions, so that was our major goal. It’s never easy taking a mates place in a test team and for Peter Ingram he took it so well and even said to me that he would have rather given up his spot for me than let someone else have it, so I thought that was real good of him and gave me that added confidence to do well.

Having gone up against any Australian attack is never easy especially when you have spent a few overs in the park but I viewed it as a real challenge that I wanted to go out there and give it my all regardless of what might happen. Training had gone real well and mentally I had done some real good stuff courtesy of one of our better golfers in NZ Mark Brown who had sent me some real good stuff on mental imagery via a Compact Disc that you listen too which enhances your subliminal thoughts and gets you into what all sportsman call ‘in the moment’. There’s nothing better than heading out to bat with a clear mind on what you have to do and of course you versus the bowler. I hadn’t faced much of the Australian bowlers and I guess the trend continued on with an absolutely rip snorter of a yorker that Mitchell Johnson bowled to me and I didn’t have enough time to get my bat down in time. I think he even surprised himself that he actually bowled that perfect in swinging yorker length. The second innings was starting out nicely for me but was given out LBW off Clarke as I miss judged the turn. Overall I was pretty disappointed not to have contributed a lot more in this test but it gave me that motivation to once again wear the Black Cap and I gave it my all.

Standout performances for me were Mitchell Johnson with his pace and Ross Taylors bludgeoning quick fire 100 in that Test. It also I believe has highlighted a few things that we are lacking here in NZ domestic First Class Cricket, ??and that is quality fast bowlers that are genuinely quick in and around that 140-150 km bracket. Test match cricket is all about taking wickets and when we only have Shane Bond in a limited capacity for us we lack that real fire power to at least scare a few world class batters. We at times never really threatened them with our batting but I think this will take a lot of time to get right and the more better exposure we can get with good teams the better chances we are of batting a long time against good quality bowling. Who knows what lays ahead with my chances on getting back into the team with the likes of Ryder back from injury, but whatever happens I fully enjoyed the opportunity and want to still show the cricket public that there is still a desire for the Black Cap.

Exciting times are all ahead of this season coming up with a new CEO of Central Districts and a new coach. It is with great sadness to see Ewen Thompson head up North and leave our association for a job in cricket. Ewen has had a stellar career for the stags and one guy that always gives it everything, he will be solely missed with the ball and bat for us as he can be a guy that has turned a game on its head a many a time. With Ewen moving on has created some great playing opportunities for a lot of our CD under 19 boys and they have all had a great introduction to the first class arena. Watch out for Adam Milne, Bevan Small, and Ben Wheeler as these guys are the future of CD and all bowl at a good head of pace. It’s great to know that when I do start thinking of some form of retirement these guys are going to be there to follow in our footsteps.

Back to a bit of reality?? for me now as I try and plan out my winter w??ith an eye on possible careers outside of the game and also on training for the upcoming season.

I look forward to seeing your comments and will endeavour to try and keep everyone informe??d as they come to hand in regards to everything and anything about this great game we call cricket.

Until the next time, yours in cricket

M S Sinclair

What it has done though is give other guys an opportunity to play at the top level and put their hands up for further selection throughout the year. This domestic year even more so than any other is a busy schedule with 10 four-day cricket matches along with th??e whole of January dedicated to Twenty20, and one-dayers spread over the whole year. A huge emphasis has been placed on our poor Test match performances over the last year and hence the added four-day games give potential Black Cap players plenty of time in the middle to work on their batting and bowling.

Twenty20 cricket will again be the major event that all domestic associations will be targeting. With the introduction of overseas players and the lucrative chance of going over to India for the Champions League, there is an even greater reason for the players to do well. Central Districts has gained the services of Graham Napier this year for our one-day and Twenty20 campaigns and his wealth of experience in batting and bowling will? give the Stags a great chance to take out this competition. What we lacked last year was a player that could bowl at the death and provide us another batting option.

Graham gives us great depth in all areas and our strength in our batting will complement what he can offer us. Unforeseen retirements and injuries to our squad make us light on that side of things which means that the likes of Mike Mason and Ewen Thompson will bolster our pace attack. Jamie How will take over the captaincy this year and our coach Dermot Reeve has put a challenge on us to win all three competitions, a feat that I don’t think any first class team has done before, but with the players that we have this year it can be achieved. Jake Oram having announced his early retirement from the Test match arena will see him not play in the four-day campaign but he will be available for the other formats in-between NZ commitments. On paper we look very strong this year and with all our Black Caps available to us in January for the Twenty20 competition there should be no reason why we can’t take it out.

Twenty20 cricket rightly or wrongly has really got the cricketing public around the world in a spin. There is a place for this format of the game and now players can make a very good living from it. What worries me slightly is that players are now picking and choosing what they would like to play and forgetting about the true origins of the game that we were all brought up on and admired. We need to be encouraging young cricketers that the ultimate is still playing for your country and dreaming of going ou??t there and scoring a big 100 or getting five wickets against the Australians in a Test match. There is nothing better than representing your country and I hope that this has not been missed by players who choose to go their own way just to chase the dollar. The dollar will always be made if you work hard on doing the basic cricketing skills well in an environment that tests you both mentally and physically, and that I believe is the longer format of the game. There are so many options for players now and we as players and coaches need to be encouraging this form of the game at all costs. I do think the international format of how Test matches are being played could be addressed a bit better by encouraging some sort of incentive and competition point system to create some general interest from the public. Hence making teams play positive cricket with far more results based opportunities.

I get asked quite a lot by genuine cricket followers as to “why do we need coaches at international level” and funnily enough the Black Caps are in that same boat. For me a coach is really important, the background work in thinking tactically and strategically is crucial to how an international team performs. Also taking the pressure off the captain as he has so many other things to worry about is critical and that relationship needs to be very tight and accommodating. The best teams that I have come across have been those teams that have been really well coached and work towards a team cause and not individually going out there and doing it for their own good. There is much more to coaching though, the coach needs to be the person that is developing the young players and providing a good mix between the senior players and the new players as well as having good team management. When this starts to break down everything off the field is then brought onto the field and team morale drops and trust goes out the window. A coach is pivotal to any team’s success and his role is vital in creating that harmony at the top level and in making his players the best that they can be.

I was lucky enough to have been awarded the Domestic Player of the Year Award, an achievement that I was really stoked with, and a reward for all the hard yards out in the middle batting and putting together a performance that would help out my team in winning. This year will be another challenge for me with a busy schedule coupled with my benefit year and a book launch in the new year. It will be like all the other years before me and the prospect of playing against some very strong teams and a likely chance of representing my country still sits high on my agenda. Consistency has always been every player’s goal and that reality for me was evident last year and even more of a challenge is to back it up this year.

L?ook forward to some?? more insights from my writing this year as this year is shaping up to be a great one.

Yours in Cricket

M S Sinclair

It’s a funny game this cricket when only a few weeks ago the Black Caps were totally out played by Sri Lanka and now they have a great chance to beat the world’s best Australia. No one really gave the Black Caps any chance of doing what they have done so far considering their recent lack of form and injuries. Amazing what can be done and achieved when a few people stand up and are accounted for notably Vettori and Grant Elliott. That’s all it seems to take, guys getting the runs and taking the wickets.

Every game has been an under dog status for this team and will be no different going into this final. The Australians smarting from Ashes defeat will be ripe and ready on their recent diet of one day cricket since losing that prized trophy. They have something to prove, the Black Caps don’t. What it will take is a total team performance to beat the Australians and not just individuals. The Australian batting line up is packed with match winners and the recent form of Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson is a real threat early on for the Black Cap bowlers.

You couldn’t get a better stage to go out there and perform against the best with a world wide audience. Players dream of playing in finals and this one will be no different especially against a team we have of recent years performed up and down against in the one day format. This time it will be different in that it is in a foreign country with unfamiliar settings and a big emphasis on the wicket and selections. If the Black Caps can expose the Australian middle order early on, our chances of restricting such a big score is a reality for our batsmen to chase. Experience in these sorts of situations becomes crucial and whilst the Black Caps lack this depth what they don’t lack is self belief.

This belief has basically got them into this final amongst some very good batting and bowling performances in tight situations. With only a day to regroup and to come up with some plans the task ahead won’t be easy. The best laid plans I have found have been those that have been very simple and keeping to the basics. This is what I believe the Black Caps have done very well; they have bowled in good areas and have laid very good foundations with the bat. Vettori should bat at six as he offers so much – firstly he is left-handed and secondly his batting form warrants that position.

I can’t see the team changing in selections and am really looking forward to both teams approach in this final. The team that can handle and deliver sustained pressure will come out on top in this final. Senior players in both teams need to step up and create a platform for the others to ease into the game. That one half chance in the field being put down can mean the difference in wining and losing in a final. It all comes down to the top three inches and half chances. Both teams have gone into this final with some very good team form, now it will come down to individual form.

Watch for some very explosive hitting from the likes of Brendon McCullum and Watson and of course the battle of the speedsters in Shane Bond and Brett Lee. It looks to be a very even match on paper but these finals appearances really separate the men from the boys. Would that famous old cliche live up to its name in this game? Cricket – ‘Anything Can Happen’.

I am not going to predict a winner, all I want to see is a great ga??me and the best team winning on the day. It should be great viewing and even more reason why one day cricket should stick around.

Hear from me after the final.
Yours in the spirit of the game

M S Sinclair

As if having a stomach bug which rampantly spread through the team wasn’t enough, they were totally outclassed by a Sri Lankan team proving that a Test victory in Sri Lanka is as hard as they come. Speaking from experience of traveling in that part of the world there is nothing worse than having such a bug. There is no real way to try and rid it off without making it worse and passing it on to your fellow team mates. The oppressive heat and humidity really make it hard and even though you have single rooms it takes only one person to get it and then everyone else follows.

Things aren’t going to get any easier as well now that they have moved back to the mainland where the heat can be just the same if not worse.

Once again we showed our frailty in having confidence in playing spin or a batting plan that is effective. Having had a few opportunities to face Murali myself and getting out on more than one occasion this task is not easy, especially if you can not pick his doosra. For me all deliveries seemed to come out looking the same and when I actually thought that I had picked i?t, it went the other way a??nd hence nicked it to slip. I feel the pain that the Kiwi batsmen are going through with the quality attack that Sri Lanka possess it is relentless pressure, and rightly so as it is a Test match, testing all your powers of concentration and skill.

Tilakaratne Dilshan really set up the Sri Lankans with a fantastic 100 mixing aggression with patience being the key to his score. They were in trouble early on in their innings but by creating big batting partnerships it made the job that much harder to get them out. Big partnerships with the bat on flat wickets are so demoralising for the bowling team and help set up big scores. What the Kiwis have to try and do is create these partnerships with the bat to at least put some kind of pressure on the Sri Lankan bowling unit. Turning the strike over and getting the bowler to bowl at someone else puts doubt in the bowler?s mind. Bowlers love to sustain pressure with one batter down the other end facing them, forcing the batter to make a mistake through consistent maidens and scoreboard pressure. This was a big feature in both NZ’s batting innings.

Although the batting line up is lacking experience, what this team makes up for is talent with a no-fear attitude. This attitude especially in the sub continent is tested all the time with a lot of things out of your control. The old saying of controlling the controllable is a true test of that individual, especially when you have in my regards the best bowler ever in the modern game bowling it down at you. Players that I have seen succeed over in Sri Lanka have been those who are prepared to bat it out for the long haul, with that I mean batting sessions. Stephen Fleming was a master of this as I remember one very long double century innings from him over there. So compact was his defence as he had a big self belief in his batting strategy against the bowlers, more so that of Murali. This by no means is an easy task made even harder when it is not in your own country. Fleming’s experience took him a long time to perfect and was made even sweeter as he valued scoring big outside of New Zealand.

Our record over there is very poor in Test match wins and we need individuals in the Kiwi team to get really selfish about the way they go out there and bat which in turn contributes to the team cause. Cricket at the best of times is a very selfish game; I mean it’s the bowler against the batter half the time, neither of them willing to give an inch. Sure there is that aspect of playing for the team but individually if a batter isn’t doing his job how is that helping the team cause? Pro cricket now is very cut-throat and if an individual isn’t performing he is likely to be replaced by somebody else. But that is why we play the game, each individual pushing themselves to get better and most of all win matches.

I can’t see the Sri Lankan team making any changes and I imagine the NZ team will remain the same. Would like to see Dan Vettori win the toss and bat first this time so that the Kiwis aren’t facing such a turning ball batting last. This will allow the NZ batting line up to take full advantage of the batter-friendly wicket early on and post a big first innings score. Expect a lot more sweep shots and hopefully an attitude of being a lot more positive with feet movement and strong in defence. The ball spinning on these wickets is always going to be around, it’s just how we can find ways to turn it into our advantage. We are considered a far better one-day team than Test team, so my question is why don’t we try and bat in a similar fashion but with situational awareness. What I mean by this is batting to the conditions but in a positive fashion, getting the close in fielders out from under the helmet. All these release the pressure that I talked about in regards to staying down at one end and hopefully open up other areas of the park from which to score from.

I look forward to the Black Caps response in this coming Test match, and am sure they have gone away and put their thinking caps on. Now that the players have got over the loss and have had a good look at the Sri Lankan bowlers and batters, expect a good?? improvement from the first Test.

Finally, a big thank you to Cricket Web readers in regards to my son Liam, he is growing very quickly and I can’t wait to put a cricket bat in his hand, hopefully with the idea of being a better cricketer than his father.

Until next time.

Congratulations to M??athew from all of Cricket Web!

You can read the chat summary in full here.

There will more than likely be more chats like this in the future so stay tuned to Cricket Web and Mathew Sinclair’s Official Blog!

Click here for further details.

It’s encouraging seeing the batsmen scoring runs and of course the bowlers are taking wickets. Ross Taylor looks like he is back to his best with the bat and the entire NZ batsmen have had some time in the middle. The bowling depth will always be tested in these tournaments with not only the goal of taking wickets but also denying batsmen as best they can in scoring 4s and 6s. Not an easy job especially when you have to get it right from ball one. Ian Butler and the likes of Jacob Oram I see as the go-to men in being consistent with bowling at the death. There is no better ball I reckon than bowling block-holers at any batsman. For the Black Caps to be most effective in progressing through this tournament we have to be certain on this accuracy.

Slower balls and the use of bouncers are just as effective providing the bowlers are bowling to their field settings. England grounds are generally on the small side of cricket hitting distances and once through the 30 metre circle the ball gathers a lot of pace on these lush outfields. Good fielding which the Black Caps rate themselves on and train themselves at a very high standard help dramatically in saving runs. There is nothing better as a bowler than seeing a great catch or save when your team mate does this. It creates a great atmosphere and commitment that the team can raise up to. As we know runs are the key so every little bit helps in the field. Dropped catches create other opportunities for the batsman to get some momentum in their innings and of course it’s a run that the oppositions have to get.

I am sure there has been a lot of talk in the Black Caps environment about how they are going to go about this campaign and the plans that they are going to try and implement. Keeping it nice and simple with controlling what you can do, I believe is the key in generating a big score. Lately I have noticed a lot of NZ’s top order getting out relatively early in their batting stint. For sure you want to make the most of the power plays that are on offer but I still think time at the crease for the likes of Brendon McCullum is the key for setting up a big score for NZ to defend. Big hitters like Oram and Taylor will benefit from time at the crease, they are naturally good at clearing the ropes with ease but if they go out too early trying to hit boundaries it puts too much pressure lower down in the order for others to do this. If every batsman goes out there with an idea of scoring more runs than balls faced this is a good thing and the fewer balls faced to achieve this, the better.

India seem to have the perfect balance for taking out this competition but I think you find that this game relies on a bit of luck as well as winning becoming a habit mentality. Teams that start well in this competition have that confidence to do the hard things very well when teams that don’t start well are playing catch up footy and that’s when mistakes start creeping in. Look to see a lot of spin being used in this competition, not a bad ploy to use but I’m not sure it works very well in the first six overs when the power plays are on. Spin would be more effective when there are more fielders in place for boundary saving options. Of course timing is everything in this format of the game but I must admit it can be very hit-and-miss at the best of times. I think scores of well over 160 will be competitive and considering the short and quick outfields it will be a real test for any captain and bowler to contend with. I?d love to see a lot of improvisation and something different from a bowler or batter, the game requires this type of kamikaze attack and can’t wait to see what it delivers.

This competition is shaping up to be one not to miss, a chance for fans to lap up on all the excitement that it has to offer as well as a chance for unsung heroes to step up and become superstars on the world stage. Expect plenty of action on and off the field. Being such a short tournament everything is on the line and I can’t wait for the action to begin. The usual suspects to watch out for will always be there in Kevin Pietersen and MS Dhoni. My people to watch from NZ will be Butler, Taylor, Oram, McCullum, and Brendon Diamanti.

****NEWSFLASH****

Central Districts have kindly offered me a benefit year which I have greatly accepted. The planning and implementation is well under way for what I hope to be very successful and one that people ??here in NZ c?an remember for a long time.

Watch th??is space for more of my upcoming news and views in ?the world of cricket.

This West Indies cricket team have got a lot of soul searching to do if th??ey are to topple over this England team. Stand out performances from Graham Onions and Ravi Bopara set up what was an emphatic Test win without being put under any real pressure. A lot of the talk coming out of the West Indies team is of self belief and accuracy to compete. Beating England will depend on a heck of a lot more than that.

The English on their home grounds have such a huge advantage; they are used to the conditions like the weather and wickets and see this series as a good pre cursor to the Australians. The English players will all be looking to do well in this series as the selectors still debate who will face the Aussies. Bopara fresh off the IPL in South Africa showed that wh?ilst the diet of a hectic Twenty20 campaign and the mentality of seeing the ball and hitting the ball action, you can still adjust to a Test match frame of mind. He showed patience by hitting the loose ball to the boundary as one of his batting plans. The West Indies bowlers missed out on their line and length and of course the batters leapt on this.

Good bowling I have found facing is not all about shear pace and running in like grease lightning. We want to encourage our young up and coming fast bowlers to bowl fast then the accuracy will come. The best bowlers in the world pride themselves on accuracy as their number one plan and then wait for the batsman to make the mistake. Just like watching good golfers with low handicaps they eliminate the risk of hitting big and play the percentage game by hitting the fairways and letting their irons do the work. Onions bowled within himself and was backed?? up with good partnership bowling, Anderson was the perfect foil for this, he dotted up his end and Onions attacked from the other end. The West Indies batsmen had no answer for this sustained pressure forcing basic batting mistakes.

Gayle, Sarwan, Chanderpaul need to start stepping up with the bat if they want to put any pressure on this English team. Gayle seems to be the key to this line up, the way he can dominate the bowler?s with such ease. I do question his temperament at the best of times when he starts to stand and deliver every ball and wonder what he is thinking about in his batting plans. Without doubt a great batsman to watch as you see the ball flying to the boundary and over it but seeing this you would think the bowler surely has a great chance of getting his wicket. The bowlers need a platform from which to bowl from and getting all out in the mid 100s is not the way? to get your bowlers to come in and bowl with the accuracy to attack the batsman.

I am glad to see Strauss as the new England captain. I think he brings that maturity and determination and no fuss attitude to do well at this job. Here is a guy that has been in and out of this team a few times and to see what he has achieved so far is a real testament to him and his attitude. There have been times he has been put under a lot of pressure – his own form, media, and the change of coaching and captaincy in this setup. The best is yet to come from him as well as his England team as they look to quickly wrap this series up and move onto a bigger challenge.

South Africa has really turned it on for this Indian IPL tournament, some see it as a travelling circus whilst others see it as a great marketing ploy for up and coming Indian cricketers to play on the world stage in a foreign country. The Kiwis haven’t fared so well and a lot of them seem to be warming the benches quite a lot. The cut throat nature of this game is proving that if you don’t perform there is someone else to take your place. This is definitely the case for some of the Kiwis over there from what I can only imagine. I like the idea of taking this tournament overseas every now and then rather than just India as it gives other cricketing nations an opportunity to see the best.

From what I can only watch on TV, the crowds have really got into the hype of this tournament which is a real credit to whomever brought this together. With the Twenty20 World Cup not far away it’s a good chance for players to get into some form with bat and ball to prepare themselves for the World Cup. Spin seems to be the choice of bowlers with them dominating the bat as the wickets are a bit tacky and taking slow turn. Not bad options especially after the six overs as batsmen have to create their own pace from the ball and access gaps to score runs. Still, would like to see batsmen improvise by lapping the ball and reverse hitting, areas where fielders aren’t a batsmen’s priority. The game is changing all the time and bowlers are getting smarter as to where they bowl the ball according to field settings, so as batsmen we need to change as well.

Exciting tim??es are ahead with the conclusion of the IPL. I would only be guessing as to who is going to win but it has been a success all the same with the World Cup just around the corner with more Twenty20 cricket.

This week I was presented with the Central Districts P??layer of the Year award. It really capped off what a great year that I have had and the hard work that I have put in on and off the park. It was a great honour as I hold Central Districts quite close to my heart and love performing for my team and leading from the front. There have been some fantastic performances from all of my team mates throughout the year and for me to take this title came down to doing it all for the team cause.

This winter I am unsure of my next professional commitment, a lot of exciting prospects are ahead, expecting a baby and also a book that won’t be far away from being on the shelves. So watch this space with developments on all of these things. Till next time.

Selected posts showing questions/answers withi??n the chat?? are shown below.

There will be a follow-up chat with Mathew soon. Stay tuned to Cricket?? Web for further details.

[Manee] Hi, what is the main difference between domestic level and international level in terms of the atmosphere, and the standard of bowlers?

[skippy1975] Huge difference between the two events, domest??ic is a bit casual with not a lot of peole watching and international obviously a bigger event and that added pressure to do well

[Dawg] do you think the state shield and championship stacks up well with the other domestic circuits

[skippy1975] Standard of bowlers is of cour??se at its best. I mean you are playing aginst the best bowlers in their country.

[NUFAN] Hey Mat, What’s your favourite 3 grounds to play at?

[skippy1975] Best three g??rounds Basin Reserve in Wellington, Cape Town in South Africa and Pukekura Park in New Plymouth.

[Dianne] Hi Mathew, great to see you here. Congrats on the MVP award. Where do you see yousrelf in regards to Black Caps selection? Especially with the constant changes at the top of the order

[skippy1975] Cheers for that it was a great honour winning the whole mvp thing. As far as Black Caps selection goes I think my time has come and they are now looking at youth, the constant changes in the top order I feel will be there for quite a while as we basically don’t have the playing numbers here in NZ.

[slugger] hi skippy have you thought about joining the ipl or icl

[skippy1975] Would love to be involved with the IPL but I feel?? to get that exposure I need to be playing international cricket.

[Prats] Who were the toughest bowlers you faced Matt?

[sk?ippy1975] Toughest bowlers definitely Muralitharan and the quickest being Akhtar

[Steve] Mathew – who was the most impressive bowler you faced this season that hasn’t represented NZ?

[skippy1975] Would have to be in my ??opinion Brent Arnel from Nort?hern Districts

[pasag] Hi Matt, love reading your work. Was just wondering what you thought of statistics, like some would say that daniel vettori isn’t a very good Test bowler because his figures aren’t crash hot. Do you ever place a lot of value on the stats when rating a certain player?

[skippy1975] Good question and i believe too many people place too much emphasis on stats. Sure they are a great indicator but as it happens in ?cricket it can only take one ball and at the best of times it is out of your control

[Pakistani] Skippy , So…what do you think about the series of Aus VS Pak , And offcourse..upcoming series for you..NZ vs PAK……Who’s Gonna win these series ?

[skippy1975] I think NZ will win the series here in NZ only due to the fact that Pakistan haven’t played here for a while and would take a long time for them to get adjusted to our green wickets

[Sridharan] Black Caps can be counted as serious contenders for this yaer T20 World Cup

[skippy1975] Yeah I think? ?the Black Caps have a great chance in winning this years Twenty20 World Cup

[NUFAN] Mathew, you performed very well as a Test Number 3, did you feel as though you should have played more there?

[skippy1975] Mate I would have loved to played more at this level at number 3 but as U said before you basically control your professional ??destiny by performing at this level and I guess I did this for a while but then went out of favour with the selectors

[Sridharan] How you rate Ryder?

[skipp?y1975] Ryder is a good player with a good domestic record and I think he deserves all the c?hances he gets. His off field antics, well that needs careful monitoring

[tigerbill] what do you think of Vettori’s captaincy?

[skippy1975] I think Vettori is a very good captain and we should give him a bit more time at this role. It’s not easy and I can contest to that

[Steve] Mathew – Outside of being mistreated by the selectors, why do you think you didn’t make the most of your potential at Test level?

[skippy1975] I think the reason why I didn’t perform at my best to be honest was a lack of self belief and the fear of failing because I had been dropped so many times before it got to me and I started taking my focus away from what I do best and that is bat for a long time

[HM] What are your thoughts regarding the spinning stocks in New Zealand domestic cricket behind Vettori and Patel?

[skippy1975] The spinning stocks here in NZ is very poor at the least only due to the fact that our wickets here in NZ aren’t conjusive to spin and thats why we don’t play against enough spin

[Brat] What’s your opinion on New Zealand’s problems in the longer form of the game? Have we put too much stock in wiinning ODI’s and twenty20’s?

[skippy1975] I think playing cricket is all about the men??tal application. I mean anyone can go out there and hit a ball and bat its just how you process that belief in yourself that you can do it

[Steve] nethula got you with a good ball in the final…

[skippy1975] Nethula who plays for Auckland I found a good spinner providing he doesn’t bowl any no balls at me which got me out… lol.

[Rob1969in] Matt who should bat at 3 for England and who will win ashes?

[skippy1975] Not sure who should bat at three b?ut I think the Aussies will come a?t the English pretty hard

[Manero] Do you regret having such a great debut at Test Level or do you think it really helped you improve your game?

[skippy1975] Made me a grow up a bit I reckon because I ha??d such a great debut

[HM] Matthew, which players in the NZ dressing room did you get along with the best?

[skippy1975] Get along with ??all the guys but was good mates and still am with Fleming

[Rob1969in] Whats Jessie Ryder like to play with he seems pretty intense

[skippy1975] Jesse is a cool guy and plays? the game at a good intensity. We need more of it

[Phlegm] If you could do anything differently (cricket wise), what would you do and why?

[skippy1975] I wouldn’t do anything differently. Cricket has given me so much the only thing that I would do is think about life after cricket a bit earlier on in my career so that you are all sorted after it has all finished

[Ange] Skippy, is typing harder than bowling?

[skippy??1975] yeh man typing much harder than bowling the doosra

[Manero] Do you see yourself staying invovled in cricket after retirement from playing?

[skippy1975] Not sur??e about life after cricket at the moment but definitely thinking of it

[HM] Matthew, how did you prepare for a Test Match (mentally and nutrition)?

[skippy1975] I think to be at your best in any test match situation you have to get your mind around thinking that you are confident and prepared to give it all your best at the end of the day if you can look in the mirror and say that you gave it your all that’s all the encouragement that you need

[slugger] favorite shot

[skippy1975] Favouite shot is the cover drive. Don’t get many times to hit them but when you do it feels great

[Manero] Who do you usually share a room with on away tors?

[skippy1975] We get our own rooms on tour

[Flem] Going to try and not get randomly booted by the server or whatever this thing has, anyway, good to see you have no regrets skip would you accept another recall if it was offered? How would you approach your umpteenth call up at internationals?

[skippy1975] I would accept another recall if it came along as I still believe I can handle it?? an?d feel a bit more experienced now

[yuvraj] tell me which batsman is tough to get out

[skippy1975] Tendulkar would have to be the t??oughest batsman that we all talk about in trying to get him out

[ttboy] Mr. Sinclair, how close was you to going to the Republic and what franchise was interested in you?

[skippy1975] Came pretty close to heading overseas but I guess my loyalty to Central Districts and NZ got the better of me but wouldn’t mind taking on a county job

[Steve] how would you approach a recall differently to yourmost recent Test stint against England?

[skippy1975] I would go out there and not think of all the worst case negativity if I got a recall and back my form and self be??lief to see me through

[Ganesh] I see you have batted both at #3 and as an opener? how does a batmsan need to handle himself or rather be mentally prepared when he is shunted between these two key positions

[skippy1975] I think there is no difference between batting anywhere in the top order and believe any batsman can adapt to any situation if they put there mind to ?it..not sure about Chris Martin though lol

[Steve] Skippy – What happened to Greg Hay this season? He had 2 seasons of very solid form, but struggled for runs and opportunities this year

[skippy1975] Greg has always been a consistant performer for the Central Districts Stags an?d I think his best years are to come. A combination of a bit of lack of sel?f belief and form

[OnDrive] Do you see the T-20 as a necessary evolution/innovation, or are you a traditionalist vehemently opposed to it?

[s??kippy1975] I think Twenty20 has its place but I think it will came at some expense and I think that expense is the one day game

[ttboy] Mr. Sinclair, do you think South African, Neil Wagner, is good enough to represent the Black Caps? Also, how would you rate Wagner?

[skippy1975] Rate Wagner very highly. True South African never give up mentality and g??iven a few years here in NZ will be a great bowler

[skippy1975] Well folks my time is up and I look forward to chatting a bit more later on. Cheers to all that were here in this room and I will d??efinitely be back