'I wish Williamson was an Aussie'

Reader: Chris_P

Definitely one the premier batsmen in Test cricket. The memory of him playing Johnson at the Gabba during that incredible spell when he reduced the NZ batting order to its knees was indelible. He wasn't ruffled, rushed or unsettled. He won a lot of admirers that day & from one of the toughest crowds about to please. The best compliment I can give is, I wish he was an Aussie. Cheers.

Reader: Ranpath

It is good to see a young batsman stepping up and playing with such great responsibility for his side. Contemporaries around his same age who are struggling and younger players should take notice of his approach. Also good to see that he shrugs off personal acclaim, seeks to praise the efforts of others and talks about the interest of the team over his own personal milestones. I hope that he continues to be like this and does not fall for the hype surrounding him. I know he has acted in leadership capacity in the past. If this happens in the future I hope he does not falter with the bat as has happened to many talented batsmen in the past. I wish him a long, successful and distinguished career. Among all the young batsmen doing well today (Kohli, Smith, Root) I think that he is the best and my personal favorite.

Reader: Izzidole

Despite losing the test series to NZ 2-0 one of the positives for Sri Lanka is the bowling effort of 23 year old paceman Chameera whose smooth run up and bowling action resembles Brett Lee. Though he is tall and skinny and doesn't look much of a sportsman at first glance he has a slinging action and generates enough pace bowling at around 140 kph consistently. With a little more effort and bit of muscular frame he should be able to generate even more speed and bounce from the wicket and reach over 150kph. His bowling effort against the likes of Williamson, McCullum and Taylor in the second test is ample proof of his immense potential as a fast bowler which is quite rare by Sri Lanka standards known for it's spinners. If he can maintain his fitness and try to remain injury free he could be a great asset to Sri Lanka cricket for years to come and could change the complexion of a game instantly with his unplayable bouncers as witnessed in the Kiwis first innings.

Reader: KiwiCricketNut

Kane had been marked as something special from a very young age but nobody could of foreseen just how brilliant he has become and not every school boy hero has gone on to the greatness that everyone thought they would, Jared Englefield and Andrew deboorder are just two off the top of my head that were meant to be the next big thing only to never fulfill that potential so its great that kane lived up to all the hype around him because after his first couple of seasons averaging in the low 30's he had me worried and now he's the best in the world and could be for another 10 years or more, absolutely amazing things still to come from him, very exciting times for blackcaps fans.

Reader: harshthakor

No batsman ever pulverized great pace bowling attacks as ruthlessly or in such a cavalier manner as Viv who could set a stadium ablaze. Nor did any batsmen turn the complexion of a match as Viv who in full flow resembled a military tank launching a blitzkrieg on the enemy. If he wished he could have broken all the batting records possessing such razor sharp reflexes. From 1976-81 including playing in Packer cricket I rate Viv only 2nd to Bradman and against genuine pace the best batsmen ever. Even the Don may not have surpassed Viv's spectacular performance of averaging 86.2 in 1977-78 season of World series cricket in Australia. Tendulkar had more finesse, Greg Chappell more technically correct and Zaheer Abbas more graceful but none could match the presence Viv executed when striding in to bat resembling a great emperor coming to address his subjects. From the bouncy Australian tracks to the seaming English wickets and turning wickets in the sub-continent Viv was equally a champion.

Reader: LisaNZ

We pretty much knew this was coming but it is still very sad to hear. He's been a really special cricketer for NZ, especially his captaincy skills, and has done amazing things with the NZ team. My favourite Baz moment - leading by example as always and putting his body on the line with his 'superman' dive to try to stop a 4 in the 2015 CWC pool game against Bangladesh in a game for which the result was basically irrelevant. For me that pretty much sums him up - a superb leader (and a great athlete).

Reader: TheShawshankRedemption

Brendon McCullum, take our salutes first. Probably the only NZ cricketer whom the bowlers feared to bowl at (Cairns at his best was an exception) because of his aggression and no fear approach. I will weigh Sehwag, Gilchrist and Mccullum as the most unselfish players of their teams. Never cared about his records and played for team. It is indeed skill to play in different batting positions in T20, ODI and Tests. He did that with conviction and strong will. He has two 100s in T20Is and 300 in Tests and man what a player!! Some unforgettable innings are 195 vs SL, 300 vs Ind earlier this year, 77 runs of 25 balls in WC, 131 vs Pak in Abu Dhabi, 1st IPL 100, etc... He is/was a sharp wicket keeper as well. To play all the formats of the game and in IPL and other leagues without injury streak of 98 consecutive test games for NZ. Oh, Man!!! This guy is a fitness role model!!! Take a bow on a successful career Brendon! #legend

Reader: Fatier

I would start on by saying BMac has always been my favorite cricketer. There are many favorite memories but I would like to list out some from my childhood: - A one handed six against Australia in a chase of over 330. I still remember that majestic hit. That day BMac became my favorite. I dont even think many here remember that six, but for me that introduced Mccullum to international cricket with a BANG! - 80 off 28 against Bangladesh. That inning was simply amazing. I wanted him to beat Shahid Afridi's record back then. I am sure he would have had the target been over 100. Nzl needed only 92 to win. Sad, indeed.

Reader: SamRoy

I had watched the replays of the 3rd and 4th QF. Few observations: Rahul Shukla has lost his pace and is bowling 125-127 kph (waste of talent). Bhuvi back to bowling around 130 kph without regaining the swing. Vijay Shankar (probably the second most most promising all-rounder in the country after Hardik Pandya) is bowling around 125-127 kph but he has to either add a yard of pace or improve his line and length to be considered a batting all-rounder. He is a brilliant fielder and that helps his cause and some improvement in his batting against spin. Praveen Kumar still bowls around 122-126 kph and still moves it both ways. Indrajith probably has a better temperament than Aparajith. Sathish bowls a lot like Chris Harris. UP slip catchers are absolutely brilliant. Aswin Crist is a decent prospect. Bowls around 132-134ks and needs to bulk up a little and increase his pace by a yard. The pitch at KSCA was a horrible one for Tamil Nadu vs UP and yet produced a blinder.