Good ODI Innings is largely about Individual Batsman's SR/Overall team RRGiven an OK pitch and fine weather.....
As always... an OK ODI score these days is 300+ A run per ball minimum.
Which requires a TEAM average SR of 100%+ A final score of 300+ RR 6+ runs/over
There is (of course) a need for players to simply not get out... for the team to last the full 50 overs, but they need to score runs as well.. else lasting 50 overs will not be sufficient.
Of course players can score at a slower rate initially (but not for more than a few balls faced).... but if they go out with a SR below 100% they put a burden on subsequent players to "make up" for what is in effect balls they failed to score off.
Managing a good SR
as well as NOT getting out it what make a good (or great) batsman.
In practice...
Any batsman can "fail"... get out without scoring many runs, but provided he has a SR 100+ he has contributed to a good team final score. At least, at worse, if a batsman does get out with a low SR... it is better for the team if it's a short innings.
eg Guptilll SR 40% was at least only 5 balls... so in effect, only 3 balls not scored off.
eg Munro only scored 21 runs, but at SR 150% also an ok innings.
Taylor and Williamson SR 72 and 54. They NEED to make up for that.. soon... if they go out at that SR they have failed!
The longer they occupy the crease at those rates... the more pressure they put on following batsmen
Commentators continue to push the old (wrong) narrative...
Stuff about batsmen pacing their innings... with a view to upping the rate later.
In my experience over many years watching... the "later" part fails to eventuate (more often than not). Of course with wickets in hand the rate can be increased later, but the foundation and the bulk of the runs needs to come from the players picked as "batsmen". TOP batsmen need to provide the top batting. If lower order batsmen have a successful "bash" later... that is a great bonus and/or can make up for earlier failures...... but not a factor that can be relied on.
Having said all that... then NZ are doing OK at the moment. The two early wickets were a blow that they are now past. Williamson and Taylor doing OK... RR 5.35
Williamson OUT 55/65 SR: 84.61 (at that rate team total would be 260)
Illustrates what I am trying to say... the so-called Top batsmen are scoring at less than the team require... so later players have to make up that deficit, as well as push on to post a good team score. The longer the top players bat... the more the effect. In fact scoring a century and more at such a rate is quite selfish (Taylor looks like taking 112 balls to score his 100, using up more than a third off the balls available to the team to score a PERSONAL milestone... but at a SR that achieves a losing team total 270). The "Top" batsmen use up a lot of the available overs.. limiting the balls the lower order have available.
If Taylor can now "cash in" and end with a SR say 110%... all will be forgiven
(but that is unlikely)
I find Henry Nicholls 69*/57 SR 121.05 to be far more impressive
(I hope he scores a proper century)
New Zealand Innings wickets
1st Wicket
MJ Guptill c Mendis b Malinga 2 (5b 0x4 0x6) SR: 40.00
New Zealand 16/1 * (2.1/50 ov) (RR 7.38)
--------------------
2nd Wicket
C Munro b Malinga 21 (14b 4x4 0x6) SR: 150.00
New Zealand 31/2 * (4.4/50 ov) (RR 6.64)
--------------------
NZ have tended to do this over the years.
Lots of "talent" but failures follow good innings
No consistency.
First 2 early wickets are a setback.. we'll see how NZ go from here.
--------------------
PREDICTION (3x25 ov)New Zealand 139/2 * (25/50 ov) (RR 5.56) ===>
Final Score 417--------------------
3rd Wicket
KS Williamson c de Silva b Sandakan 55 (65b 6x4 1x6) SR: 84.61
New Zealand 147/3 * (26.2/50 ov) (RR 5.58)
Obviously an OK innings, but Williamson is NZ's TOP batsman. He FAILED to to achieve SR 100+
--------------------
PREDICTION (2x30 ov)New Zealand 161/3 * (30/50 ov) (RR 5.36) ===>
Final Score 322--------------------
PREDICTION (2x35 ov)New Zealand 200/3 * (35/50 ov) (RR 5.71 ) ===>
Final Score 400--------------------
Ross Taylor--------------------
4th Wicket
LRPL Taylor c de Silva b Malinga 137 (131b 9x4 4x6) SR: 104.58
New Zealand 301/4 * (46.2/50 ov) (6.49)
--------------------
Henry Nicholls--------------------
END OF INNINGSNew Zealand 364/4 * (50 ov) (RR 7.28)CenturiesHenry Nicholls 124*/80 SR 155.00 (at that rate team scores 465)
LRPL Taylor 137/131 SR: 104.58 (at that rate team scores 312)
(and Taylor was OUT.. so not there at the end to score at all).
See what I mean?
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FAQ
Do not go gentle into that good night.
(instead of asking you, Rumpole) 
to find out which player they were talking about. 
