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Friday, December 5, 2014
In brief
■ CRICKET
Player shortage for Cup game By Jonathan leask
Jonathan.l@theguardian.co.nz
Mid Canterbury have had a less than ideal lead-up to their opening Hawke Cup two-day match against Otago Country at the Ashburton Domain Oval this weekend. A number of unavailable players has seen the squad used over the past few weeks reduced to eight, leaving captain Matt Winter chasing three players. “It’s still a handy eight and we just need three more but should be right,” Winter said. While getting eleven has had its difficulties, as always the challenge will be putting runs on the board in the first innings. “Generally speaking we don’t struggle to take the wickets, we usually get that bit under control. “It’s just the first innings total; we need to sort.” Mid Canterbury was left to rue a disappointing first innings in their opening match against Otago Country last year, bowled out for 207 after a top order collapse and lost on the first innings in Alexandra. The side has had a mixed
Mid Canterbury will need plenty of runs on the board to challenge Otago Country this weekend. PHOTO TETSURO MITOMO 231114-TM-064
build-up with three limited over wins and most recently a Twenty20 double header, needing to make the major adjustment to batting for time. “Playing limited overs and twenty20 matches doesn’t really give you the best setup trying to a bat for long periods but that’s just how it is”. Otago Country already have a two-day match under their
belt a rain affected draw with defending zone champions Southland. Day one was washed out in 120 overs to find a result. Otago Country were 161/7 at stumps in reply to Southland’s 225. This weekend’s forecast is also for rain, more likely on day two, and means the toss could be an all-important one to win. But even that isn’t so simple.
“I’ve been winning tosses all year and losing games so I don’t know what we’ll do. “The Oval has played pretty well over the last few weeks and is a results wicket.” Winter said. Meanwhile, bowlers continue to dominate the Pritchard Shield senior cricket competition. With five-wicket bags a regular occurrence, and last week featuring two seven wicket hauls, it can be put down to early season form and the green pre-Christmas pitches. Tech have taken the lead after five weeks and are favourites to continue their unbeaten streak when they take on a struggling Methven side. Methven, playing a fourth straight home game, have struggled with the bat with seven ducks in their paltry 45 last weekend and only made 59 against Tech in round one. Coldstream are hoping that they have turned a corner with their first win last weekend ahead of a home game against Allenton while Lauriston A will look to bounce back against Lauriston B.
Black Caps boosted by century-makers By Dylan Cleaver One factor that has been largely overlooked when analysing the state of New Zealand’s test game is their unprecedented century-making power. The team who walked off the field at Sharjah were the proud owners of 42 test centuries. While that may not sound like a monster total when you consider that Sachin Tendulkar (51) and Jacques Kallis (45) scored more on their lonesome, it is almost certainly the most a New Zealand XI has held at one time. This is more important than number-crunching for the sake of it. Centuries, particularly big ones, are important pieces of collateral. It is on the back of these that Mark Craig and Ish Sodhi have been allowed to learn their craft in relatively low-pressure circumstances. It is the reason Brendon McCullum can set attack-
Ashburton Guardian 19
ing fields for Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner, long after the time when normally third slip becomes third man. Big centuries mean big totals and big totals mean well-rested bowlers delivering to attacking fields. It means less grumpy, reactive captains when the opposition batsmen start to press. The accepted theory was that bowlers win you tests and batsmen save them. Only partially true. Batsmen give bowlers opportunities to win tests. So is this the best batting lineup New Zeal-
Tom Latham
and has ever carried into a test? Almost certainly not. Williamson and Taylor will probably end up breaking Crowe’s records for centuries, but neither yet possesses his authority in all conditions. McCullum has already sailed past Crowe’s aggregate and is unquestionably the best “batsman” part of the wicketkeeper-batsmen New Zealand has produced, but the way he bats means an epic failure is as likely as an epic innings. Tom Latham has had a great start to his opening career, but it is too soon to make conclusive statements as to his suitability to the role. BJ Watling will continue to make important runs and the Corey Anderson-Jimmy Neesham punch gives New Zealand a left-handed hitter in the middle order. But we must put a caveat on the 42 centuries. That total was boosted significantly by Daniel Vettori’s return, which in all likelihood
was a one-off. Still, New Zealand are in a rich vein of century-making form. It may not be the be-all and end-all of test cricket, but it certainly helps.
T20 finals round Northern Districts and Wellington meet in the first preliminary final at Seddon Park tonight, having finished first and second in the round robin. Auckland, who finished third, play the loser of tonight’s game tomorrow. The winner of tonight’s game meets tomorrow night’s victor in the final on Sunday night. The winner qualifies for next year’s Champions League. Auckland captain Rob Nicol isn’t worried which team his side will meet in their must-win T20 clash at Seddon Park tomorrow night for one good reason. Win that game against the loser of tonight’s opening preliminary final, Northern Districts or Wellington, and they’ll then face the other one in Sunday night’s Georgie Pie Super Smash final. So there’s no point stewing over which captain he’ll toss with tomorrow night. - NZH
Woods ready to return Tiger Woods walked 18 holes for the first time since the PGA Championship, swinging well in a Wednesday pro-am event ahead of his competitive return at the Hero World Challenge. Woods, making his return this week after a fourmonth back injury layoff, made three birdies with a lone bogey, missing four fairways and two greens at Isleworth in the first hint of the form golf fans can expect from him in 2015. “I’m starting to get my power back, starting to get my speed back,” Woods said. “That has been nice.” - AFP
Indian pacemen ready Varun Aaron’s unbridled pace powered India’s attack in their final two-day tour game before the four-Test series against Australia starts at Adelaide Oval. Aaron continued to impress in local conditions yesterday, snaring four wickets at Adelaide’s Glenelg Oval as the Cricket Australia XI were rolled for 243. The 25-year-old has played only three Tests due to a series of injuries, but he will almost certainly add to that next Tuesday. - AAP
Del Potro in Sydney
TONS OF RUNS 2014 v Pakistan 42 centuries Ross Taylor Brendon McCullum Kane Williamson Daniel Vettori BJ Watling Tom Latham Corey Anderson
12 10 8 6 3 2 1
1993 v Australia 39 centuries Martin Crowe John Wright Andrew Jones Ken Rutherford Mark Greatbatch
15 12 6 3 3
2004 v England 36 centuries Nathan Astle Stephen Fleming Craig McMillan Chris Cairns Scott Styris Mark Richardson Jacob Oram
9 7 6 5 4 4 1
- NZH
After a season ruined by a wrist injury, Argentinian ace Juan Martin Del Potro will return to defend his 2014 Sydney International tennis title. Del Potro destroyed local hope Bernard Tomic, who also returns in 2015, in last year’s final 6-3 6-1. The 2009 US Open champion suffered the year-ending injury the following month, and is yet to play competitive tennis since. - AAP
Chelsea, City flex muscles The English Premier League is already threatening to turn into a two-horse race after leaders Chelsea and closest rivals Manchester City both cruised to one-sided victories yesterday. Chelsea preserved their six-point advantage at the summit by beating Tottenham Hotspur 3-0, while Sergio Aguero scored twice as defending champions City kept pace with a 4-1 success at Sunderland. Southampton’s lastgasp 1-0 loss at Arsenal left City with a four-point cushion in second place, and the ease of the leading pair’s successes suggests the gap is only likely to increase. - AFP