"Nicol's out - wonderful piece of bowling from Woodcock, that turned and bounced".
"Classical delivery from Woodcock" - Chris Martin.
New Zealand's early exit from the World Twenty20 presents Wellington an extra curveball after they bolted into the national one-day cricket final yesterday.
The Firebirds expect to face Northern Districts' test new ball pair of Tim Southee and Trent Boult, but will welcome back gloveman Luke Ronchi, for Saturday's televised decider at Mt Maunganui.
The beaten Black Caps were scheduled to fly into Auckland later today and New Zealand Cricket confirmed they were available. The Knights fare better with Southee, Boult and allrounder Anton Devcich, while Ronchi is Wellington's sole returnee. In a bonus for the Firebirds, Kane Williamson is jetting straight to England for county cricket while Corey Anderson's dislocated finger rules him out.
Cricket: Stuttering Stags get no coach's pass mark - Sport - Hawke's Bay Today NewsAsked what his evaluation was out of 10 for the Devon Hotel Central Districts Stags after the season-ending game yesterday in Dunedin, Malan replied: "Mmm ... I'd give them a four out of 10 or maybe more like three and a half."...
Malan said the coaching and management stable intended to identify pockets of areas where some "old school" methods could be introduced for players to embrace.
It wasn't just a case of batting and bowling but understanding the mechanics of what constituted a game.
It was imperative players took that into next season.
The players must comprehend that earning a living and enjoying a transient but enchanting lifestyle over six months weren't the starting point for those aspiring to the game's higher echelons.
"Performance is what gives you the right to play."
Malan said they were going to have to make some hard calls before signing players next summer.
"The batting has been a real headache for us all season.
"When Krugs [Kruger van Wyk] is at No7 in the four-dayers that tells the story around our top order," he said of the former Black Cap and veteran wicketkeeper who showed traction and appeared to be the player who assumed the mantle of Mr Consistency from master batsman Mathew Sinclair who retired last summer.
"We'll just have to have a hard look at that [top-order batsmen]."
In the off season, some of the Stags were going overseas to ply their trade so CD intended to ensure they adhered to a disciplined regime expected of professionals.
"They'll have to take proper training, conditioning and communicating plans so we're all on the same page come November the first when the season starts again," he said....
"The No1 thing is to execute our skills but also we need to compete."
The former first-class cricketer hastened to add CD had no intentions of "chasing everyone away and starting afresh".
The exercise was to cover all their bases. Bowling was no exception.
"We want to get young bowlers on the park more and have them prepare well in the off-season so their bodies will be older in another year and keep them at their peak a little longer."
'Enchanting lifestyle' Dear diary: For the next six days, I am in the Rangiora Holiday Inn. I love playing for CD, it makes coming home to Masterton seem like a rare treat.
Wellington (IMO) have just gone from rank outsiders to no-hopers. Off to the TAB to put some money on it. Especially if I can still get $1.65.Can Wellington's top order handle Southee & Boult? Will be a good test for the likes of Pollard, who has found some good form coming back from injury (and had an excellent season overall).
A shame if Walsh misses the final with Ronchi returning, but I presume he'll be the one to miss out.
You should see his email signature...Anendra is the worst.
Go on..You should see his email signature...
Great work by Kippax - especially for keeping the tumbleweeds at bay during what feels to me like the post-cricket-season afterthough - the Ford Trophy.Posts:540 .Kippax
You're catching up though. I don't think I've really made any posts since the Shield ended other than to remind Bahnz that he owes me money now.For shame. I've just noticed that Ashwell has contributed more posts to this thread this year than I have.
A confidential report to be tabled before the New Zealand Cricket board recommends a dramatic overhaul of the domestic game, including selling teams to private investors.
The 18 recommendations in the report, authored by general manager of domestic cricket David Cooper, are expected to be rubber stamped by NZC over any protestations from the six major associations (MAs). In one telling passage, Cooper bluntly writes that: "Cricket's position as the number one summer sport is under threat."
The most far-reaching of the recommendations is to enable MAs - Northern Districts, Auckland, Central Districts, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago - to sell up to a 49 per cent stake in their teams. It is a model not dissimilar to what the New Zealand Rugby Union has done with four of their five Super Rugby franchises.
Cooper acknowledged the existence of the report but was reluctant to shed more light on it.
"Yes, the report has been completed but I need to talk to key stakeholders before I comment further," he said. However, the report makes clear the motivations for the seismic shift in the delivery of domestic cricket.
"This review highlights a need to address domestic cricket in sports marketing terms as well as in terms of sports administration. It highlights the obvious need to enhance the product, the promotion, the pricing, the entertainment package and, indeed, all aspects of the marketing of domestic cricket."
There is an acknowledgment at NZC top table level that domestic cricket is failing at a commercial and high-performance level. It has become a no-go zone for spectators - few people even know the Ford Trophy one-day final is on this weekend in Mt Maunganui - and produces a dearth of international-ready players.
"The majority of MAs are under severe and ongoing financial pressure," the report states. "Their dependence on both NZC revenue, via the international game, and gaming funding is significant.
"The gap in the quality and the required level of professionalism between domestic and international cricket continues to need bridging. Further, the growing significance and scale of international T20 leagues will probably see New Zealand players coming under threat to leave international cricket."
The Herald revealed the plans for a domestic sell-off in November, 2011. The proposal was met enthusiastically by some, including Canterbury, who were understood to have secured an investor for a significant sum. Auckland Cricket, under the stewardship of CEO Andrew Eade and chairman Rex Smith, remained unconvinced.
Since then Eade has moved on to the Millennium Institute and his successor, Mark Cameron, has been included on Cooper's steering committee - a savvy political move by NZC who are desperate to inject life and capital into a dormant domestic scene.
A source told the Herald: "They [NZC] look at what the Big Bash and IPL have done for Australian and Indian cricket and then look at HRV Cup games being played in front of 900 people and think, 'What are we doing wrong here'?"