**Official** New Zealand Domestic Season 2013/2014

[Flem274*]

well he doesn't need his feet to score runs

 

[Dan]

Stealing that.

 

[jcas0167]

Rachin Ravindra might be evidence that practice does make perfect.

The 14-year-old Hutt International allrounder capped a remarkable fortnight when guiding the HIBS first XI to victory over Onslow in the Wellington final of the Gillette Cup competition at the Basin Reserve last week.

Ravindra, who gets up at 4.30 most mornings to fit in a practice session before school, batted through the innings to be 84 not out as HIBS chased down their target of 191 in the 46th over.

It meant Ravindra had scored 518 runs from nine innings, spread over three different competitions, within a fortnight. He was not out four times, giving him an average of more than 100.

His testing schedule began with the first three days of the local Gillette Cup tournament, before he headed to Palmerston North with the HIBS year 9 and 10 team, which narrowly failed to win the NZCT national junior title.

Ravindra, a left-hand bat and left-arm spinner, then played in the final round of the premier one competition for the term, followed by the Gillette final four days later.

He scored 22, 42 not out and 50 in the Gillette round robin games, before making 69 not out, 31, 98 not out and 73 in Palmerston North, where he was the player of the tournament.

He made 49 when HIBS beat Tawa in a premier one game, before making the top score of the match in the Gillette final.

Ravindra felt he might have given his wicket away too easily in the crucial game in the junior finals and was determined not to repeat the mistake last week.

"Mark Borthwick [HIBS coach] kept reminding me how it felt to come second at the NZCT tournament. I was feeling alright and hitting the ball alright and it was a great experience to play at the Basin.

"My aim was to be patient and to stay in the middle for as long as I could."

Borthwick was impressed, though not surprised by Ravindra's effort at the Basin. "He batted beautifully, it was a really mature knock. He didn't try anything silly and kept accumulating.

"It was wonderful to watch and was I never concerned [that he might go out]. But he was absolutely exhausted, physically and mentally, after the innings.

"He works so hard on his game that I feel a little bit redundant [as a coach]. He lives for the game and is continually practising and that has developed his confidence.

"I just hope he still loves the game as much as he does now when he's 22."

Borthwick has had a long involvement with school cricket in Wellington and rates Ravindra as being as promising as any youngster in recent years. "He could go a long way. Probably the only thing that might hold him back is his agility and ability in the field. That's something he needs to work on."

Ravindra has scored 483 runs for the HIBS first XI over the premier one competition and the Gillette tournament this term, a wonderful tally for a year 10 player.

His success has been underpinned by a huge work ethic and he regularly practises for four or five hours a day.

He gets up at 4.30 most days and heads down to the Hutt Rec indoor centre with his father Ravi.

"I get to the nets at 5am then train till 7.30, before going to the railway station and heading to school. Then I go to the nets again most nights. I love it and I can't get enough of it.

HIBS hero thriving on hard work | Stuff.co.nz

 

[Flem274*]

he's the rachin kid isn't he with the dad training him up to be a super batsman?

will burn out like all kids with crazy sports dads imo. next jesse ryder at best.

 

[Kippax]

James Franklin backs Patel for Black Caps tour | Stuff.co.nz

He's said it before and he'll say it again: Wellington skipper James Franklin is adamant Jeetan Patel should be the second spinner in the New Zealand test squad for the West Indies.

Selectors Mike Hesson and Bruce Edgar meet on Friday to pick two squads of 15; the Black Caps for three tests in the Caribbean in June and NZA for one-day and first-class matches in England.

Coach Hesson said last week they would definitely choose two specialist spinners for the squad as they expect slow, turning pitches in Kingston, Port-of-Spain and Georgetown. Legspinner Ish Sodhi is a certainty and Daniel Vettori (back) extremely unlikely, leaving the other tweaker as a genuine head-scratcher.

Not so in Franklin's eyes.

"I'm biased but I think he [Patel] is still one of the best spinners in the country and he shows how good a spinner he is by one of the big counties in England wanting him back year after year. He goes over there [to Warwickshire] and produces the goods," he said.

"His form, particularly in the last couple of weeks, has been awesome in the one-day stuff. His figures have been outstanding. I'd have him in my team, but I don't pick it."

Patel had a modest first-class season, taking 18 wickets at 47, but was a key man in Wellington's one-day triumph, taking 10 wickets at 25 with an economy rate of 3.8.

The 33-year-old returned to Warwickshire this week, for whom he was voted player of the year in 2013 after taking 52 wickets at 30 and scoring 438 runs at 31. His county team-mate Ian Bell recently labelled Patel the best spinner in England. The previous year Patel snared 51 wickets at 23 as the Bears won the first division title.

Patel played the last of his 19 tests against South Africa in January 2013 and appeared to have his card marked by Hesson, notably for his batting when he backed away against the quicks.

Still, his wicket-taking exploits on turning English pitches give him a tick for the Caribbean where Sunil Narine and Shane Shillingford will provide a huge threat to New Zealand's batsmen.

The fact West Indies' likely test lineup contains left-handers Chris Gayle, Kieran Powell, Darren Bravo and Shivnarine Chanderpaul also helps an offspinner's cause.

On Plunket Shield numbers, Canterbury legspinner Todd Astle is the form horse. He took 37 wickets at 30 as the Wizards won the title, second to Wellington's Mark Gillespie (42) on the wicket-taking charts, and bats well. But whether two legspinners is prudent against a lineup of left-handers is another question.

Left-armer Bruce Martin is contracted to NZ Cricket but was dropped in Bangladesh last October, and struggled with injury in Plunket Shield taking 23 wickets at 54. Legspinner Tarun Nethula (15 wickets at 57) continues to battle while young Otago offie Mark Craig is highly rated from age-grade cricket and took 22 shield wickets at 40.

 

[hendrix]

HIBS hero thriving on hard work | Stuff.co.nz

Good luck to him, but this seems a little excessive.

 

[jcas0167]

Good luck to him, but this seems a little excessive.

To prove their commitment I think Jesse Ryder & Doug Bracewell can accompany him to 5am morning training sessions over winter.

 

[Bahnz]

HIBS hero thriving on hard work | Stuff.co.nz

Good to see that Mr Borthwick is still involved with coaching. Though he could be a bit of a scary bastard at times. Remember the day after the 1999 NZ v SA ODI at the Basin was rained off, he vented his frustration by making the lot of us run laps around the No. 2 field and screamed his lungs out at anyone who slowed down to a walk. He made up for it though, by then going on a 10 minute rant about what a massive prick Adam Parore is.

 

[RxGM]

West Indies tour tops list for Mark Gillespie | Stuff.co.nz

To think that Gillespie almost quit at the end of 11/12 season, he has taken almost 90 PS wickets since than.

 

[straw man]

Auckland Cricket stumped by Eden Park hotel proposal - National - NZ Herald News

The Take

The Eden Park Trust is seeking the opportunity to develop the No 2 ground in a submission to the council's draft Unitary Plan, a 30-year blueprint for the Super City.

At the same time, a council body is trying to lure Auckland Cricket from its home of 100 years at Eden Park and move domestic and test cricket to Western Springs. It is part of a stadium strategy to move the Warriors and soccer to Eden Park, cricket to Western Springs and speedway to Mt Smart Stadium.

Sounds pretty rubbish for Auckland's domestic side. How will Colin score his runs without EPOO?

The Give

Regional Facilities Auckland plans a boutique, Basin Reserve-like ground at Western Springs for about 20,000 spectators at a cost of between $20 million and $40 million. It would be built in the area currently used for speedway.

Though it doesn't specify it, surely the proposed 'boutique' facility would be used for Tests as well. It's not a ground in the CBD as was mooted a while ago (and which imo would be the best option from my perspective), but sounds like it could be an improvement over Eden Park.

 

[straw man]

West Indies tour tops list for Mark Gillespie | Stuff.co.nz

To think that Gillespie almost quit at the end of 11/12 season, he has taken almost 90 PS wickets since than.

It says a lot about him that he's come back so many times from injury and periods of bowling rubbish. Not undeserving of going to Windies as reserve seamer, though imo only if we take a fifth seamer - it's time to pick someone younger first i.e. Henry.

 

[hendrix]

Auckland Cricket stumped by Eden Park hotel proposal - National - NZ Herald News

The Take


Sounds pretty rubbish for Auckland's domestic side. How will Colin score his runs without EPOO?

The Give


Though it doesn't specify it, surely the proposed 'boutique' facility would be used for Tests as well. It's not a ground in the CBD as was mooted a while ago (and which imo would be the best option from my perspective), but sounds like it could be an improvement over Eden Park.

I wouldn't be against this at all. It's kinda the same distance from the CBD as Eden Park.

It says a lot about him that he's come back so many times from injury and periods of bowling rubbish. Not undeserving of going to Windies as reserve seamer, though imo only if we take a fifth seamer - it's time to pick someone younger first i.e. Henry.

See the other thread, ****.

 

[straw man]

Posted 3 mins before u ****