Tight race to secure last semifinals spot
A repeat of the 2017 Ford Trophy final will help decide which team crawls into the semifinals this season.
Defending champions Canterbury will host the Wellington Firebirds at Hagley Oval tomorrow, with the winner pressing on to the semifinals and a clash with the third-placed qualifier.
The Central Stags have assured themselves of top spot, while the Auckland Aces and Northern Districts are battling for second spot. That battle is vital because a loss in their semifinal would come with a second chance against the winner of the third-fourth semifinal.
Canterbury have a two-point buffer on Wellington heading into the final round, but a loss would mean either Wellington or Otago, tied on 8 points, would sneak into the playoffs.
Otago’s chances hinge on grabbing a bonus point victory against Auckland at the Eden Park Outer Oval and hoping Wellington beat Canterbury without claiming a bonus point themselves.
The southern men received a decent boost by learning of Mark Chapman’s callup to the Black Caps, meaning their most lethal batting option is out of the mix. Chapman had scored 433 runs at 86.6 for the Aces during the Ford Trophy season, scoring two 50s and two centuries.
That earned him a callup to the Black Caps squad for the Twenty20 tri-series against England and Australia at the expense of Central
Districts’ Tom Bruce.
Tim Seifert is also out of action for the final round for Northern Districts, with Tom Blundell returning to domestic cricket with the Wellington Firebirds.
His presence bolsters Wellington’s batting line up as they play their must win clash against Canterbury, as he will take the gloves from Devon Conway.
With Seifert called up, the competition for the Black Caps gloves actually gets more complicated as his Northern team-mate BJ Watling gets set to pull the gloves on.
Watling hasn’t kept since October, at the start of the Plunket Shield season, with a hip injury limiting his efforts behind the stumps. He’s been batting in domestic cricket without too much discomfort, but is finally set to step up and seek to reclaim the international gloves.
‘‘We need to see him back with the gloves on with ND,’’ New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen said.
‘‘With Tim Seifert away [with the Black Caps] I hear that’s certainly the case [on Sunday].’’