Small finds form on comeback trail
Manawatu¯ pace bowler Bevan Small is hoping to crack back into the Central Districts side for the rest of the season.
Small was in form with bat and ball for CD A against Wellington A at Fitzherbert Park on Sunday. The two sides played two Twenty20s on Sunday, then were meant to play two more on Monday, but the games were rained off. Small, 26, took four wickets in one of the games and two in the other, and added crucial runs with the bat, too.
‘‘I had a good hit-out personally,’’ he said. ‘‘I had a side niggle with the Stags during the one-day stuff, so it’s been a while between games.’’
Small picked up a side strain while bowling in the nets during CD’S one-day campaign in November and that put him out of action. He has since played club cricket for Freyberg and rep matches for Manawatu¯ , but only as a batsman. He was coming off the full run-up for CD A and felt good while bowling.
CD play Otago in Napier in the Twenty20 competition on Thursday night, then Canterbury in Christchurch on Sunday, but are likely to use the same squad.
Small hopes to break back into the Stags, but is likely to be released to play for Manawatu¯ in their Hawke Cup match against Wairarapa this weekend.
‘‘It’s a hard team to crack into, with a few experienced dudes around and all the New Zealand bowlers back. It’s a good problem to have, I suppose, but unfortunate from a personal point of view.’’ Wellington A won both Twenty20 games on Sunday, by seven wickets and six runs.
In the first game CD scored 153-5 batting first, with opener Ben Smith scoring 36, then his Whanganui team-mate Akash Gill hit 48 not out from 30 balls. Small was unbeaten on 24 from 16 balls. But Wellington reached 154-3 in 17.5 overs as Troy Johnson scored 48 not out and and Jamie Gibson 31 not out. Small took 2-37.
In the second game, Wellington posted 170-8 from 20 overs. Andrew Fletcher scored 65 from 50 balls opening the innings, while Small took 4-35 and Ryan Mccone took 2-33. In reply CD were restricted to 164-6. Bayley Wiggins top-scored with 50 from 33 balls, Smith scored 42 and Brad Schmulian made 41.