Stags turn season around to storm into final
A year ago in the Super Smash final, the Central Stags lost to a Wellington Firebirds team that was on the charge, winning all of its last five matches.
This time around, the Stags are the team on the charge, headed to Hamilton for a showdown with the Northern Knights in this year’s final tomorrow.
In the past nine days, they have won four do-or-die matches in a row – including the elimination final against the Auckland Aces on Wednesday.
The table-topping Knights, for their part, have also won their last four matches, but have played just once in the past 11 days, so haven’t quite built up the same head of steam.
The last team to beat the Knights, who have only been defeated twice this season? The Stags, on December 27 at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
After starting with one win in their first seven matches – one of which was rained out – the Stags have come home strong, and coach Heinrich Malan believes their hot run has them in a good place.
‘‘We played some inconsistent cricket at the start of this campaign, but we’ve started to build momentum at the right time, and once you hit finals [cricket], you never know what happens,’’ he said.
‘‘We’ve got enough players who can do incredible things at incredible times, like we’ve seen, and it’s awesome to have those sorts of players in your squad who can do those things.’’
Stags captain Will Young has been the leading scorer in the Super Smash this year, and seamer Blair Tickner the leading wicket-taker, but they are just two standouts in a well-rounded team. Jesse Ryder, George Worker, Tom Bruce, Ben Wheeler and Seth Rance all have international experience, to one degree or another, and Dane Cleaver, Josh Clarkson and Ajaz Patel have also made notable contributions.
Malan in particular had praise for Patel, who has mostly been a red-ball player prior to this season, but took 3-26 with his left-arm spin as the Stags beat the Aces at Eden Park Outer Oval on Wednesday.
‘‘He’s been a stalwart for us in four-day cricket over the last few years, the leading wicket-taker in that competition for two years, and for him to come out on a small ground, on a good deck, and to bowl as well as he has is fantastic,’’ Malan said.
‘‘Ajaz has learned to be a lot more attacking and he’s shown that throughout this competition. He gets wickets at crucial times for us, and it’s pleasing to see that he’s pushing his case now in all three formats to be a regular selection.
Heading into Saturday’s decider at Seddon Park, the Stags’ plan is simple.
‘‘We’ve had four games now where it’s been do or die,’’ said Malan.
‘‘We’re not going to change too much. We’re just going to do what we’ve done over the past four weeks in terms of preparation.
‘‘We know that if we play to our potential we’ll give ourselves a good opportunity to come close, and in Twenty20 cricket, if you’re close, you’re in with a chance.’’
Seth Rance has joined up with the Black Caps in Wellington, ahead of Friday’s fifth one-dayer, but could rejoin the Stags for Saturday’s final if he doesn’t play any part at the Basin Reserve.
Rain is forecast for Hamilton over the next few days, and if no result is possible on Saturday, the game will be resumed on Sunday.
The use of the reserve day would deny the Stags the services of Rance, as well as Bruce and Wheeler, who are all in the Black Caps squad for the T20 series against Pakistan that starts on Monday in Wellington.
The Knights would only lose Ish Sodhi.