Klitschko rejects talk of ‘box-off’
Cody Andrews, Brad Cachopa, Mark Chapman, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Donovan Grobbelaar, Michael GuptillBunce, Shawn Hicks, Dane Hutchinson, Tarun Nethula, Rob Nicol, Robert O’Donnell, Glenn Phillips, Jeet Raval, Sean Solia. Martin Guptill, Mitchell McClenaghan, Colin Munro. James Baker, Jono Boult, Dean Brownlie, Joe Carter, Anton Devcich, Daniel Flynn, Zak Gibson, Tony Goodin, Brett Hampton, Nick Kelly, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Bharat Popli, Tim Seifert, Josef Walker.
Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson. Will Young. Long been touted as a Black Cap and this season could be the one for the elegant right-hander to reach the next level. Still just 23 and perched behind Henry Nicholls in the pecking order. Averaged 47 in a curious Plunket Shield season where his top score was 87, so converting big hundreds is his obvious work-on. Tom Bruce, Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver, Greg Hay, Marty Kain, Andrew Mathieson, Ryan McCone, Ajaz Patel, Navin Patel, Seth Rance, Jesse Ryder, Ben Smith, Blair Tickner, Ben Wheeler, Will Young. Doug Bracewell, Adam Milne, Ross Taylor, George Worker.
Hugely experienced if you’re being kind; too many older fellas if you’re not. With six former Black Caps on their books there’s plenty of quality, with bustling Canterbury paceman Hamish Bennett a top signing along with veteran batsman Hamish Marshall. Need sharp improvements in their limited overs game.
Tom Blundell. Looks third in line to the Black Caps limited overs wicketkeeping throne, in a tight contest with NDs Tim Seifert. A very tidy gloveman and scored some vital, quick runs under pressure last season. Ready if injury strikes Luke Ronchi or BJ Watling. Brent Arnel, Hamish Bennett, Tom Blundell, Fraser Colson, Matt McEwan, Iain McPeake, Stephen Murdoch, Ollie Newton, Michael Papps, Jeetan Patel, Michael Pollard, Matt Taylor, Anurag Verma, Luke Woodcock, Peter Younghusband. Also: Hamish Marshall (game by game contract). Luke Ronchi Plunket Shield 2nd, Ford Trophy beaten finalists, Twenty20 3rd.
Very good again last season and just short of doing the Plunket Shield three-peat. Bowling depth will be tested without Bennett and McCone, but legspinner Todd Astle continues to lead the way with 44 and 47 first-class wickets these last two summers. Veteran Peter Fulton is back to anchor the batting. Ed Nuttall. Shin splints limited the 23-year-old to 59 first-class overs but his 18 wickets at 19 topped the Ford Trophy charts last season. The left-armer swings the ball at close to 140kmh and has the ability to take bags of wickets. Todd Astle, Jeremy Benton, Leo Carter, Michael Davidson, Andrew Ellis, Cameron Fletcher, Peter Fulton, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Johnston, Ken McClure, Cole McConchie, Ed Nuttall, Henry Shipley, Logan van Beek, Will Williams. Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls. Rob Walter (new, from South Africa’s Titans) Plunket Shield 6th, Ford Trophy 3rd, Twenty20 beaten finalists.
Made the Twenty20 final but it all went downhill from there as player power reportedly led to rookie coach Nathan King being shown the door. South African Rob Walter has a big task taking over a team who should score plenty of runs but have a fresh-faced bowling attack. Jacob Duffy. Spent time with the Black Caps in England in 2015 and one of the best white ball bowlers around at just 22. Snared 15 cheap wickets in both limited overs competitions last summer and is very good at the death, so will be high in the selectors minds if the pace bowling injury toll continues. Warren Barnes, Michael Bracewell, Derek de Boorder, Jacob Duffy, Ryan Duffy, Sean Eathorne, Josh Finnie, Jack Hunter, Anaru Kitchen, Rhys Phillips, Michael Rae, Hamish Rutherford, Christi Viljoen, Sam Wells, Brad Wilson. Also: Neil Broom (overseas player). Mark Craig, Jimmy Neesham, Neil Wagner. Joseph Parker’s rights to a WBO heavyweight title fight have been boosted with former champion Wladimir Klitschko confirming he has no interest in a proposed fourman elimination system to decide the vacant belt.
Parker’s handlers are at the WBO convention in Puerto Rico looking to convince the organisation their No 1 ranked fighter is worthy of fighting for the title against No 3 Andy Ruiz, with a December 10 date in Auckland proposed.
Their clever bid comes against a backdrop of confusion with the WBO’s bosses suggesting a ‘‘boxoff’’ might be the fairest way to decide the title vacated by Tyson Fury.
Klitschko, who lost the IBF, WBA and WBO titles to Fury last November, is concentrating his energies on regaining the WBA belt.
He wants that added to a proposed fight against IBF champion Anthony Joshua. Another suggestion is he could fight Australian Lucas Browne for the belt in Hamburg.
Interestingly, the Klitschko camp has no representatives at the WBO conference where a decision on their title plans will be made on Thursday.
But Klitschko’s manager Bernd Boente said his fighter wouldn’t be involved in any tournament for the WBO title where he is ranked No 2 behind Parker.
‘‘The WBO wants a tournament, which is up to them,’’ Boente told
‘‘We love the WBO. Wladimir held the WBO title for a long time and it was the first world title he won. He respects the WBO, but if they do a tournament Wladimir would not participate. At this stage of his career it makes no sense.’’
An alternative would be for Parker and Klitschko, as the organisation’s two highest ranked boxers, to fight for the title.
That’s something Parker isn’t adverse to but his promoter Dean Lonergan sees it as unlikely to happen as there has been no dialogue with Boente as the Kolitschko-Joshua fight advanced and then stalled.
Not having Klitschko involved in a box-off would make a mockery of the proposed format and must enhance Parker’s chances of getting a shot under his own steam.
Meanwhile, Boente explained why there was a stumbling block to the Joshua fight as the WBA are also yet to decide what to do with their vacant belt.
‘‘For Wladimir, it’s also about the WBA title. For him, this is important,’’ Boente told .
‘‘It is his mission. He is serious when he says it is not only about the money.
‘‘We will go with the WBA ruling. We hope they rule quickly because December 10 is not far away.’’
Boente confirmed that they had been in talks with Browne about fighting in Hamburg on December 10 if the Joshua fight falls through.