Canty owe centurions big effort
Thumped by an innings last time out, Canterbury are desperate to show why they’re reigning Plunket Shield champions against high-flying Wellington.
There’s no need for extra motivation to perform at the Basin Reserve, starting on Wednesday, with domestic stalwarts, captain Andrew Ellis and fellow all-rounder Todd Astle both playing their 100th firstclass match for the province.
Only three cricketers have achieved that feat for Canterbury (Peter Fulton, Paul McEwan and Rod Latham) and coach Gary Stead said they owed it to the long-serving duo to deliver a performance to be proud of.
With injury-free Black Caps available to play this round, Canterbury welcome back batsmen Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls and right-arm pace bowler Matt Henry, who immediately strengthen the side.
Stead said Astle and Ellis had been tremendous servants, not only with their prowess with bat and ball, and in the field, but also with their leadership.
To put their achievement into perspective just 17 players have appeared in 100 first-class matches for a major association in the history of New Zealand Cricket.
‘‘Those two have been absolute gold for Canterbury over the last decade or so.
‘‘I think the last five or six years, they’ve really shown their experience and have won us many games.
‘‘It’s a helluva milestone to reach 100 first-class games and hopefully we can celebrate with them through having a successful performance.’’
Canterbury, the defending Plunket Shield champions, are determined to atone for a miserable innings and 86-run hammering by Central Districts at Hagley Oval last week.
They were never in the contest after CD notched an imposing
498-7 declared, courtesy of a
188-run opening stand from Greg Hay and George Worker.
Canterbury were guilty of some costly dropped catches and didn’t offer much with the bat, falling meekly for 194 and 218.
The addition of opener Latham and Nicholls, who is set to bat at four, bolsters the top order.
Astle will also be playing his first Plunket Shield match of the season after recovering from a groin tear, which ruined his
Black Caps tour of India last month.
Wellington, who haven’t captured the Plunket Shield since 2003-04, have made a brilliant start to the competition, securing the maximum 60 points from their opening three wins.
Former Canterbury bowlers Hamish Bennett and Logan van Beek, who linked with the Firebirds over the off-season, have both been influential with the ball.
‘‘CD outplayed us and we didn’t adapt quickly enough. We’ve discussed that at training and recognised we weren’t at our best,’’ Stead said.
‘‘Here’s a chance against a team, who hasn’t dropped a point yet, to actually put our best foot forward and show why we have been champions in the past.’’