Malan lauds champion bowlers
Departing Central Districts coach Heinrich Malan paid tribute to his bowlers at the end of their winning Plunket Shield campaign.
The Stags couldn’t avoid a defeat in their final match of the first-class cricket season against Northern Districts in Hamilton yesterday, but they’d earlier sealed their second successive Shield title when Canterbury opted not to play their last-round match against Wellington.
‘‘It’s been a challenge over the season to try and back up what we did last year,’’ Malan said.
‘‘It’s pleasing especially to see the bowlers on the park as much as we’ve seen them over the last couple of years.
‘‘I’ve said it many a times and it’s probably become a joke within the boys – that batters win us games, bowlers win us championships.
‘‘It’s probably been shown over the last couple of years – not just the seamers but the way that Jazzy [spinner Ajaz Patel] has come on over the last couple of years.’’
The Stags also won the Super Smash Twenty20 competition in their 2018-19 campaign – the last of Malan’s six-season stint in charge.
‘‘The Plunket Shield’s the hardest [to win], the T20 you’ve got to have the most luck.’’
Central began the final day of their winning campaign needing 377 to win the four-day encounter at Seddon Park after the hosts declared their second innings closed at 463-6.
Any chance of a celebratory victory disappeared in the first session as the visitors lost five wickets to a demanding ND attack. Kieran Noema-Barnett (101 from 173 balls, with 12 fours and three sixes) and Doug Bracewell (57 not out from 172 balls) stubbornly added 121 for the sixth wicket as a draw looked likely but ND spinners Mitchell Santner (3-28) and Ish Sodhi (4-99) helped their side to a 142-run victory with 4.1 overs remaining.
Malan said it had been a tough week for Patel, a devout Muslim, following the loss of 50 lives in the shooting attacks on two Christchurch mosques.
‘‘It’s not just been hard for him, it’s been hard on all of us.
‘‘One of the key parts we’ve spoken about as a squad is supporting first and foremost people within. Obviously ‘Jaz’ is a major part of our squad.
‘‘We haven’t really celebrated or spoken about winning the championship at all during the last couple of days. For us, it’s our way of showing our respect to what’s happened down there.
‘‘One of the toughest weeks to lead in to a cricket game and then four days of cricket where there’s a lot of reflection going on.’’
In Dunedin, a maiden firstclass ton from Graeme Beghin helped the Auckland Aces secure
‘‘Batters win us games, bowlers win us championships.’’ Heinrich Malan
a draw against the Otago Volts.
Beghin made 140 as Auckland followed on in their second innings 236 runs behind the hosts. The opener struck 24 fours and two sixes and faced 240 balls in his 359-minute stay that allowed the visitors to make 373-5 in their second innings when an early finish was agreed upon.
Nightwatchman Matt McEwan made 53 from 58 balls (three sixes and five fours) while Otago’s Brad Wilson announced his retirement after 14 first-class seasons with ND and the Volts.