Watling to don gloves for Northern in one-dayers
BJ Watling is likely to don the wicketkeeping gloves once, maybe twice, in the next week, and could be a chance to return for the second test between the Black Caps and West Indies.
A nagging hip injury meant the 32-year-old wasn’t fit to keep for the first test in Wellington, starting today, and instead hometown boy Tom Blundell will make his debut, with Watling initially providing batting cover in the squad.
However, he was subsequently released to play for Northern Districts in the Ford Trophy domestic one-day competition.
Watling is hopeful of returning to duties behind the stumps in the second-round match against the Central Stags in Whangarei next Wednesday, and perhaps even in Sunday’s opening-round fixture against the Wellington Firebirds at the same venue.
The second test against the Windies is in Watling’s hometown of Hamilton, from next Saturday.
Depending on how Blundell performs the selectors may be comfortable with retaining him for the final match of the series, however Watling is the incumbent, his 52-test experience is valuable, and, for a man seen as a long-form specialist at international level, he will be eager, as it is the only test before the season-ending two against England in March-April, in a white-ball-heavy summer programme.
Watling hasn’t kept in a game this season, after suffering the injury in the warmups of the opening-round Plunket Shield match against the Stags in Mt Maunganui just over a month back.
He played on in that match as a batsman only, with ND boasting a more than handy replacement in Tim Seifert. Watling then sat out the next two fixtures, before playing as a specialist batsman in the next two rounds, opening the innings.
ND coach James Pamment said Watling was constantly improving, with just the wicket keeping specific squatting movements proving the real issue; and that they were playing things by ear in regards his return to glovework, which, in turn, could springboard him back into test contention.
‘‘It’s the up and down nature of the job of a wicketkeeper that’s challenged his little nerve/hip/ lower back injury, and he feels it’s getting better all the time,’’ Pamment said.
‘‘But at this stage it’s just a dayby-day process. He’s not in a rush, he just wants to make sure he continues to progress.
‘‘The long-term plan probably is more realistic, that next Wednesday is an opportunity [to keep].
‘‘But let’s see what he’s like when he’s got two further days of training, and if he can get through some more load without aggravation or feeling pain, then he’s a chance to keep on Sunday.’’
Meanwhile, continuing on the subject of hip injuries, batsman Daniel Flynn will sit out the first part of the Ford Trophy campaign to rest up his own ailment.
The 32-year-old captain of the Plunket Shield side had surgery in the off-season to fix a bone spur problem which had troubled him for the past couple of seasons, but the left-hander has still been experiencing discomfort when running between the wickets, and chasing the ball in the field.
This season’s schedule sees the one-day campaign start with three rounds, before the Burger King Super Smash breaks it up, and after a period off which will include strengthening and rehabbing, Flynn may be reintroduced for that Twenty20 competition in a couple of weeks’ time, or possibly miss it altogether.
In his place ND have called in fellow left-hander Nick Kelly, who has been in great form for Counties Manukau this month with knocks of 106, 91 and 71 not out.
Bharat Popli makes way for Scott Kuggeleijn - who is back to full health after missing the NZ A v West Indies match at Lincoln due to illness - otherwise the rest of the 12 from ND’s Plunket Shield win over Otago in Alexandra remains unchanged, with Dean Brownlie to again lead the side in the limitedovers versions.