Speedster returns for day-night game

As if facing Adam Milne wasn’t hard enough.

This week the Northern Districts batsman may have to contend with facing the Central Districts speedster bowling with a pink ball at 150kmh in a gloomy evening session.

Black Caps fast bowler Milne returns from injury to the CD lineup for this week’s Plunket Shield match at Hamilton in what will be the first time day-night, pink-ball matches will be held in New Zealand.

Milne has long been on the

comeback trail, with elbow surgery in the off season keeping him out of action, and then he picked up a side strain while training with the New Zealand team at the end of last year.

But he’s finally back and should be a tricky proposition for ND, where one session will be played in the afternoon (2.30pm-4.30pm), one in the early evening (4.50pm6.50pm) and then one under lights at night (7.30pm-9.30pm).

All three matches in this round are day-night matches, with Wellington playing Otago at Westpac Stadium and Auckland hosting Canterbury at Eden Park.

Milne hasn’t played a Plunket Shield match since December 2015.

Milne isn’t the only change in the CD side for this week, with Taranaki seamer Ryan Watson coming in.

Watson has been impressive at Hawke Cup level and he replaces Wairarapa’s Stefan Hook-sporry, who was 12th man in the draw against Auckland last week.

With a mounting injury toll to their bowlers, CD have been trying to give new players experience, so Taylor is likely to be 12th man for this match. Milne replaces Jesse Ryder, who has shot off to play in Hong Kong’s T20 Blitz for the Galaxy Gladiators Lantau and will miss this round. ND have been bolstered by the return of Black Caps leg-spinner Ish Sodhi and batsman Dean Brownlie.