Cleaver’s rich returns rewarded
Fresh off his most successful season, Central Districts wicketkeeper-batsman Dane Cleaver is enjoying a proper break from cricket before preparing for another summer.
The Manawatu¯ man has just finished a successful season with the bat and gloves, where he also represented New Zealand A, and last week he won the CD awards for player of the year and players’ player of the year.
Now he is waiting to see what the off season will look like after the coronavirus lockdown.
Cleaver scored 196 for New Zealand A against India A in January and scored 201 for CD against Northern Districts in the Plunket Shield in February, both career bests, as well as scoring 108 against ND in the one-day competition in November.
During the lockdown Cleaver, who is living in Hastings with his partner who is an essential health worker, has been working for
Parker’s Beverages making hand sanitiser and other items.
His last match was a Plunket Shield game on March 10 before the coronavirus curtailed the end of the season, so Cleaver has had a break completely which he enjoyed. Now he is into strength and conditioning training for the winter.
Cleaver is in the New Zealand winter training squad in Lincoln for a second year and he said last year was beneficial.‘‘it was one of the things that stepped up my game on a personal note, the winter squad and training I did, all the hard work behind the scenes.’’
He said the past summer had comfortably been his best.
‘‘It was the first summer where I performed across all three formats.
‘‘I’ve been pretty consistent in the red ball four-day stuff in the last three or four years, but this was the first year I put it all together and put some performances on the board with the white ball.
‘‘My keeping was my big work on in the winter as well and my keeping performances in that area were up.’’
The 200 for CD was an important milestone because he has scored a few big hundreds, but until then no double ton.
Although Cleaver hoped to one day play for New Zealand, he didn’t want to get ahead of himself and said he would try to keep performing. His said his goal for the off season had been to be selected for a New Zealand A tour of India in August, but that was now uncertain.
‘‘It’s just putting in a good winter’s work and just keep working on my game and hopefully add to my performances this year for CD. If that happens to get me noticed, I’ll get my opportunity for New Zealand A.’’
Cleaver scored 423 runs at 38.45 in the Plunket Shield this summer and in the one-day competition 308 runs at 51.33.
His 28 Plunket Shield dismissals from six games was six ahead of the next best wicketkeeper in the country and included a career-best nine dismissals in a match against ND where he took five catches in an innings.