Volts looking to kick on in Ford Trophy

SUDDENLY, Otago’s summer is looking a lot brighter.

The Volts have won three oneday games in a row to claim a spot at the top of the standings alongside Wellington.

Jacob Duffy and Matt Bacon have taken 26 wickets between them and are the No 2 and No 3 leading wickettakers in the competition.

Hamish Rutherford has arguably been in careerbest form and is the No 2 leading scorer with 365 runs at an average of 73.

Former international spinner Mark Craig has returned from a back complaint which kept him on the sidelines for the past three games.

His timing is perfect with the tournament moving into an interesting stage.

The next three rounds are being played in Lincoln and Christchurch. By Sunday, the Volts should have a good idea of whether they will feature in the playoffs for the first time since

the 201516 season.

Their prospects have been greatly enhanced with so many of the country’s leading players on Black Caps or New Zealand A duty.

Central Districts has been hit particularly hard, whereas

Otago is unscathed.

But the team is also making its own luck. Saturday’s sevenrun win against Wellington was as much down to tenacity as anything else.

The Volts were hammered by 193 runs at the Basin Reserve but reversed that result at the University Oval.

Duffy was a leading contributor with five for 38. But Matt Bacon took crucial wickets at the end and Josh Finnie played a valuable cameo of 53 to get the Volts through to 218 on a tired pitch.

But despite the gutsy nature of the win, Otago certainly has some issues to address.

While Rutherford and Neil Broom are in good touch, the batting remains fragile. There were some injudicious shots played in the innings against Wellington.

Shawn Hicks was one of the worst offenders. He was Otago’s best performed oneday batsman last season but has undermined his position with a series of poor decisions.

The 23yearold righthander fell for the very obvious trap Hamish Bennett set on Saturday when he came around the wicket and dug the ball in short.

He was also bowled first ball when he managed to york himself on Wednesday, and got out to a reverse sweep Sunday week, which is always embarrassing.

It was not a great week or so and Hicks has lost his spot in the side as a result. Craig replaces him in the 13 but it will be veteran toporder batsman Brad Wilson who will take his place in the batting order.

Otago convener of selectors Steve Martin said Hicks ‘‘quite simply has not scored enough runs’’.

‘‘He was a standout player last year and he has been given every opportunity to find some form. But unfortunately he has not been able to recapture his form and the decision has been made to take him out of the squad.

‘‘It is a chance for him to go away and work on elements of his game.’’

One of the areas Hicks will need to address is his compulsion to swing hard at anything short. He will have to do that work at club level and for Otago A.

He has also been asked to work on his bowling now that a back complaint has eased.

Otago plays Auckland today and Northern Districts on Friday. Both those games are in Lincoln.

The Volts play Canterbury at Hagley Oval on Sunday before completing the roundrobin phase with a game against Auckland in Invercargill on November 24.

Auckland is reeling after two heavy losses. Coach Mark O’Donnell has made three changes to the squad.

Matt McEwan, Ben Lister, and Teja Nidamanuru replace Michael Snedden, Raj Majithia and Roneel Hira.

WHITE Ferns coach Haidee Tiffen can see the bigger picture but the immediate future is daunting.

New Zealand faces what is effectively a ‘‘mustwin’’ game against Australia in the ICC Women’s World T20 tournament this afternoon (New Zealand time).

While mathematically the White Ferns will still be in the hunt for the semifinals following the game against Australia, Tiffen is approaching the fixture in Guyana as if it is a sudden death game.

The White Ferns find themselves in a precarious position so early in the tournament thanks to an incredible innings by Harmanpreet Kaur.

The Indian captain blasted 103 from 51 deliveries to help propel her side to a 34run win in the opening game.

Tiffen said Kaur’s knock was a great advertisement for the women’s game.

But while she did not want to take anything away from the innings, she felt her side’s bowling had been too full.

‘‘We allowed all their batters to come down the wicket, so we’ve talked about that and are really working hard on pulling that length back.

‘‘We are in a situation where [the game against Australia] is a must win for us now and we are really up for that challenge.’’

Tiffen felt her side showed positive intent in the chase and that was something to take into today’s match.

‘‘If you are really clear on what you are trying to achieve, you can score runs out there.’’

The White Ferns will need to show more of that positive intent against Australia, which has impressed with a 52run win against Pakistan and a ninewicket victory over Ireland.

‘‘[Australia is] the best team in the world for a reason, because they do things consistently well.

‘‘They are really clinical in the way they go about their bowling and their batting.

‘‘But I think we’ve got some real strengths in our group too. If some of our players really step up and we play a courageous and brave brand of cricket . . . I think it will be a really good game.’’’

Hardhitting allrounder Sophie Devine said the White Ferns would not be intimidated by Australia despite their seamless run in the tournament to date.

‘‘They’ve been bullies but I think that is why they are at the top of the world at the moment.

‘‘They are a great side [and] they’ve got great depth. We are fortunate enough to play a lot against them and alongside them with the Women’s Big Bash League as well.

‘‘We’re really looking forward to it. Anytime you put the Kiwis versus the Aussies, it’s going to be a big match.

‘‘We’re absolutely pumped for it . . . and we actually have a fantastic record against them in World T20s and World Cups.’’

‘‘From my memory we’ve only lost once to them at a World Cup since I’ve been involved.’’

Last month Australia dispatched New Zealand 30 in a twenty20 series.

The series loss provided the White Ferns with an opportunity to make a few changes, which would take some time to bed in, Devine said.

‘‘We were pretty disappointed with how we performed. They showed us where the game is heading in the women’s [game].

‘‘We know we have areas we need to step up in. We need to go about that in a Kiwi way.

‘‘We can’t just been like the Aussies or the English or the West Indians.’’