Plenty to watch at venue
NEW Zealand A coach Glenn Pocknall has promised to ‘‘watch the odd ball of cricket’’.
His side will host the touring West Indies team in a threeday match which gets under way at the picturesque John Davies Oval in Queenstown today.
The Remarkables form the backdrop and Queenstown Airport is nearby, so lowflying planes are part of the venue’s charm.
He joked there will be ‘‘lots of looking at planes, lots of looking at mountains and of course watch the odd ball of cricket’’.
Otago has a strong presence in the New Zealand A squad.
Volts spearhead Jacob Duffy is joined by provincial teammates Michael Rae, Nathan Smith and Michael Rippon in the 16strong squad.
They will be keen to impress at home.
Canterbury allrounder Cole McConchie will captain the side which features established test player Henry Nicholls and Black Capinwaiting Will Young.
Prolific Wellington batsman Devon Conway is in the squad as well. He has been the form batsman on the domestic scene for the past two seasons.
Pocknall was looking forward to seeing what his side is capable of.
‘‘Everyone is buzzing,’’ he said. ‘‘It has been a busy season already domestically but now these guys have an opportunity to represent New Zealand A in the first international game this summer.
‘‘That is a pretty special experience for these guys and everyone can’t wait to get out and have a crack at the West Indies [today].
‘‘We’ve got some established Black Caps here . . . and some guys that are very new to this level and even new to the domestic level.
‘‘They’ll feed off each other and they are all pretty excited to represent NZA in this first fixture.’’
It is a good opportunity for
Pocknall as well. He has been around the side before but this is his first opportunity at the helm.
‘‘It has been an ambition of mine for a while to coach and to coach at the highest level, so I’m grateful for the opportunity.
‘‘I’m certainly looking forward to putting my flavour on this team.’’
West Indies allrounder Roston Chase will captain the threeday team and is hoping the batsmen will show some application at the crease and give themselves an opportunity to adjust to the conditions.
‘‘The first innings really sets up the game,’’ he said.
‘‘Once you put a team under pressure in the first innings with a good total they will be always chasing the game.
‘‘As a batting unit we’ll need to give the bowlers something to work with.’’