Blundell giving selectors sore heads
A second successive Plunket Shield century from Tom Blundell has ensured the Black Caps cricket selectors will be reaching for the paracetamol over the next couple of months.
The incumbent New Zealand test opener scored a classy 113 on the opening day of the Wellington Firebirds’ final-round fixture against the Auckland Aces at Eden Park Outer Oval yesterday, fresh off his unbeaten 103 in his only innings in the previous round against Northern Districts.
The back-to-back tons from the 30-year-old are a rather welltimed ‘‘don’t discount me’’ to Black Caps coach Gary Stead and fellow selector Gavin Larsen, as the season draws to a close but the three-test trip to England, including the World Test Championship final against India, looms.
With Tom Latham, captain Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor certainties, and Henry Nicholls surely sealing his spot with two test hundreds and a fifty this summer, Blundell is the only man
in the top six to potentially be unseated, having registered a solitary half century from his five test innings this season.
But the 10-test right-hander will now have forced the selectors into deeper thought around the balance of their XI and the possibility of playing no allrounder, in order to fit both Blundell and Devon Conway in a top seven including wicketkeeper BJ Watling, then playing just the four bowlers.
Blundell’s latest knock was his 10th first-class hundred, and was full of character after coming in with the Firebirds 13-3 after electing to bat.
Showing typical prowess off the back foot and against spin in a 226-ball stay, Blundell struck 12 fours and two sixes as he helped his side to 278-6 at stumps.
He had superb support at the other end from captain Michael Bracewell, who also struck his 10th first-class ton, with 105 (231 balls, 12 fours, one six) in a 217-run fourth-wicket partnership – breaking a 93-year record for Wellington against Auckland.
There was one other ton yesterday – from Ben Smith for the Central Stags against champions Canterbury at McLean Park in Napier. No-one else scored more than 26 but No 3 Smith stood tall, making 111 not out from 210 balls (17 fours) in the Stags’ 207.
At home at the University of Otago Oval in Dunedin against Northern Districts, Hamish Rutherford topscored with 54 as Otago were bowled out for 272.