Cricket: Draw-will-do philosophy ruled out for Auckland

Auckland have one hand on the national first-class championship but know they'll need to play well to clinch the title when they face Central Districts in the competition final at Lincoln starting today.

Having finished top of the round robin programme, Auckland, if they don't win the match, need only draw the five-day final to win the State Championship. CD must win it outright.

To paraphrase Meatloaf, two out of three ain't bad odds with a title on the line. But that's a flawed mindset, and captain Richard Jones isn't interested in talk like that.

Nor does he put much store by the last game between the two at Eden Park a week ago, when Auckland ran up 662 for five.

And don't even think about bragging rights out of that game to be used this week.

"Most games are done in four days. When you get an extra day it's only 90 more overs, but it's too long to go in thinking like that," he said of the draw-will-do philosophy.

He espouses a view that if Auckland keep playing the way they have in the second half of the championship - three outright wins and a first innings victory over CD - they will be tough to topple.

Jones likes the way all his players have made a contribution in recent weeks.

"The nice thing is everyone's chipping in, doing their bit. Everyone has done something in the last month where they can say they added value," he said.

Young opener Jeet Raval is the most recent case, with his 256 (the third-best maiden hundred in this country) in just his third game for Auckland, against CD. Reece Young, Gareth Hopkins and Anaru Kitchen have all got important runs, while fast-medium men Daryl Tuffey, Andy McKay (both 23 wickets), Colin de Grandhomme and Lance Shaw (19 each) have impressed.

Legspinner Tarun Nethula tops the national wicket-taking list with 25, and Jones said he would play in the match today, with one of Michael Bates, McKay or Shaw the unlucky player to be 12th man.

CD are bolstered by the return of in-out test batsman Jamie How and allrounder Jacob Oram, back after a lengthy calf problem.

Their captain, Mathew Sinclair, with the season-high 837 runs at an average of 83.7, has been their standout performer in a strong batting operation, with Peter Ingram (748 at 62.33) and Brad Patton (479 at 59.87) able lieutenants.

Jones is wary of predicting how the pitch at Bert Sutcliffe Oval will play -"I'm sick and tired of looking at decks, wondering what will be going on," he quipped - but hopes the teams get a good strip to fit the occasion, not a three-day wonder when so much depends on the toss.

Whoever wins the title in this match, it will mean the three national competitions will have had three different winners this season, after Northern Districts won the one-day crown and Otago the Twenty20 championship.