Cricket: Knights break camp for campaign

Northern Knights captain Danel Flynn (left), coach James Pamment and chief executive Peter Roach at Bay Oval yesterday. PHOTO/GEORGE NOVAK

The Northern Knights finished a three-day camp at Mount Maunganui's Bay Oval yesterday confident they can compete with the best at the lucrative 2014 Champions League Twenty20 tournament in India.

But first the Knights have to finish in the top two of four qualifying teams.

The Knights depart Monday for Bengaluru, where they will train and acclimatise for a week before their opening qualifier against Sri Lanka's Southern Express in Raipur on September 13.

Knights captain Daniel Flynn, who also captained Tauranga Boys' College and Mount Maunganui, says they are pleased with their preparation.

"Obviously you don't go to these tournaments unless you are going there to win, but we realise we have to qualify first and foremost against quality sub-continent teams," said Flynn. "It is going to be conditions familiar to them so it is going to be a good challenge. But we have worked hard over the last month or so at camps here, and have a good build-up over there firstly in Bangalore, so fingers crossed we can get things right on the night."

Northern Knights are without two world class players in Corey Anderson and Daniel Vettori. Anderson will play for his Indian premier League team Mumbai Indians, while Vettori was a late withdrawal this week due to family matters. Young Hamilton spinner Mitchell Santner was named to replace him yesterday.

Flynn admitted they were a big loss to his team's chances.

"Dan is a world class player and Corey is very destructive, and unfortunately he will be playing against us. But we still have a lot of proven, international experience and a bit of exciting talent coming through. We feel we can cover it but they are hard guys to replace."

Flynn aimed to lead from the front and score big runs in India, to not just help the Knights but rekindle his own international career.

"It is an opportunity as you are on the world stage again," he said. "You put a couple of big scores up, people take notice I guess. From an international perspective, that is the priority for me. I still have goals and ambitions to get back there."

Knights coach James Pamment, who also played club cricket for Mount Maunganui, said it was a unique opportunity for ND. "We are really looking forward to it. We have got a talented group of players and we believe we have 15 guys going over there who can win this competition."