Cricket: CD, Aces' big guns to fire at Puke Park

Black Cap batsman Ross Taylor is back in the CD Stags line up against Auckland Aces in the must-win one-day game in New Plymouth today. PHOTO/Paul Taylor

Miracles happen more regularly in sport than fans actually realise because, quite often, they tend to be so fixated on the final result that they overlook the before and after.

The Central Districts Stags, who host the Auckland Aces in a do-or-die match today in the final round of the one-day Ford Trophy competition, come to mind.

The first miracle is the Heinrich Malan-coached CD Stags still keeping alive their dreams of three consecutive titles in the white-ball format.

The second - no rain forecast in the 11am start at Pukekura Park even though New Plymouth was the wettest part of the country yesterday but was expected to be 21C today with high clouds and strong southeasterlies.

"We don't need a bonus point and the forecast actually looks all right," an exuberant CD captain William Young said yesterday.

The third marvel is Black Caps coach Mike Hesson has released all his troops to return to domestic duties at the conclusion of the three-match series-winning ODI internationals against Australia on Sunday.

All those acts of miracle, even before fans will find out who will proceed to the limited-overs playoffs next weekend when the battle royale is over at Pukekura Park tonight.

Young pointed out Hesson's decision would see the game metamorphose into a different beast today with CD inheriting the services of ODI record-equalling century maker Ross Taylor, while the visitors have gained some decent arsenal in the form of allrounders Colin Munro and Colin de Grandhomme, as well as speed merchant Lockie Ferguson.

"It's going to be an awesome game because whoever wins [today] will go through so it's do-or-die for both teams and there'll be two very strong teams out there," he said.

Taylor, who has racked up 40-plus scores in six out of seven outings since his eye surgery late last year, will be lethal on a compact park with short boundaries for someone who took a shine to the arc between gully and cover in the ODI.

CD have come right at a time when it looked like their campaign was over.

Black Caps squad member George Worker, a left-arm opening batsman, is 10 runs shy of becoming the first batsman this summer to crack the 500-run mark after his 181 last Sunday saw him leapfrog Aces counterpart Sean Solia (406).

Former Black Caps leftie Jesse Ryder and Young also have found their mojo, so throw in Taylor and it could become a blitzkreig for the Aucklanders.

"You know that broken record that we harp on about seems to work in setting up the platform," he said, after Malan preached the importance of the top order providing a launching pad for the bolshy pair of Joshua Clarkson and Tom Bruce to go berserk.

The return of opening seamers, Black Cap Ben Wheeler and Seth Rance, in the last round has added zing to a relatively young but energetic bowling attack.

Worker and red-ball king Ajaz Patel have the propensity to prevent the opposition batsmen from settling down but Malan and Young will have to make a decision on who to leave out from the XI today with Taylor's injection.

Ferguson will have to show discipline in speed or he'll take a licking on the postage-stamp park wicket.

"What's pleasing is we went into the [previous] game knowing we needed two bonus points so we went out there and played freely."

Young said the 227-run victory over the Northern Districts Knights on Sunday as the biggest margin victory in the competition's history.

"You know, when we're hot, we're hot. At the moment, we're hot," he said with a laugh.

Should CD win the toss today, he will have no hesitation in batting first to emulate the feat against the Knights.

Young was reluctant to say who would be 12th man.

Wellington Firebirds, ND and Canterbury Kings are already in the playoffs but CD, the Aces and Otago Volts all have a chance to clinch the fourth spot although the Volts will need other results to go their way.