Cricket: CD seam attack back for ND

New-ball seamer Ben Wheeler. Photo / NZME.

The worn-out and wounded, especially key bowlers, return to the fold for the Central Districts Stags today in Whangarei.

New-ball seamer Ben Wheeler comes back into the fray with swing bowler Seth Rance after overcoming a broken middle finger and broken foot, respectively, several weeks ago.

"Seth is in for Stevie Smidt," CD coach Heinrich Malan says of the Devon Hotel-sponsored Stags who reload against the Northern Districts Knights at Cobham Oval in their back-to-back four-day Plunket Shield match.

The Kruger van Wyk-captained CD and ND drew in the fifth round at Pukekura Park, New Plymouth, last week.

Dean Brownlie scored 334 runs and Mitchell Santner 101 to post a mammoth innings for ND but Greg Hay (157 and 80), debutant Tom Bruce (56 and 94) and Doug Bracewell (78) led the hosts' fightback.

"It was a placid wicket so it was tough to get people out," says Malan before facing ND who will be without captain Daniel Flyn (personal reasons) as BJ Watling leads them.

Kieran Noema-Barnett has gone to pursue a career in county cricket in England which means Bracewell assumes the mantle of CD's No.1 allrounder as well as the leading first-class wicket taker with 24 scalps, one more than fellow Black Caps seamer Neil Wagner.

Taranaki batsman Dean Robinson is the new casualty for CD, breaking his leg while fielding in the last round so enter David Meiring.

"Not too many things went our way," Malan says, although he argues playing ND again a week later is the nature of the beast. "To win trophies you have to play everyone and at anytime."

With the Queenstown game rained out, it's imperative fifth-placed CD claim maximum points to stay in the hunt.

Two wins from five remaining matches are on the agenda. Anything else, he says, will be a bonus.

Both teams
*CD Stags: Doug Bracewell, Tom Bruce, Greg Hay, Andrew Mathieson, David Meiring, Ajaz Patel, Seth Rance, Bevan Small, Kruger van Wyk (c, wkt), Ben Wheeler, George Worker, William Young.

*ND Knights: BJ Watling (c, wkt), Graeme Aldridge, James Baker, Jono Boult, Dean Brownlie, Joe Carter, Anton Devcich, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Anurag Verma, Brad Wilson.