Cricket: CD top order 'should have gone on'

Doug Bracewell is back for tomorrow's CD match against Wellington in Palmerston North. PHOTO/FILE

Coaches aren't always the easiest people to please, win or lose in sport.

However, quite often, when you pull yourself away from the euphoria of victory or the despair of defeat you tend to find they make perfect sense.

Devon Hotel Central Districts Stags coach Heinrich Malan falls into that category after reflecting on his charges' 81-run victory over the Northern Districts Knights in New Plymouth on Wednesday to find themselves on the third rung of the Ford Trophy one-day domestic men's cricket competition.

The top four CD batsmen provided the platform for rookie skipper William Young and fellow Taranaki batsman Tom Bruce to post 363-9 in 50 overs, which the Knights failed to chase down at a benign Pukekura Park.

But as his defending champions prepare to host the Wellington Firebirds at Fitzherbert Park in Palmerston North tomorrow, a circumspect Malan reckons for a compact Pukekura Park, a 300 total would have been a par score.

"So we still took our feet off when we probably should have got to the 400 mark," he said last night, before the Stags travel today.

His beef is with how his top-order batsmen failed to go on to post 120-130 runs despite providing a launching pad for Young and Bruce to forge a fourth-wicket record partnership in the competition as well as for CD.

"The batters who should have done well in the first two rounds didn't but they contributed significantly in that last game, so that's fantastic to see," said the South African coach.

That is not to say Malan doesn't appreciate the fact that anything above 300 puts the pressure straight back on the chasing team: "Psychologically they have the pressure from the scoreboard to score around six an over and when they don't do that the run rate starts creeping up very quickly."

With four more "big rounds" to come, he wanted his predominantly young troops to keep things in perspective for a playoff berth.

CD have test cricketer Doug Bracewell back in the line-up as well as fellow Black Caps seamer Ben Wheeler, who is returning from a lengthy injury layoff.

"Doug comes in for Indy [Indika Senarathne]," Malan said, while Wheeler replaces previous 12th man Jordie Barrett.

Seamer Andrew Mathieson is awaiting results from a back scan but the coach said his one-day campaign may be over, although it was imperative to do what was best for his welfare with seven more rounds of the Budget Rental Plunket Shield first-class matches to be played.

He lauded swing merchant Seth Rance, of Wairarapa, for using the new ball for a fantastic strike rate and Firebirds batsmen would pay to know he did a sterling job for CD in death bowling in their previous winning encounter at the Basin Reserve.

CD STAGS (from): William Young (c, Taranaki), Doug Bracewell, Tom Bruce (Taranaki) Seth Rance (Wairarapa), Jesse Ryder (Wairarapa), Dane Cleaver (wk, Manawatu), Bevan Small (Manawatu), Marty Kain (Nelson), Ben Smith (Wanganui), Blair Tickner (HB), Ben Weeler (Marlborough) George Worker (Manawatu).

Coach: Heinrich Malan.

WELLINGTON FIREBIRDS: Michael Papps (c), Matthew Pollard, Stephen Murdoch, Craig Cachopa, Tom Blundell (wk), Alecz Day, Luke Woodcock, Jeetan Patel, Anurag Verma, Brent Arnel, Matt McEwan, Dane Hutchinson.

Coach: Bruce Edgar.