Cricket: CD work cut out in detour to final

Jamie How

That Central Districts Stags took out an insurance policy in case of a first-up hiccup in the Ford Trophy play-offs is commendable.

But guess what?

The premium has just gone up with the no-claims bonus for the Devon Hotel-sponsored CD after they came up short by 45 runs in the preliminary final against the Auckland Aces in New Plymouth on Saturday.

The Aces have earned the right to host the grand final on Sunday and a week's rest for their troubles in outplaying the Heinrich Malan-coached CD on their postage stamp-sized Pukekura Park.

"We have obviously missed the easier route ... and we seem to be enjoying the hard graft in taking the detour route to the final," said Malan.

The Stags also have made it hard on themselves to play the Otago Volts at the same venue on Wednesday in the second-life clash without Jamie How and a question mark over all-rounder Kieran Noema-Barnett.

Either way, it's do or die for CD and Malan is hoping his men will execute much better against the Volts who beat ND Knights by three wickets in Queenstown.

"A 260 total is under par at the venue [Pukekura] and we all knew that," he said, bemoaning CD deviating from the game plan after having the visitors at 19-3 but failing to take wickets regularly.

The top-order batsmen's anaemic run also concerns him, demons he thought they had exorcised in the T20 competition.

"Before the 40th over we were nine down," he said, adding 6 out of 8 wins in the campaign was great but the hard yards have just begun.

Noema-Barnett has "overrun on a tendon" and How's a definite change.

"It's kind of tough to start work on a Monday and ask your boss for Wednesday off to play cricket," he said of How.