Cricket: Injury woes for Stags bowlers

Lance Hamilton

With 15 Black Caps on the tour of duty to Bangladesh from today for the Twenty20 World Cup campaign, tomorrow's round of the one-day competition will have a sense of domesticity about it.

Not that it would have made much difference to the Devon Hotel Central Districts Stags or the Canterbury Wizards who will be without spinner Roneel Hira, when they play in the third round tomorrow at Hagley Oval, Christchurch.

CD won't have the services of New Zealand Cricketer of the Year Ross Taylor for the Ford Trophy campaign and allrounder Doug Bracewell is out for the rest of the season after breaking his foot following a night out on the booze with Jesse Ryder.

In the only change for the Heinrich Malan-coached Stags, Roald Badenhorst comes in for batsman Greg Hay.

Assistant coach/manager Lance Hamilton said yesterday in keeping with a six-batsmen, five-bowler split including wicketkeeper Kruger van Wyk, a seamer or spinner was likely to carry the drinks.

Last round's 12th man, Dane Cleaver, is playing but CD's problems are compounded with captain Kieran Noema-Barnett unable to bowl because of a groin injury.

With Bracewell injured and Carl Cachopa still nursing a hamstring, there's a dearth of allrounders who can bowl 10 overs.

"Carl is likely to join the squad when we fly straight from Christchurch to Auckland [on Monday] for the next round [against the Aces at Eden Park on Wednesday]," Hamilton said.

The Stags thrashed the Wellington Firebirds by eight wickets in the opening round but succumbed by 92 runs to the Aces at Saxton Oval, Nelson, on Wednesday.

"We were probably outplayed by a better side with a few Black Caps," Hamilton said, believing CD were 20-30 runs shy of reaching the winning target of 308 as the Wizards skittled them with a shade more than 10 overs in the bank.

The boys' confidence was high, he said, with work ethics to match considering they were still sitting on five points behind leaders Auckland on the table.

But not if Canterbury coach Gary Stead and his men have their way tomorrow.

"CD gave Wellington a hiding so they'll have confidence but they are sitting above us so we want to knock everyone above us down on the way to the top," Stead said.

Todd Astle is the straight swap for Hira but Stead emphasised they had other options in Rob Nichol and ex-CD left-arm batsman George Worker's ability to tweak the ball, after a washout game.

"Todd's confidence is high after the game in Napier [last shield game at McLean Park last month] where he took 14 wickets, so that's incredible."

Despite flooding in Canterbury, he felt the oval had held up well under the covers.

The outer perimeter was a little damp but he didn't think the moisture would hold to make them bowl first if they won the toss. "It'll be just the same all day. I'll be surprised if it's not a good [batting] deck," the former White Ferns coach said.

CANTERBURY: Peter Fulton (c), Tom Latham (wk), George Worker, Dean Brownlie, Rob Nicol, Henry Nicholls, Andy Ellis, Simon Keen, Ryan McCone, Hamish Bennett, Matt McEwan, Todd Astle.

CD STAGS: Jamie How, Ben Smith, William Young, Kieran Noema-Barnett (c), Kruger van Wyk (wk), Dane Cleaver, Tarun Nethula, Seth Rance, Andrew Mathieson, Marty Kain, Bevan Small.