MOU MOMENT: Doug Bracewell (above) shows his bristles but watch Tom Bruce on TV for the winner. PHOTO/Paul Taylor
RAIN, rain may yet again not stay away in New Plymouth tonight for the men's glamour domestic white-ball cricket.
But, guess who is turning up for the first time in the abbreviated format in the past two seasons?
Yes, Jesse Ryder is finally coming out to play for Central Districts Stags.
"He's obviously a very explosive player and brings that X factor from a batting perspective," CD coach Heinrich Malan said last night before their round two McDonald's Super Smash Twenty20 match against the Northern Districts Knights at Yarrow Stadium.
The game will be televised live on Skysport 1 from 7.10pm but the forecast is for heavy falls in the morning although it eases between 8pm to 10pm.
The Auckland-manufactured drop-in wicket, which came under intense scrutiny last summer as slow and dry, may turn out to be a blessing because all the saturation leading up to the game this week will make it a seamer's paradise.
"It seems to be every time there's a cricket match it starts raining ... the forecast is obviously not too great if you can believe all the apps and things that are going around," Malan said, mindful they had a few "teething problems" with the drop-in pitch last season but this week it looked potentially better with a greenish tinge to it.
He said the 32-year-old former Black Cap, who on last count still harboured a desire to return to Mike Hesson's fold, was a "different character around the boys".
"He brings a different kind of energy that the boys can feed off so we're really excited to have him back in the mix and, hopefully, does what he does best and, that is, entertain us."
Ryder was nursing a calf injury he picked up in that last four-day Plunket Shield game against ND in Napier late last month so he missed the opening-round Duckworth Lewis Method seven-run victory over the Canterbury Kings at the nearby Pukekura Park.
The batsman, who only made a cameo appearance in the opening round of T20 last summer, joined the Stags squad in New Plymouth on Tuesday and has been training the rest of the week before passing a fitness test to push his way into the starting 12.
Opening batsman Ben Smith, prolific red-ball run scorer, becomes the sacrificial lamb in the only change from the last game.
In fairness, Smith was the only batsman not to rock-and-roll his way into double figures against the Kings on a day when the bowlers were left feeling under done.
Malan said former Sri Lankan international batsman Mahela Jayawardene arrives in the country next Wednesday and will become available for the round three game against the Otago Volts, also to be televised, at McLean Park, Napier, next Friday from 7.10pm.
While the DL Method often favoured the side batting first, he felt the point of saturation might dictate otherwise tonight.
"If it's raining there could be something in it for the seamers so let's see what influence it'll have on the wicket tomorrow."
The uncontrollables aside, the William Young-captained Stags will be challenging their roles.
"We've prepared for 20 overs but if we need to play a six-over, eight-over or 10-over game we've done some preparation around that as well and the boys have been put through the specifics around that structure ... trusting our players to make the correct calls as they go along."
The South African said CD were clinical in forging partnerships to post a total of 198-6 in 20 overs.
"We need to make sure we piggy back this week on the fact that we came away with a win and left no stones unturned in terms of our preparation."
Black Cap Doug Bracewell said to counter cabin fever the Stags were also frequenting gyms and fulfilling CD obligations with school coaching and hospital visits.
Back-bending Bracewell, who would have been an interesting injection in Hesson's seaming equation in Australia after Matt Henry's baptism of fire, said the Stags had a spring in their step with the Canterbury win.
"They have a couple of new faces there so we talked about that briefly but our game plan doesn't change too much [because] we'll look at playing a pretty positive brand," he said of the Knights who will have the services of Australian Big Bash players Ben Laughlin and Nathan Reardon for the clash before jetting back.
ND skipper Dean Brownlie said in a release: "They [CD] have some match winners in their group and have just come off a win so they will be confident."
Ironically the Knights also are coming off a seven-run win over the Wellington Firebirds.
Bracewell said CD swing merchant Seth Rance was itching to get his mitts on the new ball.
"It's a very exciting line up at the moment ... we didn't get the full 20 in the last round so we're looking forward to ND," he said, highlighting under the floodlights, for whoever bats second, they would have to contend with the dew factor.
"We'll have to adapt to that on the night and, obviously, also if we end up fielding in the night it'll be different, too."
Young, a jovial Bracewell said, wasn't a "great tosser" so it would interesting to see what they end up doing first.
He said bolshy batsman Tom Bruce had won the Movember competition among the lads.
"He had the handle bars going so you might see it on TV."
Malan, adroitly sidestepping the Movember sideshow with Stags team manager Lance Hamilton, said newcomer Ryan McCone came last so he was on check to keep the hair on his upper lip bristling for another fortnight.
"It's not too good for him so let's see what happens come tomorrow night. If he gets across the line maybe you can mark him up and have a bit of conversation with him on that."
CD STAGS: William Young (c), Tom Bruce, Doug Bracewell, Joshua Clarkson, Dane Cleaver (wk), Marty Kain, Ryan McCone, Seth Rance, Jesse Ryder, Blair Tickner, Ben Wheeler, George Worker.
Coach: Heinrich Malan.
Asst coach: Ben Smith.
ND KNIGHTS: Dean Brownlie (c), Corey Anderson, Jonathan Boult, Joseph Carter, Zak Gibson, Nick Kelly, Scott Kuggeleijn, Ben Laughlin, Daryl Mitchell, Nathan Reardon, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi.
Coach: James Pamment.