Cricket: Stags' campaign dusted

Dane Cleaver’s time on the crease will receive a boost from Mahela Jayawardene’s presence. Photo / Getty Images

Summer classes still on for young

The young and the restless in the Central Districts Stags team wanted to learn from Sri Lanka import batsman Mahela Jayawardene.

They certainly got a masterful display from the 38-year-old retired international despite the Devon Hotel-sponsored Stags two-wicket loss last night to the Northern Districts Knights in Hamilton last night.

The opening batsman, who top-edged a deceptively slow delivery from seamer Scott Kuggeleijn for 76 runs off 56 balls, including seven boundaries and three sixes for a handsome strike rate that was a shade under 150.

It's a pity Jayawardene hadn't arrived when the Georgie Pie Super Smash campaign began or even when he was scheduled to start three rounds ago in Nelson after a flight debacle and rain robbed him of two competition-defining matches.

At the end of the innings, Jayawardene was pleased with his dig although the expectation was that he should have carried on.

Frankly, you can only play the youth card a couple of times before maturity incrementally should start kicking in during any season.

"I'm enjoying myself. Fantastic, such a good down-to-earth man and he can bat," Dane Cleaver, wired for sound, said of Jayawardene who built the platform for CD's innings.

"Wish me luck," Cleaver said to the TV commentary team four balls later as he prepared for another heave but Kuggeleijn set off his traffic lights for 19 runs.

But lessons also came in other shapes from another senior player as well.

In 18.1 overs, Cleaver had heaved a six to cow's corner and was guilty of ball watching as captain Kruger van Wyk was scurrying to Cleaver's end just in case he was caught.

Although T20 aspirations are again over for CD the summer lesson in the remaining games from the Sri Lankan would be priceless.

If the Wasp is anything to go by, 190 runs was par score on thee Seddon Park strip so, consequently, CD fell shy with 170-6 at 8.5 an over.

Fast bowler Adam Milne, fellow opener Seth Rance, import Mitchell Claydon and spinner Marty Kain did well to reel in the ND batsmen after an early onslaught.

In six overs, the Knights were 63-3 and that was the telling moment.

Jayawardene, also on the microphone, gave the bowlers some sound advice on steering away from wide and short deliveries.

It did work but CD coach Heinrich Malan's hopes of four wins from as many games is now mathematically challenged.