“To be honest, I was very concerned,” Hawke’s Bay coach Christie van Dyk said at 11/3, chasing 284.
But Wiggins took the momentum away from the Manawatū bowlers during his 89-ball innings, which allowed Zohrab to bat time at the other end and not worry about any scoreboard pressure.
Van Dyk would have loved one of them to push on and post a really big score on the second day of the two-day match at Palmerston North’s Fitzherbert Park. Overall, though, he was relatively content with the outcome and the quality of cricket played by Hawke’s Bay.
However, he would like to see a couple of things change ahead of the first Hawke Cup defence of the summer on January 31.
Van Dyk wants the bowlers, particularly with the new ball, to make the opposition play a bit more and he would prefer to see more of his own batters being got out by their opponents.
“My batters need to stop getting themselves out,” said van Dyk.
Which leads you to speculate a little about how focused the team is on the Furlong Cup and the degree to which the players assume they’ll simply summon the necessary intent and discipline when the Hawke Cup rolls around.
“I can understand that some people might have that perception, but I can tell you that’s not what we do and not what we talk about,” van Dyke said.
“These games are really quality preparation and you play as you train and if we give our wickets away in these games, it’s going to happen in the Hawke Cup too.
“They’re not just going through the motions. Heck no. I’m big on that and they know how I feel about that. I’m quick to praise, but I’m also quick to point out that they need to make sure they stay at the crease a little bit longer and get to a hundred.”
Hawke’s Bay’s bowling effort was spearheaded by Toby Findlay, in his first appearance of the campaign following back and hand injuries. Findlay took 5-45 in the overs he was permitted to bowl.
Like fellow Central Districts-contracted bowler Field, Findlay was restricted to 12 overs as part of his return-to-play protocols.
“Toby was exceptional and probably the pick of our bowlers,” said van Dyk.
Hawke’s Bay remain third in the Furlong Cup standings, behind Taranaki and Manawatū , ahead of their final clash in this competition, at home against Whanganui on January 18.
Meanwhile, there were wins for Havelock North, Taradale and Napier Technical Old Boys in a low-scoring round of Murray McKearney Cup Twenty20 matches on Friday.
Havelock beat Cornwall by four wickets, chasing 121, Taradale made 132/2 to beat Napier Old Boys’ Marist by eight wickets and Tech reached 78/4 to register a six-wicket win over Central Hawke’s Bay.
This article is provided courtesy of Hawke’s Bay Cricket Association
