So who is Mathew Sinclair?
You know, some has-been international in the twilight of his career who seems to have an opinion about everything.
Why should anyone give a toss (pardon the pun) about what he thinks of a game of cricket?
Well, yes, while the cricket-savvy 34-year-old doesn't mince words - and sometimes to his detriment - he isn't someone who coughs up hollow platitudes before and after matches.
The Central Districts Stags linchpin walks the talk.
On Saturday, the Napier Old Boys' Marist player scored an unbeaten 105 runs from 94 balls, including nine boundaries and two lusty sixes in Christchurch to earn his HRV Cup Twenty20 champions another chance to make it to the one-day final against the Auckland Aces.
CD beat the Canterbury Wizards by six wickets in their preliminary final while the Aces thumped the Northern Districts Knights by eight wickets at Colin Maiden Park, Auckland.
As the top-two qualifiers, Auckland will now wait for the outcome of the ND-CD match at Cobham Oval, Whangarei, on Wednesday to see who they will host in the grand final.
At QEII Park on Saturday, Canterbury amassed 258-8 in their allotted 50 overs with ex-Black Caps opener Michael Papps knocking up a defiant 93.
While season rookie Seth Rance, of Wairarapa, claimed four wickets he took some stick in his 10 overs, going for 71 runs.
Conversely, Ewen Thompson was wicket-less but was frugal, bleeding 36 runs from his 10 overs. English import Graham Napier got two wickets from 10 overs, including two maidens, for 43 runs.
"I think the bowlers had to work really hard because it was blowing a gale here. They [Canterbury] had only 20 odd from 10 overs and the openers [Napier and Michael Mason] stunted their progress," Sinclair said, adding the hosts came up 20-30 runs short despite having wickets in hand.
Rance, he said, was a quick learner and the opposition were beginning to show him a bit more respect.
In reply, Sinclair, who occupied the crease for 110 minutes, found an ally in ex-Black Caps allrounder Brendon Diamanti who scored an unbeaten 59 from 47 balls, including 5 boundaries and two sixes.
Wicketkeeper Bevan Griggs added 40 runs to the total of 260-4 and opener George Worker again is finding some form with 30 runs as CD wrapped the game up with 17 balls to spare.
"My partnership with Brendon was the winning of the game. He can't bowl at the moment so he's focusing purely on his batting," said Sinclair, adding the powerplay was pivotal to CD's success.
"Brendon showed his class, comfortably getting the total with about three overs to play."
With the Bangladesh versus Black Caps test match at Seddon Park, Hamilton, from today, CD have to be contend with the temperamental Cobham Oval that left them in sixes and sevens in their first foray into the one-day competition.
"It's their turf and our road to the final so we'll take a lot of confidence in what we've done today [Saturday]."
However, Sinclair chastised his team's fielding effort against the Wizards, describing it as dreadful.
"It's something for us to work on. We could say it was more because of the pressure from the bumpy outfield but there are no excuses.
"We talk about catches winning matches but stopping boundaries and getting the ball in from the boundary are also important."
Skipper Jamie How, he said, had highlighted that in the changing room after the game.
"We didn't need our Black Caps today so it's a boost for our morale," he said as opening batsman Peter Ingram, of Taranaki, makes his test debut today with the country's best international batsman Ross Taylor.
New Zealand one-day international allrounder Jacob Oram, according to Sinclair, is unavailable due to a "gammy knee".
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