Lou Vincent continued his quest to regain his New Zealand test batting spot when he led a strong Auckland reply to Otago's first innings in the four day representative match on Eden Park's outer oval yesterday.
Vincent smashed his second big 100 of the summer, to go alongside 185 not
out against Central Districts a few weeks ago, and with Rob Nicol's help in a third-wicket partnership of 244, put Auckland in an imposing position.
Auckland at stumps, with two days remaining, were 318-4, only 30 in arrears.
Vincent finished with 152 and in his 284-minute, 241-ball innings, which included two sixes and 21 fours, was rarely in trouble against an Otago attack which struggled for penetration on a benign pitch.
Vincent's confidence was shattered last season when he was undone by the pace of Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar and as a consequence lost his test place. But he appears to have regained his composure and learnt to temper his natural aggression with patience and judgment.
"I've been with Auckland for four years and Lou's in the best shape mentally that I've known," an admiring team manager Fred Thomas said yesterday.
If overshadowed a little by Vincent, Nicol with an exact 100 also produced an important innings yesterday in terms of reviving his career.
Something of a boy wonder when he entered the Auckland team as a teenager three years ago and reeling off a string of centuries, Nicol had only a moderate season last year and so far had also battled this season. His top first-class score this season had been only 49.
The late dismissals of Vincent and Nicol apart, the only bowling joy for Otago came when left-arm medium pacer Bradley Scott, one of the first-day batting heroes, dismissed the openers, Richard Jones and Matt Horne.
