Cricket: Styris carries ND to victory

Northern Districts allrounder Scott Styris will need a new bat if he's wanted for the World Cup after breaking his favourite during a match-winning State Shield one-day knock of 91 against Canterbury at Taupo's Delanay Park yesterday.

Styris' unbeaten hand promoted him back into World Cup reckoning. He struck four fours and four sixes to see ND home to 197 for eight with one ball remaining for a two-wicket win after Canterbury got 196 for seven. However, it did come at a cost with Styris breaking the bat he successfully wielded in the West Indies.

"It's gone now I'll get it fixed and hang it up," he said of the blade which had seen him share a match-winning partnership of 66 for the seventh wicket with captain Robbie Hart yesterday.

The replacement proved handy as Styris smoked the first two balls of Stephen Cunis' final over over the long off boundary for six and hit the third to point to level the scores. A quick nudge and scamper by No 10 Graeme Aldridge soon had NDenjoying their second win in as many rounds.

The game could have been dubbed the battle of the allrounders with Styris earning a points decision over Chris Harris as they both chase spots in the New Zealand World Cup squad. The pair put their hands up with true all-round efforts as both top scored and bowled tidily for their sides.

Styris preferred not to talk of the prospect of World Cup selection offering firmly "it's out of my hands so I don't want to talk about it."

Hart said the innings confirmed that Styris was among the top players in the country and ready to step back into the national side.

With Canterbury setting the Knights 197 off their 50 overs much depended on the batting of Styris, with wickets falling steadily and six batsmen back in the pavilion for 113 runs off 35 overs.

Hart and Styris placed the ball into the gaps and arrived at the penultimate over with 16 to get and four wickets in hand. Canterbury's Chris Martin attempted to steal Styris's limelight, dismissing Hart and Bruce Martin for just two runs and leaving Cunis to bowl the last over.

Canterbury had opened their innings with a mixture of bold strokes and ball watching as the ND bowlers struggled to find an early rhythm and line.

Joseph Yovich was the worse culprit.

He opened the game with an 11-ball over and going on to bowl eight wides and a no ball despite finishing with the best figures of three for 39 from nine overs.

Canterbury's innings was in danger of sinking to about the 180 mark but a spirited partnership between Harris and Paul Wiseman of 33 for the sixth wicket allowed them to push towards 200.

- NZPA