Cricket: Woes for Auckland if Doull makes the biggest point

By CHRIS RATTUE

While Auckland will be desperate for points, it will be another opportunity for Northern Districts' Simon Doull to prove a few in their Shell Trophy cricket match at Eden Park this week.

To use the old English football line, Auckland are the strongest team in the competition - holding up the other teams on the points table.

After three rounds, Auckland have yet to register a point, behind Wellington (14), Northern Districts (12), Otago (6), Central Districts (6) and Canterbury (4).

It's not crisis-time yet, but if Auckland fail to haul in some decent points in their four-day game against Northern starting today, then Wellington, and Northern in particular, could get the sort of break that would be hard to overhaul in the remaining six rounds.

While Auckland will be hellbent on victory, swing bowler Doull is gradually trying to work his way back into the test side.

A fit and firing Doull would do wonders to New Zealand's hopes in the three-test series against Pakistan - at Auckland, Christchurch and Hamilton - during March.

The 31-year-old's last test was in the loss against Australia at Wellington in March, where he took one wicket, his 98th in tests.

But a knee injury struck again and Doull decided against being available as a replacement bowler for the series in South Africa.

Northern coach Chris Kuggeleijn said yesterday: "We certainly talked over Simon's hopes of returning to the New Zealand side at the beginning of the season, but we have not wanted to rush things, and we decided that going to South Africa certainly wouldn't be advisable.

"I would say he's bowling at a brisk medium pace at the moment ... there's a bit more pace still to find.

"But he is getting better and better."

Doull himself believes he could extend his 32-match test career, in which he has taken his wickets at around 29 apiece, by 15 or so matches.

He has bowled 87 overs in this year's trophy games, taking nine wickets at an average of under 22.

Kuggeleijn would not be drawn on when Daniel Vettori might return from his back problems. The left-arm spinner has been making his way back by captaining Northern's B team.

Meanwhile, in-form Wellington batsman Jason Wells has dropped out of his side's fourth-round trophy match against Central Districts in Napier because of work commitments, and may miss the following match against Auckland at the Basin Reserve.

Canterbury have brought in two newcomers to the Shell Trophy, opening batsman Harley James and opening bowler Wade Cornelius, for their game against Otago at Alexandra.

Auckland (from): Blair Pocock (c), Tim McIntosh, John Aiken, Richard King, Dion Nash, Lou Vincent, Tama Canning, Kyle Mills, Andre Adams, Mark Haslam, Chris Drum, Richard Morgan.

Northern Districts: Robbie Hart (c), Neal Parlane, Hamish Marshall, James Marshall, Grant Bradburn, Mark Bailey, Graeme Aldridge, Joe Yovich, Matthew Hart, Bruce Martin, Simon Doull, Daryl Tuffey.

Central Districts: Jacob Oram (c), David Kelly, Craig Spearman, Ben Smith, Glen Sulzberger, Mark Douglas, Greg Todd, Martyn Sigley, Michael Mason, Ewen Thompson, Taraia Robin, Gareth West.

Wellington: Matthew Bell (c), Carl Bulfin, Mark Jefferson, Richard Jones, Chris Nevin, Andrew Penn, Matthew Walker, Grant Donaldson, Ian O'Brien, Sam Fairley, Jeetan Patel, Selwyn Blackmore.

Canterbury:Gary Stead (c), Harley James, Robbie Frew, Jarrod Englefield, Michael Papps, Gareth Hopkins, Aaron Redmond, Carl Anderson, Warren Wisneski, Stephen Cunis, Shane Bond, Wade Cornelius.

Otago: Matt Horne (c), Mark Richardson, Craig Cumming, Chris Gaffaney, Andrew Hore, Craig Pryor, Nathan McCullum, Martyn Croy, Paul Wiseman, Warren McSkimming, Shayne O'Connor and Kerry Walmsley.