Cricket: Onus on Otago top order

Dimitri Mascarenhas.
Dimitri Mascarenhas.
Otago will look to its batsmen to do the business as it seeks a long-shot Plunket Shield title victory.

The home team takes on table-topping Canterbury at the University Oval starting today and has strengthened its team by bringing back the rested Neil Wagner and Mark Craig, who has recovered from a knee injury.

Roald Badenhorst drops out of the side as does Jesse Ryder, who has a boxing bout on Saturday in Christchurch.

Otago coach Dimitri Mascarenhas said the side still has something to play for despite being fourth on the ladder.

''We have to win both our last two games while Canterbury has to lose both of theirs. So that is an extra motivation for us,'' he said.

''We missed the opportunity in our last game. We put ourselves right up there but no-one really kicked on and when you are chasing 350 to 260 someone has to do that.''

Otago lost by 50 runs to Northern Districts in Hamilton with no-one going on with the job.

Mascarenhas is putting the onus on his top order and said they had to be more consistent for Otago to get on top of Canterbury which has won its past three games.

''The key is to get a big score. We have been really consistent with our bowling but now it is time for our batters to step up and get a big hundred.''

He said there had been only three centuries from the top six batsmen for Otago this season and that had to improve in the last two games.

Otago takes on Auckland in the final match of the season next week.

Mascarenhas said Ryder's unavailability for this game had been well signalled and he had been given the game off.

He would not receive match payments for the game, Mascarenhas said.

Otago is on 75 points with Canterbury leading on 104. Northern Districts is on 90 points and Auckland on 77.

Wellington plays Northern in Wellington today while Central Districts started its match against Auckland in Napier yesterday.

The forecast for today is reasonably promising but the weather looks scratchy for the remaining three days.

 


Plunket Shield
Otago v Canterbury, today, University Oval

Otago: Aaron Redmond (captain), Michael Bracewell, Derek de Boorder, Mark Craig, Jacob Duffy, Ryan Duffy, Josh Finnie, Rhys Phillips, Michael Rae, Hamish Rutherford, Craig Smith, Neil Wagner

Canterbury: (probable) Roneel Hira, Leo Carter, Peter Fulton (captain), Neil Broom, Henry Nicholls, Andrew Ellis, Todd Astle, Cameron Fletcher, Tim Johnston, Ryan McCone, Edward Nuttall, 12th man to be added.



 

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