Cricket: Key game for Otago against competition leader

And one makes three. That is the dream, anyway.

Otago captain Craig Cumming helped his side win the one-day title in 2007-08 and claim the twenty/20 trophy the following season.

Now he is after the Plunket Shield to complete the set.

With four rounds remaining, the Volts (22 points) are in third place and are on a roll.

They thrashed Auckland (two points) by 10 wickets last week to pick up eight points, and late last month beat competition leader Central Districts (26) by 116 runs in Napier.

They play Central again today but this time on their home turf at the University Oval.

It is a critical game with just four points separating the top three sides with four rounds remaining.

Northern Districts (24) hosts Auckland and Canterbury (17) plays Wellington (15) in Rangiora.

Otago has hit form at the right time of the season.

Experienced seamer Warren McSkimming is fresh from a 10-wicket haul against Auckland, Neil Wagner is the competition's leading wicket-taker with 36 victims and Cumming, Michael Bracewell, Neil Broom and Wagner are all averaging more than 50 with the bat.

"In the past we have not got the results we would have liked in four-day cricket," Cumming said.

"But at the moment we seem to be doing the right things.

"It is a crucial game against CD. They are still leading the table and if they are getting points and you're not, time does run out pretty quickly.

"In the last few years limited-overs cricket gets more exposure but the Plunket Shield is the hardest competition to win. It is 10 rounds and 40 days of cricket. You have to play well for four days to get a result to go your way.

"I know the guys are enjoying the success we've been having and are very motivated. It is nice to be going in to the last few rounds and not have to play catch-up cricket. In the last few seasons we've been too far behind and had to play catch-up, whereas now we just need to play good cricket."

The history of games at the University Oval suggest strongly it is a result pitch.

There have been plenty of low scores at the venue - Auckland was dismissed for just 46 last week, its lowest score against Otago.

While Auckland captain Gareth Hopkins blamed his batsmen for the debacle, Cumming suggested the pitch also played a significant part in the visitor's demise.

"I would say the pitch did a lot more on day two than on day one. The pitch hardened up so when it seamed it did it at a quicker pace. But the big variable from day one to day two was the ball started to swing, which is nothing to do with the pitch. It has more to do with the overhead conditions."

The game against Auckland last week was Otago's first game in Dunedin this summer.

With the University Oval out of commission while development work was carried out, Otago has had to play all its home games in the regions.

Cumming said he had spent "about 65 nights of the last 105 nights" in a motel room before returning home last week.

"Just being able to go home at night to your own bed makes it that much easier. You get to see your kids and partner and get to switch off from cricket. When you are on the road it is really hard to switch off. It does start to wear guys down."

Cumming took a knock to his shoulder while training last week.

He has a cortisone injection but is reasonably confident of taking his place in the side today


Plunket Shield
The teams

Otago: Craig Cumming (captain), Michael Bracewell, Shaun Haig, Neil Broom, Darren Broom, Derek de Boorder, Mark Craig, Ian Butler, Warren McSkimming, Neil Wagner, Nick Beard, Anthony Bullick.

Central Districts: Kruger van Wyk (captain), Carl Cachopa, Peter Ingram, Michael Mason, Tarun Nethula, Kieran Noema-Barnett, Brad Patton, Mathew Sinclair, Bevan Small, Tim Weston, Ben Wheeler, George Worker.

 


 

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