Otago rams home advantage with the ball

The Basin Reserve. Photo: Getty Images

Bat again, please.

They are several words you never want to hear, along with "Did you leave the oven on?"

Otago are in a commanding position at stumps on day two of their Plunket Shield match against Wellington at the Basin Reserve.

The Volts were not able to push on a great deal from their overnight tally of 428 for four. They declared at 522 for nine, but they brought the heat with the ball.

Jarrod McKay nabbed three for 37 and Danru Ferns got the ball to hoop around late and snaffled four for 44. Wellington was rolled for 224, conceding a massive deficit of 298 runs.

Otago enforced the follow-on and Wellington was quickly backpedalling again. Nick Greenwood fell for a duck and fellow opener Sam Mycock folded for three.

It cannot have been much fun getting out twice in one day.

Cricket can be a brutal game and it is Otago who have the whip hand.

Wellington will resume on 16 for two today. They need a further 282 runs to make Otago bat again.

The visitors were able to press the advantage they had built up.

Jacob Cumming, Jack Boyle and Tom Jones had all scored centuries for the Volts on the opening day, which meant Otago resumed in a great spot.

Wellington struck back.

Liam Dudding nicked off Thorn Parkes (24) before he could set, and he trapped Max Chu lbw for seven.

Jarrod McKay (23) had a swipe like nightwatchmen do the morning after they have safely got through to stumps.

The captain, Luke Georgeson (14), and Ben Lockrose (3) perished. Otago had fallen away a little to be 499 for nine.

Ferns (25 not out) and Matt Bacon (11 not out) added 23 before the Volts declared.

Wellington got through to lunch unscathed. But shortly after the resumption, Green, who was the best of the Wellington bowlers with three for 40, got an edge through to the keeper on 15.

Ferns was rewarded for finding the channel.

Mycock got out in a similar fashion to Bacon.

Former Volts left-hander Nick Kelly stroked nine fours in a rapid knock of 41 before McKay found the outside edge of his bat.

Tom Blundell showed great commitment to the forward defence until he tried to get down the wicket to Glenn Phillips and spooned a catch to Jones at short leg.

McKay, who has made a bright start to the season with the ball, nabbed a third victim. Jesse Tashkoff got surprised by a little extra bounce and steered it into the slips for 24.

Tim Robinson remained a threat. He punched out an eighth first-class half-century as he closed in on 1000 first-class runs.

He was running out of partners, though.

Peter Younghusband made a fateful decision to leave a delivery from Ferns. It nipped back sharply and bowled him.

Ferns was shaping the old ball nicely and accounted for 10 and jack quick smart. Robinson was left stranded on 87 not out.

In the other matches, Northern Districts are 44 without loss in their second innings against Canterbury in Rangiora. They led by 33 runs.

In Palmerston North, Central Districts are 170 for four in reply to Auckland’s tally of 406.

OTAGO

First innings

J Boyle b Greenwood 156

J Cumming lbw Younghusband 113

T Jones c Blundell b Greenwood 119

T Parkes c Blundell b Dudding 24

G Phillips cTashkoff b Greenwood 6

J McKay c Tashkoff b Hartshorn 23

M Chu lbw Dudding 7

L Georgeson c Greenwood b Snedden 14

B Lockrose b Younghusband 4

D Ferns not out 25

M Bacon not out 11

Extras (6b, 5lb, 3w, 6nb) 20

Total (for 9 dec, 120 overs) 522

Fall: 1-210, 2-393, 3-403, 4-419, 5-438, 6-456, 7-469, 8-476, 9-499.

Bowling: L Dudding 24-5-69-2, J Hartshorn 26-3-99-1 (1w), M Snedden 19-2-80-1 (6nb, 2w), P Younghusband 27-0-133-2, N Greenwood 11-1-40-3, T Robinson 6-0-46-0, J Tashkoff 5-0-32-0, G Severin 2-0-12-0.

WELLINGTON

First innings

S Mycock c Cumming b Bacon 23

N Greenwood c Chu b Ferns 15

G Severin c Phillips b McKay 12

N Kelly c Chu b McKay 41

T Robinson not out 87

T Blundell c Jones b Phillips 3

J Tashkoff c Boyle b McKay 24

P Younghusband b Ferns 6

M Snedden st Chu b Phillips 0

J Hartshorn b Ferns 3