ROSS TAYLOR and DOUG BRACEWELL are back for the Central Stags for Friday night's must-win Dream11 Super Smash against Northern Brave, while Manawatu youngster SAM MACKINDER has been named in the Central Hinds squad for the first time ahead of the Hamilton double bill at Seddon Park.

Taylor returns from a groin injury that saw him miss the last two away doubleheaders while Bracewell returns from the BLACKCAPS' white-ball squad on the subcontinent, eager to get back on the playing field for the first time in almost a month.

 

The Boss is back | PHOTOSPORT

 

Making way in an expanded squad of 13 is BAYLEY WIGGINS with MA'ARA AVE set to take the gloves tomorrow.

The Stags head in to their big game on equal points with Northern Brave, with Brave in third spot on the table and the Stags in fourth spot by dint of net run rate. That means to qualify in the top three for Finals, the Stags need to win.

Bevan Small strikes | PHOTOSPORT

The Canterbury Kings and Otago Volts hold a two-point advantage over the Stags and Brave, and are meanwhile set to face off against each other twice over the long weekend (both with a game in hand) which will ultimately determine who gets the Grand Final at their place this season.

Tom Bruce has another record | PHOTOSPORT

There have been positives aplenty for the Stags with TOM BRUCE (79 not out off 45 balls) and WILL YOUNG (53 off 33) coming off explosive half tons in Dunedin where a stunning knock by young Volts Ben Lockrose snatched the match away at the death.

Bruce's ballistic 79* is one of the highest scores this season nationally and sees him break MATHEW SINCLAIR's Stags career record for the most T20 half tons, while Young has now scored two half centuries from just four knocks.

One of two top-class left-arm spinners in the Stags squad alongside AJAZ PATEL, JAYDEN LENNOX is meanwhile the league's top wicket-taker, his outstanding career-best 4-28 at Uni Oval propelling him to 15 victims from eight games at a 15.33 average.

Jayden Lennox is on top of the stats | MBUTCHER

Bruce said the result showed how quickly one partnership can change the complexion of a T20 game.

"I thought we batted reasonably well ourselves, although Uni Oval can be a hard place to defend.

"Then with the ball, we brought it back [under control] really well through the middle, but one partnership was all it took to take it away again and hats off to Lockrose and Dean Foxcroft."

The Central Hinds also played well in Dunedin, without that elusive winning feeling.

Scotland international PRIYANAZ CHATTERJI had debuted in the previous round in Christchurch, and in Dunedin took her maiden Dream11 Super Smash wicket for the Hinds:  the big wicket of Kate Ebrahim as the Hinds attempted to defend 108.

Priyanaz Chatterji claims a maiden wicket in Dunedin | MBUTCHER

Young left-hander FLORA DEVONSHIRE top-scored for the Hinds with 39 off just 27 balls and also impressed in the field with a great catch in the outfield to dismiss Olivia Gain off CLAUDIA GREEN, and was tidy with the ball.

The Hinds pushed the Sparks to the last over that leaves Central looking to get their elusive win in tomorrow's last round, which will be their last T20 of the season.

Flora Devonshire | PHOTOSPORT

The Hinds will then remain in Hamilton to play Round Six of the one-day Hallyburton Johnstone Shield on Saturday (free admission).

A former New Zealand Maori Secondary Schools rep, Sam Mackinder joins the Hinds for the first time after having impressed for Manawatu in The Mike Shrimpton Trophy, as well as having scored a half century in Hamilton against Northern Districts A for Central Districts A earlier this season, in a match-winning century stand with NZ Under 19 rep EMMA McLEOD.

Sam Mackinder joins the Hinds for the first time | PHOTOSPORT

ASHTUTI KUMAR and EMILY CUNNINGHAM come back in for the Hinds with the experienced trio of KERRY TOMLINSON, MIKAELA GREIG and MELISSA HANSEN all unavailable.

Both the Stags and Hinds T20s tomorrow are live and on demand at SPARK Sport and on free to air on TVNZ Duke, with livescoring at www.cdcricket.co.nz.

The Central Stags will also be back in one-day mode over the long Waitangi Day weekend with a free admission Ford Trophy match against Northern Districts at Napier's McLean Park from 11am on Waitangi Day, this Monday 6 February.

That's followed by the final round before Finals, also at McLean Park, against Canterbury on Tuesday, 14 February.

Both the Ford Trophy matches and the HBJ match will have a free livestream on our livescoring link here at www.cdcricket.co.nz

DREAM11 SUPER SMASH

ROUND 10

SEDDON PARK, HAMILTON

Friday, 3 February

3PM • Central Hinds v Northern Brave women

6.50PM • Central Stags v Northern Brave men

 

Both matches live on Spark Sport and TVNZ Duke

v

Northern Brave

Natalie Dodd (captain, wicketkeeper) — Taranaki

Jess Watkin (vice-captain) — Manawatu

Georgia Atkinson — Manawatu

Ocean Bartlett — Wairarapa

Priyanaz Chatterji — Overseas player

Emily Cunningham — Taranaki

Flora Devonshire — Hawke’s Bay

Kate Gaging — Nelson

Claudia Green — Nelson

Ashtuti Kumar — Manawatu

Sam Mackinder — uncapped, Manawatu

Rosemary Mair — Hawke’s Bay

COACH • Jamie Watkins

v

Northern Brave

Tom Bruce — captain, Taranaki

Ma'ara Ave — wicketkeeper, Manawatu

Doug Bracewell — Hawke’s Bay

Will Clark — Hawke’s Bay

Josh Clarkson — Nelson

Jayden Lennox — Hawke’s Bay

Ajaz Patel — Hawke’s Bay

Brett Randell

Bevan Small — Manawatu

Ben Smith — Whanganui

Ross Taylor — Wairarapa/Manawatu

Ray Toole — Manawatu

Will Young — Taranaki

COACH • Rob Walter

 

Unavailable contracted players

Dane Cleaver (BLACKCAPS in India)

Blair Tickner (BLACKCAPS in India)

Hannah Rowe (WHITE FERNS in South Africa)

Melissa Hansen (personal commitments)

Mikaela Greig (personal commitments)

Kerry Tomlinson (personal commitments)

Joey Field (shoulder injury)

Seth Rance (shoulder injury)

Liam Dudding (forearm injury)

 

 

Article added: 2 February 2023