ROSS TAYLOR is set to play his first Dream11 Super Smash game of the season under the new lights at Hagley Oval tomorrow evening - his first T20 trot out for the Stags in four years.

The BLACKCAPS star has been added to an otherwise unchanged Central Stags squad that smashed a new University of Otago Oval ground record yesterday in a classy 53-run win over the Otago Volts.

It was the third time in the space of four games that the Stags had blasted a 200-plus total onto the scoreboard, after two big days out at Pukekura Park just before New Year's.

GEORGE WORKER had posted 70s in both of those games but yesterday he became just the fourth Stag to celebrate a T20 century, joining Taylor (111* at Seddon Park in 2007/08), Mahela Jayawardena (116 at Pukekura in 2016/17) and Jamie How (102 at Pukekura in 2011/12).

Worker's 106 came off just 58 balls. He got off the mark with a six and finished with eight of them, as well as six boundaries, after batting right through into the 19th over.

The stand-in captain is the runaway top run-scorer nationally and underpinned a tremendous effort by the Stags after he had been sent in by Volts skipper Jacob Duffy.

Worker's aggressive start was supplemented by an assured half century from BLACKCAP WILL YOUNG in his first T20 for the Stags this season.

Young produced his eighth T20 half ton for the Stags off 24 balls, with four sixes and two boundaries in his first bat since the West Indies Test Series last month.

The Volts were always going to have to pull one out of the hat to chase down 223/5. Hopes will have rested on the veterans Hamish Rutherford and Neil Broom going big, backed up by exciting young run-blaster Llew Johnson.

Broom and Rutherford threw the bat around early but the Stags delivered with the ball as well - JOEY FIELD making the first breakthrough, DOUG BRACEWELL (2-41) taking care of Rutherford and AJAZ PATEL (3-34) striking with his first ball of the innings to stop Johnson at 65/3 in the 8th over.

When Patel came back for his second spell in the 16th, he struck with his first two deliveries, leaving Nick Kelly to avert the hat-trick. Kelly smote 75 off 54 balls yet still couldn't get close to the target.

SCORES

The Central Hinds did not enjoy the same fortune after having been sent in for the opening game of the doubleheader.

It had been an unsettled lead-in with MIKAELA GREIG suffering a shoulder injury after being jammed by her bat in a training drill the day before, and was left with her arm in a sling.

EMILY CUNNINGHAM had meanwhile been stood down from the squad while awaiting a COVID-19 test result under the game's safety protocols, while ROSEMARY MAIR was already out with a side strain and ANLO VAN DEVENTER was unavailable for the Dunedin match.

With the CD U19 team competing at Nationals Lincoln, ASHTUTI KUMAR and uncapped OCEAN BARTLETT arrived in Dunedin on the morning of the game, Bartlett joining KATE GAGING (above; CDCA) as one of two debutantes against a Sparks side coming off a good win.

With WHITE FERNS Katey Martin and Hayley Jensen in the mix and a strong performance with the bat from Polly Inglis, the Hinds were unable to defend 102 for seven, the Sparks winning by seven wickets.

SCORES

Cunningham has returned to health and the Hinds will also welcome back van Deventer's experience for tomorrow's match against the Canterbury Magicians at Hagley Oval which is set to be co-captain JESS WATKIN's 50th Dream11 Super Smash appearance for the team.

Next home games: JANUARY 18 v Otago Volts & Sparks at Pukekura Park

DOUBLEHEADER

Hagley Oval, Christchurch

Sunday 10 January 2021

CENTRAL HINDS

v Canterbury Magicians at 3.40PM

Hannah Rowe — co-captain — Manawatu

Jess Watkin — co-captain — Manawatu

Georgia Atkinson — Manawatu

Emily Cunningham — Taranaki

Natalie Dodd — wicketkeeper — Taranaki

Kate Gaging — Nelson

Claudia Green — Nelson

Melissa Hansen — Wairarapa

Ashtuti Kumar — Manawatu

Kerry Tomlinson — Hawke’s Bay

Monique Rees — Wairarapa

Anlo van Deventer — Wairarapa

Coach: Jamie Watkins

CENTRAL STAGS

v Canterbury Kings at 7.10pm

• First T20 under lights at Hagley Oval

George Worker — captain — Manawatu

Doug Bracewell — Hawke’s Bay

Josh Clarkson — Nelson

Dane Cleaver — wicketkeeper — Manawatu

Joey Field  —  Hawke’s Bay

Jayden Lennox — uncapped — Hawke’s Bay

Christian Leopard — Hawke’s Bay

Kieran Noema-Barnett — Hawke’s Bay

Ajaz Patel — BLACKCAPS

Ross Taylor — BLACKCAPS

Blair Tickner — Hawke’s Bay

Bayley Wiggins — Hawke’s Bay

Will Young — BLACKCAPS

Coach: Aldin Smith

Assistant Coach: Dion Ebrahim

Matches livescored here

Schedule and tickets here

#LOVETHESTAGS

#CENTRALHINDS

#SUPERSMASHNZ

Article added: Saturday 9 January 2021