2019 Cricket World Cup: Blackaps Warm Up Extravaganza
Two warm up games down, two rather different results and it wouldn't be a Blackcaps ODI situation without two different opening combinations.
Two warm up games down, two rather different results and it wouldn't be a Blackcaps ODI situation without two different opening combinations.
After many odd selections and then little to no actual World Cup preparation, Aotearoa's Blackcaps begin their World Cup warm up phase this weekend.
The most notable thing to come out of the Blackcaps three-game series vs Australia with regards to the World Cup, now appears to be Tom Latham's mangled finger.
The autumn leaves are falling and Will Young is ballin' over in Australia, but what about the Blackcaps who are actually off the England for the World Cup?
Kiwi cricket fans will be fizzing with delight after Ross Taylor put up his second notable for Middlesex on the Kiwi County Tour, while Jeetan Patel and Logan van Beek battle away.
Other than the impressive return of Logan van Beek to Derbyshire's 1st 11, not too many shenanigans on the Kiwi County Tour bus this week.
King Rossco has made a lovely start to his Royal London One-Day Cup for Middlesex and then we have Hamish Rutherford banging out centuries as well.
The start of the Kiwi County Tour One-Day Cup excursion saw some solid performances from the whanau, with the highlight being Hamish Rutherford's century for Worcestershire.
We haven’t heard much from Joseph Parker lately. Since bouncing back with a routine win in December, knocking out Alexander Flores in the third round in Christchurch, old mate’s been laying pretty low.
Initially we had just three lads on the Kiwi County Tour for 2019, however it looks as though we have a fourth as Hamish Rutherford appeared for Worcestershire to join Logan van Beek, Matt Quinn and Lord Jeetz.
The selection of Tom Blundell in the Blackcaps World Cup squad was packaged as a notable inclusion, right alongside that of Ish Sodhi.
Our first round of Kiwi County Tour is a wrap and in a quiet moment to myself as I waited for Logan van Beek to finish his post-match antics, was how lovely it was to start this year's KCT with two young lads doing their thing in England.
While the selection of Tom Blundell in Aotearoa's World Cup squad isn't the most important, nor the craziest Blackcaps selection in recent times, all the tell-tale signs of weirdness are there.
Given what happened in terms of selection leading into the 2017 Champions Trophy and then performances at that Champions Trophy in England, it would have been lovely to have a Blackcaps World Cup squad that had zero head-scratcher selections.
With a World Cup going down during the 2019 Kiwi County Tour, our touring party is a wee bit smaller this year without losing any of the funk that makes the KCT what it is.
Three batsmen scored over 600 runs in Plunket Shield this season and to say it's a weird mix of lads is an understatement.
The 'winner' of Aotearoa's Plunket Shield was decided in the worst way, when Canterbury opted out of their remaining game against Wellington Firebirds at the Basin Reserve.
Among the mayhem of the last few days, the third Test between Aotearoa's Blackcaps and Bangladesh was understandably called off.
While Canterbury vs Auckland Aces and Otago Volts vs Wellington Firebirds head into the final day of Plunket Shield round seven, Central Districts Stags wrapped up a victory over Northern Districts Knights on day three.
Good things are happening in Central Districts cricket, or continue to happen as the CD Hinds added another trophy to the cabinet after snaring the Hallyburton Johnston Shield in the final of the national 50-over competition.