Spy: Adam Parore stumps his critics with return to cricket

Adam Parore, pictured with Danielle Francis, is heading onto the pitch for another innings.

Can former Black Cap star Adam Parore nudge out the rugby legends when he joins Team Cricket for the Hot Spring Spas T20 Christchurch Black Clash in January?

The former wicketkeeper will turn 50 the day after the match and tells Spy he hasn't played competitively in front of a big crowd since 2008 - in fact he's barely played at all in years.

"I'm currently looking to rectify that with a few outings for the Clevedon T20 team," Parore tells Spy. "I'm expecting the wicketkeeping should be okay - the batting likely a stretch."

Parore says he is the best wicketkeeper on Team Cricket - but only because captain and coach Stephen Fleming had no choice as everyone else refused to do it.

Parore has been breeding horses with partner Danielle Francis for the past few years. The pair have nine or 10 on the farm but he swears he is an amateur compared to fellow former Black Cap turned horseman Brendon McCullum.

"Dani and I have a couple of beautiful mares that we have been breeding which has been a new experience for me. Having arrived in Clevedon as a fully-fledged townie I've recently been allowed to drive the tractor, which was a big thrill."

Francis will be in Christchurch to support Parore.

"I played with or against most of our guys in the T20 team and we don't get the opportunity to catch up too often, so it's going to be a fun few days, he says. "One of the great things of being a part of a sports team is you can literally not see each other for decades and then when you 'get the band back together' you pick up again exactly where you left off, so I'm expecting a bit of that again this time."

The avid mountain climber says he is pretty fit and life on the farm typically means he has plenty of miles on the clock in the course of a normal day.

"There are plenty of tracks in our area so I get a bit of running in as well. That said, match fit is a bit of a different thing- and cricket isn't the sort of game where you can practise on your own, so I will be calling in a few favours no doubt."

The game is at Hagley Oval on January 22.