Cricket: Feasting on runs recipe for CD debutant

EXCITED: Indika Senarathne making his debut for CD Stags in their T20 campaign in New Plymouth. PHOTO/FILE

Don't sweat it. Hey, just get out there, see ball, hit ball. Job done.

Somewhat simplistic when talking cricket but that's pretty much what Indika Senarathne is expected to do when he makes his debut for the Devon Hotel Central Districts Stags in New Plymouth at 7.15pm today.

It all happened pretty fast for the Complete Flooring Napier Technical Old Boys (NTOB) batsman who received a call at training on Thursday night at Nelson Park, Napier, from CD coach Heinrich Malan.

"Heinrich just said to me that I need to get some runs before the first six overs and just play my normal game," Senarathne said from his hotel yesterday after arriving in the morning and training with captain Kruger van Wyk and fellow Stags.

The 29-year-old Sri Lankan, an aggressive top-order batsman contracted to NTOB, said he intended to keep things simple because too much thought about any game could be counterproductive.

That is not to say the right-hander isn't excited although deeply indebted to NTOB for granting him permission to play to the domestic level within an hour of receiving Malan's phone call at training at 7pm. He received his plane tickets at 9pm and caught the flight of opportunity at 7am yesterday for New Plymouth.

Former NTOB willow wonder Jesse Ryder was hobbling with a left thigh strain after the Stags' six-wicket loss in the opening round of the Georgie Pie Super Smash Twenty20 against the Otago Volts at Pukekura Park on Thursday afternoon.

"It's a like-for-like exchange for a top-order batsman and they both like like to give it a bash," Malan said yesterday, revealing Ryder, who scored only one run from seven balls in the opener, would now be out for up to 14 days.

No doubt, Senrathne, who hails from Kandy and once played for the Kandurata provincial side under the captaincy of Kumara Sangakkara in what was effectively a Sri Lankan international team trials in 2009, is mindful another countryman, Mahela Jayawardene who will make his CD debut against the Wellington Firebirds on November 19.

"I've been six years in New Zealand and finally I get play for CD so I have nothing to lose so I'll be giving it my best and see what comes out of it."

CD have a mean-looking batting line up but failed to fire in the opener with just debutant Tom Bruce, of Taranaki, putting his hand up.

"Bruiser [Bruce] has the temperament part of his game sorted and he doesn't need to change too many things but he's still evolving and his decision making and execution are fantastic."

Malan said the players had addressed the issue and were mindful they needed to adhere to an aggressive brand of cricket but be mindful of the process of the top six accumulating 56 to 100 runs in the first six overs.

The South African felt if middle-order batsman Dane Cleaver had forged a partnership with Bruce for 30 more runs it would have been a different story.

The brown wicket tonight will be a neutral one although Malan said CD general manager Lance Hamilton recalled playing there for CD against Sri Lanka almost a decade ago.

NTOB coach Dale Smidt said the club was happy to release Senarathne, "held in such high regard", for the good of the district despite risking losing today's "final" to decide the two-day premier club winners against Bayleys Real Estate Havelock North.

"We could have quite easily said no," Smidt said, adding Senarathne deserved to play for CD three years ago.

CD STAGS: Kruger van Wyk (c, wkt), William Young (vc), Tom Bruce, Josh Clarkson, Mitchell Claydon, Dane Cleaver, Marty Kain, Andrew Mathieson, Seth Rance, Indika Senarathne, Blair Tickner, George Worker.

OTAGO VOLTS: Nathan McCullum (c) , Warren Barnes, Michael Bracewell, Neil Broom, Derek de Boorder (wkt), Jacob Duffy, Josh Finnie, Anaru Kitchen, Rhys Phillips, Michael Rae, Sam Wells, Brad Wilson.