Cricket: Kitchen gives Auckland extra reasons to be confident

Auckland batsman Anaru Kitchen's name regularly comes up in conversations about the eye-catching batsmen around the domestic game. Photo / Richard Robinson

A new captain and a new face in the team to play Central Districts in Nelson today, but a couple of things don't change for Auckland when it comes to the domestic one-day competition.

For one, they've been in each of the past four finals - two wins, two losses - and Sunday's opening Ford Trophy round victory over Northern Districts suggested another solid campaign is under way; and secondly Anaru Kitchen is making runs in the 50-over competition - again.

Kitchen's classy unbeaten 87 underpinned a convincing seven-wicket win over ND at Eden Park and it seems a form of the game the 30-year-old is at ease with.

Last summer, he scored 446 runs at 49.5 to be third most productive batsman in the competition; in 2011-12 he was fourth top with 333 at 41.

"T20 can be a bit hit and miss, whereas in the one-day format you do have that time, and if you can get a start the game kind of moulds into the way I play, which is helpful," Kitchen said yesterday. "I find if I can hold in there, get through that first tough period generally I can score runs."

He finds having two white balls helps the ball come off the bat and good batsmen can back themselves to hit through the tight, early field settings.

Auckland have heavy hitters in the middle order in Craig Cachopa, Colin Munro and Colin de Grandhomme, and Kitchen sees himself in the role of keeping the board ticking over and supporting the players more likely to clear the boundary.

Kitchen's name regularly comes up in conversations about the eye-catching batsmen around the domestic game. He had a sniff of where he sits in the national selectors' thinking when he was called into the New Zealand A side in Sri Lanka last year.

He did well at the top of the order, hitting 110 runs in three innings off only 80 balls at 36.66. The ODI side looks settled at present on the back of the 4-0 dusting of India in January, however Kitchen must be in the frame.

"As long as I'm putting runs on paper and doing all the right things, that's all I can control. I just try to do my best for Auckland and myself, and the rest is in someone else's hands," he said.

He hasn't given up hope of a call-up. More of Sunday's form can only help.

Regular skipper Gareth Hopkins is out today for family reasons, replaced as leader by experienced left armer Michael Bates, while national under 19 skipper Robert O'Donnell is in the 12. Former test spinner Bruce Martin is out through injury, so Bhupinder Singh is the spin option.

Bates, a New Zealand limited-overs international two seasons ago, led Auckland in one T20 game in January and is among the country's best workhorse seamers.

ND host Otago in Hamilton and Canterbury face Wellington in Christchurch. Points after the opening round: CD and Auckland 5, Otago 4, Canterbury, ND and Wellington 0.

Domestic one-dayers

Auckland team to play Central Districts in Nelson today:
Michael Bates (c), Anaru Kitchen, Martin Guptill, Jeet Raval, Craig Cachopa, Colin Munro, Robert O'Donnell, Colin de Grandhomme, Donovan Grobbelaar, Kyle Mills, Bhupinder Singh, Mitchell McClenaghan.