Cricket: No rest for Black Caps ahead of busy home season

Martin Guptill still has lingering concerns over a shoulder problem but will play against Wellington on December 22. Photo / Photosport.

New Zealand's one-day squad won't be putting their feet up in preparation for the arrival of Bangladesh for part two of a busy home international season.

All those who went to Australia for the Chappell Hadlee series will be in work through the domestic Super Smash series leading up to the start of the Bangladesh visit, which begins in Christchurch with the opening ODI on Boxing Day.

However there's no one size fits all policy.

Batsmen Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls were involved in Canterbury's six-wicket loss to Auckland in Christchurch on Sunday and there are no restrictions on 10 of the 14 who were part of the 3-0 drubbing from Australia last week.

The exceptions include captain Kane Williamson who will play just two games for Northern Districts, on December 17 against Auckland in Hamilton and the following day, at Mt Maunganui against Otago.

In-form Auckland opener Martin Guptill still has lingering concerns over a shoulder problem and will undergo some rehabilitation but play a game on December 22, against Wellington in the capital.

Senior seamers, and ND team mates, Tim Southee and Trent Boult are the others with a limited workload.

Southee will play two games, on December 17 and 18 and possibly another on December 23 against CD in Hamilton, while Boult has the lightest load of all, due to turn out in ND's game against Otago on December 18.

Meanwhile television Channel Nine's rating took a nosedive during the Chappell Hadlee series.

It's not necessarily seen as a slight against New Zealand; more a reaction to the early start to the Australian home international season, and the Nine network's style of presentation and whether having three voices in the box at the same time is working.

Among the possible moves is to return to the more traditional two voices and put the focus back on serious cricket analysis instead of the irritating blokey, in-jokey style is has increasingly adopted in recent years, which is seen as a turnoff.

By contrast, ratings for women's cricket are on the rise over at Channel Ten.