Cricket: Auckland resist T20 changes

Auckland suffered an eight-wicket defeat by Northern Districts on the weekend. Photo / Getty

Auckland have refrained from making changes to their Twenty20 cricket side who were heavily beaten by Northern Districts in their last domestic championship match, putting faith in the players' ability to rebound during a testing three-match road trip.

Auckland beat defending champions Central Districts by 50 runs in their first match but were brought back to earth after an eight-wicket defeat by Northern Districts on the weekend.

Auckland start their road trip with a match against Otago on Friday followed by Canterbury on Sunday and then Wellington on Tuesday and collecting points will be crucial to their chances on making next month's championship final.

"You never want to just dismiss a performance as one of those days but I think it is the kind of thing that can happen in Twenty20," Auckland coach Paul Strang said.

Strang is confident his side have the ability to recreate their impressive first up win against the Central Districts.

"We showed in that game that we have batting in depth, wicket taking bowlers and a very good fielding unit.

"Those are the key elements that you need for a good twenty20 side, so it's just making sure that we put them together consistently."

The competition is still wide open with five teams all sitting on one win and Strang is aware of the need for good performances on the road to get a jump on the field.

". . . you can't just rely on bagging your home games, you need to pick up points on the road. This section of the competition is vital for our chances so we'll be getting the guys really focused on doing the small things well."

Auckland squad: Jimmy Adams, Colin de Grandhomme, Dusan Hakaraia, Anaru Kitchen, Greg Todd, Lou Vincent (captain), Colin Munro, Brad Cachopa, Roneel Hira, Andre Adams, Michael Bates, Chris Martin, Bhupinder Singh.

- NZPA