Cricket: Barnes misses out on contract

By TERRY MADDAFORD

It promises to be a strange cricket season for Auckland allrounder Aaron Barnes.

Close at one stage to a New Zealand call-up, Barnes, who first played for Auckland nine summers ago, has missed out on one of the 11 contracted places offered by his association. He is evidently only available for the one-day programme.

It is more than a little ironic that he will play for match fees only in the season in which he will become only the 10th Auckland player to be granted a benefit.

While Barnes, a 54-match veteran (who has also played 88 one-day games), misses out, Howick-Pakuranga allrounder Brad Nielsen, who made his debut with one State Championship game last season and did not figure in the State Shield (one-day games), is among the chosen 11.

Auckland Cricket chief executive Lindsay Crocker admitted naming the contracted players was a difficult task.

He called in all players, including Barnes and others like Robbie Lynch, Sanjeeva Silva and Matthew Cairns (who were also not offered contracts) for a 20-minute "chat" this week.

"It was not a simple matter of saying who had or had not been given contracts," said Crocker. "Within those 11 players we had to rank them as a basis for the retainers they will be paid."

Mark Haslam, who could not accept a contract because of work commitments, will be available at times but will play on a match fee-only basis of $1000 for four-day matches and $500 for the one-dayers.

Like many, Crocker was surprised that Auckland captain Brooke Walker was not offered a New Zealand contract, especially as their list contains just Daniel Vettori as a recognised spin bowler.

Walker, who has played five tests and 11 one-day internationals should, however, be well-rewarded for his provincial season, with his retainer and match fees having the potential to take him close to the $40,000 retainer being offered to players on the lowest level offered by New Zealand Cricket.

Other Aucklanders who have played for New Zealand in one-day internationals but are no longer required include Llorne Howell (12 ODIs) and Kyle Mills ( eight).

Northern Districts, who have five on the New Zealand list compared with six for Canterbury and four for Auckland, have former internationals Matt Hart and Hamish Marshall on the "missed out" list. Joseph Yovich is another not required.

Otago, the only provincial association not to have any players on the New Zealand list, have four former internationals - Brendon McCullum, Shayne O'Connor, David Sewell and Jeff Wilson - on their books along with former Pakistani test player 25-year-old Muhammad Wasim, who scored 109 not out on debut against New Zealand at Lahore in 1996.

Others who have international experience but domestic-only contracts include Greg Loveridge, Craig Spearman and Glen Sulzberger (Central Districts), Matthew Bell, James Franklin and Andrew Penn (Wellington), Gary Stead, Paul Wiseman and Warren Wisneski (Canterbury).