Cricket: Basin pitch 'unfit for test'

Central Districts coach Dipak Patel was worried about the pitch for the second test against Bangladesh after their State Championship match against Wellington ended in a draw at the Basin Reserve yesterday.

Patel said the pitch had lacked pace. It was hard for batsmen to score and for bowlers to get wickets.

It was something he had noticed about Basin Reserve pitches for some time, and he suggested work needed to be done to improve them.

The strip was next to the one to be used for the Boxing Day test and Patel hoped it would be better than the one played on this week.

Turf manager Trevor Jackson's preparation for the championship game was hampered by days of rain.

Last summer's Boxing Day test pitch was unresponsive, contributing to New Zealand and Zimbabwe contesting a dreary draw.

Yesterday's match was abandoned during the tea break after the players left the field for bad light.

By then Wellington were 110 for three in their second innings, and the game had long lost its purpose.

Wellington secured two first innings points during the morning session in dismissing Central for 287.

Wellington coach Vaughn Johnson said the game would have been better had Central declared behind Wellington's first innings total and provided a chance for the home side to set up a last-day run-chase.

Instead, Central batted into the last day after considerable time was lost to rain, and the game went flat.

Patel said captain Ben Smith was more interested in trying to gain first innings points, and he backed him.

Central started the final day needing 67 runs with three wickets remaining to take the points, but fell 40 short.

In Gisborne, the game between Northern Districts and Canterbury was called off because of rain at 12.30 pm.

Northern were dismissed for 158 in their first innings in reply to Canterbury's 444.

They would have resumed at 257 for four yesterday morning, needing 30 to make Canterbury bat again on a flat wicket. It was a disappointing finish, particularly for Northern's Scott Styris who needed only two more runs for his century and equal-best first-class score.

Canterbury, whose total was highlighted by an unbeaten 150 from New Zealand one-day specialist Chris Harris, took first innings points from the match.

- NZPA