KEY POINTS:
It was Bond, Shane Bond, they came to see at Eden Park yesterday and the former New Zealand speedster didn't disappoint.
Licensed to thrill in State Shield games for Canterbury rather than the Black Caps, following his links with the Indian Cricket League, Bond took two early wickets to put Auckland on the back foot for the rest of the 50-over match.
Despite some nervous moments towards the end, with a spate of run-outs, the southerners passed Auckland's 226 for eight with seven balls and three wickets to spare.
Bond opened the bowling before about 200 compared with the 20,000 that packed the main Eden Park ground for the Twenty/20 international the previous evening. On the same friendly drop-in pitch, he quickly made his presence felt with a bouncer that seared Martin Guptill's eyebrows and an inswinging yorker that bowled Auckland captain Richard Jones.
Auckland has omitted test opener Tim McIntosh thus far but that looked a dicey decision as they found themselves two for 6 and then three for 29 when Guptill became Bond's second victim.
Guptill lived dangerously with five fours in his 23. Bond's opening six overs cost 26 for the two wickets but he ended up having an expensive 57 runs hit off his bowling.
But he intends to make his mark.
"I've been playing club cricket and I'm fit," he said. "I had maybe a couple of poor overs but I'll get better as I go on.
"I'm heading back to India in February-March. I've never felt insecure there, particularly as we don't play in Mumbai."
Auckland's recovery from 29 for three to a respectable total owed much to a 107-run partnership for the fourth wicket between debutant Anaru Kitchen and Reece Young.
Kitchen has scored centuries for Waitakere this season and made 69 off 104 balls with seven fours and a six. Young made 43. There were also useful contributions from Gareth Hopkins (31) and Colin de Grandhomme (38 not out).
Best of the Canterbury bowlers were Ryan Burson and Andrew Ellis with three wickets apiece. Veteran Chris Harris bowled a very tidy 10 overs for 31 runs.
One of Bond's successors in the New Zealand bowling attack, Chris Martin, conceded only 11 runs off his opening six overs as Canterbury trudged to 63 for three off 15 overs, but Peter Fulton (60) and Shanan Stewart (35) got them back on track.
Fulton was run out when bowler Roneel Hira got a hand to a fierce drive from Harris and caught Fulton out of his ground. By then Auckland were getting a sniff of victory thanks to some superb fielding by Guptill.
First he ran out Harris following a sprawling stop and a bullet throw and he repeated the exercise when Ellis took on his arm from the deep.
But Canterbury captain Kruger van Wyk played a cool hand for 27 and Auckland's bowlers couldn't seal the deal. Martin conceded 16 off his final over when Canterbury were chasing more than a run a ball.
In a close finish, Auckland's 19 wides didn't help as they fell to their second defeat and are now alone at the bottom of the table, pointless.
