Cricket: Captain quick to defend Bopara on tampering charge

ACCUSED: Ravi Bopara has been accused of using his fingernails on the ball to help it swing. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Two slaps within a week from outspoken Central Districts coach Dermot Reeve have left Auckland captain Gareth Hopkins unimpressed and having to defend the reputation of one of his players.

First Reeve attacked Auckland and Northern Districts over their Plunket Shield clash this month.

The game was reduced by rain to one innings each, with both teams forfeiting an innings to set up the prospect of an outright win, which leaders ND achieved.

On Monday the former Warwickshire and England ODI allrounder hit out at Auckland's English professional Ravi Bopara, accusing him of ball tampering during Auckland's 20-run win in Palmerston North a day earlier.

"I would take an oath and swear on my children's lives that I saw Ravi Bopara using his nails on the ball to help it swing," Reeve told the Dominion Post newspaper.

Hopkins is annoyed that Reeve, whom he respects as a cricket person, took a swipe without going through the proper channels.

"I was keeping the whole time and I'm not quite sure what Dermot was talking about," Hopkins said yesterday.

He said a strong wind was blowing down the ground and those bowlers with it at their backs got no swing. Those bowling into it, including medium pacer Bopara and spinner Ronnie Hira, did get movement through the air, which is to be expected.

"They're pretty serious allegations and I'm a little bit annoyed because it taints Ravi's character without any substance behind it," Hopkins said.

"There are ways to go about it. The umpires are constantly checking the state of the ball and they say it's all right."

Hopkins said Bopara "just wants to get on and play, and score runs".

"It's just a shame Dermot has chosen to go down that path instead of speaking to the umpires and bring up his concerns that way."

Undermining Reeve's claim is that Bopara hardly tore through the CD batting, finishing with one for 51 from 10 overs.

Auckland play Wellington at Colin Maiden Park today and former international Lou Vincent is in the squad of 13.

Vincent, who lives in England, is out for a holiday and will play in the domestic Twenty20 for Auckland through January.

If he is in the final XI today, it will be partly on trust, as the only evidence for coach Paul Strang and Hopkins has been a net session.

"He's the usual Lou that we know, he's bubbly, jumping around and he hits the ball so clean and also has the experience of playing international cricket, so he's looking good," Hopkins said.

One-day international Scott Styris is also in the squad, subject to pulling up well this morning after a fitness test on a damaged ankle yesterday.

Auckland may be tempted to play both spinners, Bhupinder Singh and Hira, who did a good job against Otago on the same ground last week.

Wellington have regular wicketkeeper Chris Nevin back after the birth of his twins, and have left out batsman Neal Parlane, while Malaesaili Tugaga replaces retired test bowler Iain O'Brien.

Northern Districts will be without captain James Marshall for the second consecutive game when they play CD in Palmerston North today.

Marshall split the little finger of his left hand but ND made sure they maintained momentum with a good 19-run win over Otago in Invercargill on Sunday in a match reduced by rain to 30 overs.

ND coach Grant Bradburn said Marshall could have played today at a pinch, but was being set for a return next Monday against Wellington in Hamilton.

"I'm very proud of the boys. That was a very good win," Bradburn said yesterday. "There were a lot of positives for us."

One of the problems of having a strong core of fast-medium bowlers is mathematics - and in Bradburn's case five into four doesn't work.

So a rotation programme is in place. In-form Brent Arnel was 12th man at Invercargill. He will play today and either Graeme Aldridge or Trent Boult is likely to sit this game out.

The third game of this round, between leaders Canterbury and Otago at Timaru, will be played on New Year's Eve.

Points after three rounds: Canterbury 9, Auckland and ND 8, Otago, Wellington and CD 4.

THE TEAMS

National one-day championship, round four, 11am today

Auckland v Wellington, Colin Maiden Park

Auckland: (from) Gareth Hopkins (c), Richard Jones, Reece Young, Ravi Bopara, Lou Vincent, Scott Styris, Tim McIntosh, Andrew de Boorder, Ronnie Hira, Daryl Tuffey, Bhupinder Singh, Michael Bates, Richard Sherlock.

Wellington: (from) Matthew Bell (c), Cam Merchant, BJ Crook, Stewart Rhodes, James Franklin, Luke Woodcock, Chris Nevin, Dewayne Bowden, Jeetan Patel, Andy McKay, Robbie Schaw, Malaesaili Tugaga.

Central Districts v Northern Districts, Palmerston North

CD: (from) Jamie How (c), Peter Ingram, George Worker, Mathew Sinclair, Tim Weston, Jacob Oram, Graham Napier, Bevan Griggs, BJ Barnett, Ewen Thompson, Kieran Noema-Barnett, Michael Mason.

ND: (from) Peter McGlashan (c), BJ Watling, Anton Devcich, Michael Parlane, Daniel Flynn, Kane Williamson, Joey Yovich, Tim Southee, Graeme Aldridge, Bruce Martin, Brent Arnel, Trent Boult.