Cricket: Pointless Auckland upbeat

Jeet Raval, who scored a double-century last season, comes in to open the batting for Auckland. Photo / Greg Bowker

Auckland are planted at the foot of the table, but there is a belief that might offer a misleading impression of their work over the first four rounds of Plunket Shield cricket.

They lost on the first innings to Central Districts in Napier in round one, despite hitting 403 on a peach of a batting strip; lost to Wellington in the capital in their poorest effort; had to concede first-innings points to Canterbury's 540 to try and work a result on a batting road in Christchurch; before losing the rain-ruined lottery against Northern Districts at Colin Maiden Park last weekend.

Coach Paul Strang reckons, apart from a disappointing effort against Wellington, Auckland haven't played as badly as the points table would suggest.

"We're playing adequate cricket but we haven't won any arm-wrestles," Strang said yesterday. "Statistically you could look at things and think we're travelling all right. We just haven't done enough collectively as a unit to get over the line."

He hopes that changes in the fifth-round match against Otago, starting at Colin Maiden Park today.

Scott Styris has a shoulder niggle and is being rested with a pile of one-day cricket coming up.

His place has gone to promising Jeet Raval, whose only appearance, against Wellington, was batting at No 8, when he got 13 and a gritty 69 in 189 minutes in a valiant bid to save the match on the final afternoon.

Raval hit 256 against Central Districts late last season but missed out early on this season. He gets his chance opening with experienced Richard Jones today.

Otago have brought seamer James McMillan in for his first game of the season after an injury layoff and well-performed new ball man Warren McSkimming returns after a game off.

They have lost international Ian Butler and in-form Sam Wells to injuries picked up in the win over Wellington last week.

Shield pacesetters Northern Districts host Canterbury at Seddon Park and should be in a buoyant mood with a 12-point cushion.

Their seam attack, led by Brent Arnel and Graeme Aldridge, is operating well and the batsmen are chipping in, notably allrounder Joey Yovich, who is averaging 89.33.

In the other match, second-placed Wellington host Central Districts in the capital.

Points after four rounds: ND 26, Wellington 14, Canterbury 12, CD and Otago 10, Auckland 0.

HOW THEY LINE UP

Plunket Shield, round five, all start 10.30am today

Auckland v Otago, Colin Maiden Park

Auckland: (from) Gareth Hopkins (c), Richard Jones, Jeet Raval, Ravi Bopara, Anaru Kitchen, Reece Young, Andrew de Boorder, Bhupinder Singh, Tarun Nethula, Greg Morgan, Pieter Erasmus, Michael Bates.

Otago: (from) Craig Cumming (c), Leighton Morgan, Shaun Haig, Greg Todd, Neil Broom, Derek de Boorder, Warren McSkimming, James McMillan, Neil Wagner, Anthony Bullick, Mathew Harvie, Nick Beard.

Northern Districts v Canterbury, Hamilton

ND: (from) James Marshall (c), Brad Wilson, Anton Devcich, Michael Parlane, Kane Williamson, Peter McGlashan, Joey Yovich, Bruce Martin, Graeme Aldridge, Brent Arnel, Bradley Scott, Te Ahu Davis.

Canterbury: (from) Kruger van Wyk (c), Michael Papps, Rob Nicol, Peter Fulton, Johann Myburgh, Chris Harris, Shanan Stewart, Corey Anderson, Brandon Hiini, Hamish Bennett, Leighton Burtt, Jason Donnelly

Wellington v Central Districts, Wellington

Wellington: Matthew Bell (c), Josh Brodie, Neal Parlane, Cam Merchant, Stewart Rhodes, Luke Woodcock, Dewayne Bowden, Michael Pollard, Jeetan Patel, Robbie Schaw, Joe Austin-Smellie, Andy McKay, Malaesaili Tugaga.

CD: (from) Jamie How (c), Peter Ingram, George Worker, Mathew Sinclair, Brad Patton, Tim Weston, Bevan Griggs, Ewen Thompson, Seth Rance, Kieran Noema-Barnett, Michael Mason, Sam Curtis,Pointless Auckland upbeat