Cricket: Seam battle heats up

Neil Wagner is facing a battle to hold onto the third seamer's spot. Photo / Getty

The battle for the third test seamer spot heated up as Doug Bracewell and Neil Wagner both bowled their sides to victory in the Plunket Shield yesterday.

Bracewell took six wickets in the match as Central Districts crushed Auckland by 245 runs, while Wagner snagged seven scalps in Otago's 82-run victory over Canterbury.

Both bowlers have been included in the Black Caps' 13-man squad to tackle Sri Lanka in the Boxing Day test, with the selectors set to face a tricky decision to determine the third seam spot behind Tim Southee and Trent Boult.

Wagner is the incumbent - though he sat out the recent drawn series against Pakistan as New Zealand opted for two spinners - but Bracewell has been in red hot form on the domestic scene.

The 24-year-old is the leading wicket-taker in the Plunket Shield, having picked up 23 wickets in three matches as he attempts to win a recall to the national side for the first time since last October.

Bracewell's efforts against Auckland at Eden Park's outer oval will certainly help his cause, claiming 3-25 as Auckland were skittled for 130 in their chase of 376. Ben Wheeler (3-41) matched Bracewell's efforts with the ball as only Tarun Nethula (38no) offered any resistance.

In Rangiora, Canterbury were unable to haul in their target of 299, collapsing to 216 all out after resuming on 92-2. Wagner picked up the key wicket of Peter Fulton early in the day, while Black Caps spinner Mark Craig also collected a couple of scalps.

The other match of the round was wrapped up inside three days as Southee and Boult helped leaders Northern Districts demolish Wellington by 395 runs. The Plunket Shield now goes on hold until February with the Ford Trophy one-day competition set to begin on December 27.