Cricket: Stead finds himself in cricket hot seat

By Terry Maddaford

Outside the international arena, Gary Stead has the toughest task in New Zealand cricket.

In inheriting the reins left dangling by long-time Canterbury and former New Zealand captain Lee Germon, Stead, who leads his side in Christchurch today for their Shell Cup battle with Otago, faces a massive challenge.

Germon engineered many of the red-and-blacks' successes - five Cup triumphs in the past seven seasons - and left a gaping hole when he stepped down.

With Stephen Fleming, Craig McMillan, Nathan Astle, Chris Cairns and Geoff Allott all on test duty, Canterbury will again have to dig deep, but they have shown in the past it is just the challenge to which they can respond so positively.

In Chris Harris they have the best one-day player in the land. His usual one-man band contribution will be well-supported by players like Stead, Llorne Howell, Warren Wisneski, Mark Priest (who needs just three wickets to become the first to claim 100 Shell Cup victims), Craig Cumming and Brad Doody.

Former northern wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins will don the wicketkeeping gloves taken off by Germon, while Auckland allrounder Hamish Barton joins the side to bat in the middle order and toss up his offspin.

Stead has the home advantage against an Otago side little changed from the one who finished fifth last season.

Former New Zealand coach Warren Lees replaces last season's player-coach Matthew Maynard, who has headed to Glamorgan. Lees is also without Robert Kennedy - now with Wellington - in a virtual swap for former Wellingtonian Glenn Jonas.

Otago have named 14 players who will be trimmed when the test side is finalised, although Shayne O'Connor is now set to play.

"We seemed to have played half a season already," Lees said. "The preparation for the Shell Cup has been too long but there are things like Max to fit in, so we have to live with it.

"The first three Cup games are very important. Three games can split the table wide open."

As a former test wicketkeeper, Lees has taken special interest in Martyn Croy, who he rates as the best wicketkeeper in Shell Conference play.

"ND's Robbie Hart is a tougher customer, but in terms of keeping ability, I'd go for Marty."

Hart, like Stead, faces a tough task in leading the Northern Knights in their Cup defence.

They have the first-round day-nighter - at Taupo's Owen Delany Park, starting at 2.30pm today - against Craig Spearman's Central Stags in what promises to be a tight contest.

The real interest is in the opening batsmen chasing places in the yet-to-be-named New Zealand team for the one-day internationals.

Northern's Mark Bailey and Michael Parlane, Spearman and Wellington's Phil Chandler all entertain such hopes but must fire from the start to have any
chance.

Wellington and Auckland must bounce back from narrow losses in warm-up games last week to get their Cup campaign on track when they meet on Eden Park's outer oval, beginning at 11am.

Auckland went down by one run to their second Xl on Tuesday in a game described as worthwhile by coach David Trist, while Wellington lost by four runs in chasing 278 to beat Canterbury, and in a second game in Christchurch, by two wickets.

Former Central quick bowler Carl Bulfin joins a solid Wellington attack which includes Sri Lankan-born right-arm medium-pacer Mayu Pasupati.

Auckland have the potential to win the Shell Cup - and plenty else. The trick for Trist will be turning that on-paper promise into something productive.

Auckland have been a team of "might-haves" for too long. If, yet again, they do not produce results, changes are certain.