Cricket: Unplayable Adams leaves CD lost in the dark

Andre Adams. Photo / Brett Phibbs

A five-wicket bag for Andre Adams and a top score of 43 from Dusan Hakaraia on debut carried Auckland to a 50-run win over Central Districts in their Twenty20 game at Colin Maiden Park last night.

The game began 30 minutes late because of a shower and Auckland had to bat in gloomy conditions for most of their innings as they reached 154 for eight.

Ironically Central, fresh from a convincing win against Northern Districts on Thursday, batted for the most part in bright sunshine but struggled against Adams' varied pace backed by some excellent catching. He finished with five for 20 from his four overs as Central were out for 104 in the 17th over.

The Auckland innings started with a flurry of runs from openers Jimmy Adams and Colin de Grandhomme and they raced to 23 off the first two overs. When de Grandhomme departed after skying a pull shot to midwicket the pace slackened.

But Adams showed the controlled technique that made him such a force in English Twenty20 and he found an aggressive partner in Hakaraia. The pair took the total to 54 in the seventh over before an attempted reverse sweep off Ian Blackwell's slow left-arm spin saw Adams caught at point for 23.

Blackwell and English spin partner Michael Yardy were proving effective in keeping the scoring in check until Anaru Kitchen hit Blackwell for consecutive sixes in his third over. But he soon succumbed to the Englishman's wiles, lobbing a catch to deep point after scoring 21 off 13 balls.

Hakaraia was another Blackwell victim with the total at 117 for five and there was time for Lou Vincent to score 27 in the gathering gloom before the overs ran out.

Blackwell's three wickets cost 30 runs and there were also impressive efforts from Yardy and young paceman Adam Milne.

Central lost wickets regularly as they began their reply. Opener George Worker and Kieran Noema-Barnett made 21 and captain Kruger Van Wyk 25 but the run rate required quickly soared out of control.

Auckland return to the park tomorrow to play Northern Districts in a game starting at 2pm.