Cricket: Vincent has to line up with other imports

Lou Vincent. Photo / Dean Purcell

Auckland are unlikely to have the services of popular former international Lou Vincent this summer.

A change of legal status puts Vincent into the overseas player category, rather than a New Zealander returning home for a stint. He is now resident in Britain and therefore is in the same grouping as any overseas player Auckland might consider.

Vincent played a significant role in Auckland winning the national one-day title last season and was involved in the HRV Cup T20 victory as well, which earned Auckland a trip to India for the Champions League qualifying competition.

Auckland are entitled to two overseas imports for their T20 defence and have confirmed Nottinghamshire-based former international Andre Adams is returning for this season. Auckland Cricket are considering several players for the second spot.

"From our perspective it changes the whole dynamic," Auckland coach Paul Strang said. "We have to consider him as an overseas player and so he'll go into that selection mix.

"We have a philosophy around overseas players. They've got to add value, and be in positions where they are certainly better than the local talent. We are looking at skill gaps we can fill with the right individual and we are working through some options."

Vincent, 33 next Friday, scored 642 runs in the one-day competition at 71.33 last season and hit three centuries. The most important was in the final, when he hit 153 off 152 balls against Canterbury to set up a six-run victory. He was less successful in the T20, where he averaged 22.75. Vincent, who played 23 tests, and hit three centuries, is playing in the Zimbabwe domestic T20 competition beginning shortly.

Auckland's new chief executive, former Northern Mystics netball chief executive Mark Cameron, starts in the job next week. The T20 competition runs from December 18 to January 22.