New Zealand domestic one-day competition renamed

New Zealand's domestic one-day competition has been renamed the Ford Trophy, New Zealand Cricket announced today. Ford is currently the official sponsors of the six major domestic teams and the official vehicle supplier to New Zealand Cricket, the men's and women's senior teams.

The tournament was earlier called the New Zealand Cricket One Day Competition. "Cricket has already benefited from the investment Ford has made in the sport at both domestic and international levels," Justin Vaughan, NZC chief executive, said. "To be able to link the highly regarded Ford name to our one-day competition - which has a rich tradition of developing our best players - further strengthens that partnership."

The first match of the Ford Trophy for the 2011-12 season will be played on November 25, with the final scheduled for February 12, 2012.

Bennett out of Zimbabwe series

Hamish Bennett picked up his third injury in a year

Hamish Bennett, the New Zealand fast bowler, will miss next month's tour of Zimbabwe due to a sore back.

A lower back soreness has put Bennett out of contention. "It seems like the trouble is muscular, the scans show nothing. I've just got to stop bowling for a few weeks and become pain-free, then I can resume gradually again," Bennett was quoted as saying in theDominion Post. "It's really frustrating obviously but could be a lot worse, I guess. Things should settle down fairly quickly, I'm told."

"Unfortunately injuries are just part and parcel of being a fast bowler. I'm just due for a better run and hope I can get that over the remainder of the season."

Bennett, 24, has had a string of injuries since his surprise elevation to the national side last year. He suffered a groin strain on the opening day of his Test debut in India, ruling him out of the series. Earlier this year, an ankle injury put him out of the second half of New Zealand's run to the semi-finals in the World Cup.

Injured Southee out of Champions League Twenty20

A knee injury has ruled out Tim Southee
from the Champions League Twenty20

Tim Southee, the New Zealand and Chennai Super Kings seamer, will miss the Champions League Twenty20 after injuring his knee. He was supposed to join the Chennai team this week but will remain in New Zealand to undergo treatment.

"Tim has suffered some cartilage damage to his left knee while preparing for the Champions League.," John Buchanan, the New Zealand director of cricket, said. "He requires further assessment to determine the seriousness of the injury but initial signs indicate that he is unlikely to require surgery.

"He will undergo a period of intense rehabilitation and attempt to return to training shortly." Whether or not he will be available for New Zealand's tour of Zimbabwe next month will be made known later, Buchanan said.

Southee won the ICC Twenty20 Performance of the Year award for his spell of 5 for 18 against Pakistan in Auckland. He has picked up 74 wickets in 59 Twenty20 matches at 23.05 but has been expensive, conceding 8.07 runs an over. He'd been in good form of late in Twenty20 cricket and took 6 for 16, including a hat-trick, for Essex against Glamorgan in the Friends Life T20 in July.

Chennai, the defending champions, play their first Champions League game on September 24.

New Zealand to host Zimbabwe, South Africa

New Zealand will host Zimbabwe for the first time in 11 years as part of a home international schedule early next year that also features South Africa, according to officials.

"It will be a very challenging summer of international cricket and we are looking forward to taking on South Africa and Zimbabwe at home in front of our fans," Black Caps captain Ross Taylor said. © AFP

New Zealand has long-standing travel sanctions on sports teams from Zimbabwe due to alleged human rights abuses by Robert Mugabe's government but agreed to waive them this month provided the political situation did not deteriorate.
New Zealand Cricket said Friday the Zimbabwe tour would take place from January 26 to February 14. It will include one Test, three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches.
South Africa will tour from February 17 to March 27, playing three Tests, three one-dayers and three Twenty20s.
"It will be a very challenging summer of international cricket and we are looking forward to taking on South Africa and Zimbabwe at home in front of our fans," Black Caps captain Ross Taylor said.
"South Africa are currently ranked second in the world Test rankings so the three-Test series against them will be an excellent gauge of our progress."
New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said no matches had been scheduled for Christchurch, where the city's AMI Stadium has been closed since February's devastating earthquake that killed 181 people.
He said the venue's operators had been unable to guarantee the stadium would be ready to host international cricket early next year because of the impact of ongoing aftershocks.

AFP

News Vettori drops short game to focus on Tests

Wellington: Former New Zealand cricket captain Daniel Vettori, the world's top-ranked limited overs bowler, announced on Saturday he is taking an indefinite break from the short game to prolong his Test career.

Vettori, the world's top-ranked limited overs bowler, announced he is taking an indefinite break from the short game to prolong his Test career. © AFP

The 32-year-old, who is also ranked ninth among the world's leading ODI all-rounders, said he may return in time for the 2015 World Cup but in the meantime he wants to focus on adding to his 105 Tests. "My reason for taking a break from the shorter forms of the game is primarily so that I can preserve my body and continue to represent the Black Caps in Test cricket," he said.
"I also believe a break now will give me the best possible chance to take up one-day cricket again in the next couple of years and, if all goes well, make the Black Caps World Cup team for 2015."
Vettori, who has played 272 one-day internationals and 28 international Twenty20s, stepped down as New Zealand captain earlier this year when the side were beaten semi-finalists at the last World Cup.
New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said he respected Vettori?s decision to target Tests while keeping his options open for the future.
"Dan has been a great servant for a long time now and I believe this decision is not only in his best interest but also for the best interests of the Black Caps," Vaughan said.
"The fact that he has signalled a desire to play ODIs and Twenty20s in the future and possibly make a return when we co-host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is great."
Vettori was the youngest player ever to represent New Zealand at the age of 18 -- taking 2-98 in his first innings against England in 1997 -- and is now one of only eight players to have more than 300 Test wickets and 3,000 runs.
His target is to be only the second player behind India's Kapil Dev to take 400 wickets and 4,000 runs. He already has 4,167 runs and 345 wickets.
AFP

New Zealand seek cricketers view on next captain

Wellington: The cricket administrators of New Zealand have asked the country's top 20 players to express their views on the leadership capabilities of Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor, who are top contenders to succeed Daniel Vettori.

The cricket administrators of New Zealand have asked the country's top 20 players to express their views on the leadership capabilities of Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor, who are top contenders to succeed Daniel Vettori. © Getty Images

New Zealand Cricket's (NZC) new director John Buchanan, national selection manager Mark Greatbatch and Kiwi coach John Wright have asked the cricketers for their views on McCullum and Taylor as part of an end-of-season review.
Buchanan, however, clarified the players will only suggest and not select the next captain.
"One of the areas they needed to comment on was leadership. The culture of leadership and what their views and thoughts are of it within and around the Black Caps," Buchanan was quoted as saying by the ''Star Times''.
"We asked their views and thoughts on the captains they have played under either Ross and/or Brendon. We wanted them to express their views on that. We listened to what they had to say and that's really the process of the reviews at the moment," he said.
"It's a broad topic of leadership and, when it comes to captaincy, they are the frontrunners and the players have been asked to provide a view on them as individuals and what they bring to the captaincy role. We are not necessarily canvassing them on a voting process... we really just want a viewpoint," Buchanan added.
PTI

Accepted coaching job due to Kirsten: Donald

Johannesburg: If at all Allan Donald agreed to be bowling coach of South Africa, it was because of Gary Kirsten's presence as head coach of the team.

Allan Donald had previously been in the line for a stint as the bowling coach for the New Zealand national team. © AFP

Donald, a former Proteas fast bowler, said he would have refused the offer had someone else was in place of Kirsten, who recently guided India to World Cup triumph.
Donald said the feeling on being offered the job was the same when he was told to play for South Africa after the country was re-admitted to international cricket in 1991.
"It was the happiest moment of my life when Gary called me (about ten days earlier)," Donald said.
"It has always been my dream to work with my own people. It felt like the call I got in 1991 from Dr. Ali Bacher (then chairman of the United Cricket Board of South Africa) to say that I would be playing against India.
"I would probably not have agreed if someone else was in charge. We are old friends. We played together for a long time. (Kirsten) treats people like people," Donald said.
Cricket South Africa on Monday announced that Kirsten will be the head coach of the national team and Donald would be the bowling coach.
Donald admitted that he had upset both the New Zealand cricket boss Justin Vaughn and a prospective tenant for his home in South Africa.
"My bags were already packed (to go to New Zealand as bowling coach) when I got the call from Gary (Kirsten). It took me all but half a second to say yes," Donald said.
He was happy to remain at home now, although he had already struck a deal with someone to rent his house while he was away in New Zealand.
"I can now happily kick him out even before he moves in," Donald jested.
The ace fast bowler said Vaughan had initially been very angry with him for reneging on his deal with New Zealand but understood the situation when Donald explained that he would be most happy to work with the Proteas.

PTI

International Interview - Peter Ingram!

Hey guys, you favourite Kiwi writer here. We were so fortunate enough to get an interview with Peter Ingram the kiwi Test batsman. At the same time I did a poll of who should have been the kiwi Test opener - Ingram or Tim McIntosh. 87% - a massive majority - voted for Peter Ingram while on 13% voted for McIntosh. Here's the interview. We thank Peter immensely.


CricNews: What was it like playing for your country? Was the pressure as intense as the media would like to make out?

Peter Ingram: Awesome! The pressure from the media and public was not nice though!

CN: How gutting was it that you got 42 but didn’t quite get to 50 in a test?

PI:Yes gutting but not as gutting as being run out twice out of the four innings I batted in.

CN: How tiring was your first class 247, and how did the other team treat you for it? With honour, or disrespect?

PI: Very tiring but if you keep drinking enough fluids and eat well then we play enough and train hard enough for the body to cope.
Northern Districts never really show any respect but after the game when we had a beer together they were just normal blokes.

CN: Do you still have that magnificent mo, it was a bit of a cult hero by itself wasn’t it!

PI: No mo 'cos my two sons don't give me cuddles if I have it, too scratchy.

CN: A lot of Cricket supporters in New Zealand believed that you should have been given more than two tests – especially considering Tim McIntosh’s poor run of form, were you disappointed to only have these few opportunities?

PI: I always want to play more and have more opportunities but that is cricket, selections are based on peoples opinion rather than stats, that's just how it works unfortunately for me.

CN: How was the quality of cricket different in the Champions League different to First Class T20?

PI: There was some bigger names but if we were at full strength and had better preperation then we would have done a lot better.
Our competitions are very strong!

CN: How many trophies have you won with CD, and which would be your greatest?

PI: Two trophies the greatest is the HRV Cup 2 years ago because I had a great tournament and 56 of 36 balls in the final.

CN: Who is the best personality in the dressing room?

PI: Kieran Noema-Barnett. He is very funny man but is a great team man as well!


CN: Thank you so much for your time from me and all the CricNews fans out there!

Donald set to sign two-year contract with NZC

Allan Donald, the former South Africa fast bowler, is set to sign a two-year coaching deal with New Zealand Cricket (NZC). Donald, who was in the running for the Australia bowling coach job, lost out to former Australia fast bowler Craig McDermott, and hopes to return to return to New Zealand, where he has worked on a contract basis since December last year

"I want to commit to New Zealand," Donald told ESPNCricinfo. "I spoke to Justin Vaughan this morning and thanked him for his patience with me. They have been very good in letting me go off for two and a half weeks and pursue the Australia job."

Donald had his final interview with Cricket Australia on Monday morning and was hopeful of being appointed the first foreign bowling coach of an Australian side. "I am a little disappointed; it was a massive opportunity and a huge job," he said, admitting that as the time for the announcement drew closer, he had a hunch he would not get the job and it would go to an Australian. "I know Craig very well and I wish him all the best."

New Zealand will be keen to sign Donald on as quickly as possible even though the next international series is in October against Zimbabwe. New Zealand's bowlers credited Donald with helping them become more aggressive and developing the attack into a more penetrative one. Donald said he would like to continue injecting forcefulness into the New Zealand fast bowlers. "I'm not a massively technical person, if there is a technical problem I will deal with, but I am very big on the mental side of things," he said. "There's no question that there is a talent there, but sometimes the New Zealand bowlers don't back themselves enough. It's about being a little arrogant and cocky."

Hamish Bennett and Adam Milne are two of the bowlers Donald has identified as being the "quickest," bowlers in the New Zealand attack, who can reach speeds of up to 145kmh. However Donald doesn't see his role as being to foster out and out pace. Instead, he wants to work on nuances that will turn the New Zealand attack into a powerful one. Donald has previously spoken about Tim Southee as crucial to this endeavour and he focused on Southee again. "A year or so ago, he was just flat lining and not progressing at all, but now it's going to be his responsibility to lead the attack."

Donald is likely to move to Lincoln, just outside Christchruch, where the temporary NZC offices and high performance center are based. He hopes to finish his level three and level four coaching course in the coming months. Donald also has ambitions of returning to his home country, South Africa, in the future. "It's my biggest dream to work for South Africa; that will be awesome. But I am going to give this my full go and run with it for a few years."

Buchanan backs Wright to pick new Kiwi skipper

John Buchanan backs John Wright to take a call on new captain

Director of New Zealand Cricket John Buchanan has backed coach John Wright to decide the next leader of the team.

Former Australia coach Buchanan insisted that he would have little direct involvement with the national side and Wright's powers would actually increase.

The Dominion Post reports that Wright will effectively decide who takes over from Daniel Vettori as captain for the team's next series in Zimbabwe in October.

Wright has remained silent since Buchanan's appointment, but sources indicate that Taylor is his preferred candidate. While the other contender, Brendon McCullum, impressed Wright at the World Cup, Taylor did enough as stand-in for Vettori and has performed with the bat.

"If the coach and captain of a team don't get along then it's a recipe for disaster, so John needs to be very strong on who he wants there," said Buchanan, who will convene the process to select the new captain, selectors and manager.

Changes could also loom for the selection panel of Mark Greatbatch, Glenn Turner and Lance Cairns.

Wright and Vettori sat in on the panel during the Pakistan series but neither had an official role. Buchanan favoured the coach having more selection power.

"Part of my role is very clear. I want to elevate the role of the coach. I believe an individual is accountable for the team performance yet doesn't have some of the key responsibilities that should go with that position of which selection is one," Buchanan said.

   

Patience pays off for New Zealand

Bennett stars as New Zealand crush Kenya

Hamish Bennett led New Zealand's humiliation of a Kenya outfit clearly out of its depth, attacking the stumps with metronomic accuracy to rip out four quick wickets as the minnows capitulated for just 69 - their lowest World Cup total and the fifth worst overall. Tim Southee helped himself to three cheap wickets, while Jacob Oram also picked up three in three overs before Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum eased their side to an unchallenged 10-wicket win.

Kenya's first showing at this tournament demonstrated both their lack of competency against good, but hardly exceptional, seam bowling and their incomprehension of the review system - borderline decisions were accepted without question and clear cut ones questioned out of sheer desperation.

Jimmy Kamande called correctly at the toss and opted to bat on a pitch expected to help slow bowlers, but that was Kenya's last success of the morning. The new ball barely deviated off the straight for Southee but Kenya's young opening pair, perhaps over-awed by the occasion, remained nervously rooted to the crease. They had cobbled together just 14 runs - all in singles - when Southee nipped one off the seam to strike Alex Obanda in front of leg stump.

Umpire Marais Erasmus' decision initially looked a good one, but there was a hint that a review might have been in order. The Kenyans were, of course, unfamiliar with the UDRS but that provides no excuse for Obanda's tame acceptance of his demise as replays showed that the ball would have gone over the top of the stumps by at least an inch or two.

With the innings drifting swiftly into mediocrity Collins Obuya got going with a couple of meaty blows off Nathan McCullum, who opened the bowling from the other end, but just as he and Waters were starting to gain momentum Bennett was introduced and soon had the innings in disarray. First, he fired one full and straight at Waters, the ball shooting through at a low shin height to pin the batsman in front of his stumps.

Smart stats Kenya's total of 69 is by far their lowest in World Cup games - it's their first sub-100 total in 24 games. They lasted 23.5 overs, which is the lowest for them. It's also the fifth-lowest total in World Cups. Canada's 36 against Sri Lanka in 2003 is the lowest. For the first time in a World Cup match, New Zealand dismissed a team for less than 100. The previous lowest against New Zealand in a full 50-over match had beenBangladesh's 116 in 1999. New Zealand won the match with 252 balls to spare, which is their most comprehensive World Cup win - and the third-best for all teams in World Cups - in terms of balls remaining. In all ODIs, it's New Zealand's second-most emphatic win. Hamish Bennett's 4 for 16 is his best ODI figures, bettering the 4 for 46 he had achieved against Pakistan in his previous ODI.

There would have been high hopes in the Kenyan camp of Steve Tikolo, their veteran batsman, sparking a revival but he was swiftly removed by a searing full delivery that burst through a lazy swish to make a mess of his stumps. With the ball keeping low and starting to nip off the seam Obuya was the next batsman to be rapped on the front pad, right in front of middle. Perhaps out of desperation, a completely superfluous review was called for but there was no second life for Obuya and the innings sank even further when Maurice Ouma was dispatched in identical fashion in Bennett's next over to leave Kenya staring into the abyss at 49 for 5.

That soon become 59 for 6, Jacob Oram finding the edge of Kamande's bat to end his brief resistance, and with that the fight went from Kenya's innings. Oram had Thomas Odoyo, who was fending at a rising delivery, easily caught by Jesse Ryder and Southee was on a hat-trick when he removed Nehemiah Odhiambo and Shem Ngoche with the last two balls of his sixth over. There was no second international hat-trick for him, however, with Elijah Otieno flicking Oram straight to midwicket shortly afterwards to end a miserable Kenyan innings.

Guptill took the lead as New Zealand completed the formality of the chase in just eight overs, thrashing two enormous sixes and peppering the boundary almost at will in a 32-ball 39. An uninspired McCullum chipped in with a rapid 26 as Kenya at least attempted to remain upbeat in the field despite the futility of their efforts.

While New Zealand would have been hoping for a successful start to their campaign, the ease of their win here is hardly the best preparation for sterner challenges ahead against the likes of Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. For Kenya, things can only get better after a day they would dearly like to forget, though their performance won't have done any favours to the argument that Associate nations deserve to be involved in future World Cups.