The Pink Report

Cold Comfort

Yay! After the Wizards-Aces game fizzled to a dull old draw in the only match to last four days, the Yahoo!NZ Northern Knights have vaulted to the top of the points table after two rounds of the Plunket Shield. 

This week the team is chilling out (literally, we mean) at the University Oval in Dunedin, where round three is underway today in slightly less agreeable weather. Rain is forecast tomorrow (Monday), and is expected to return on Friday when the teams change gear to play the opening round of the one-day Ford Trophy at the same venue. With temperatures hovering around 15 degrees, I can’t imagine any of them being the teensiest bit envious of the Blackcaps heading off to 30-degree tropical days in Queensland! 

Fingers crossed the southern weather changes its mind. It would be a shame to start the Ford Trophy with a washout.

The season’s MVP rankings are underway too, and Knights players are already occupying three of the top four spots. Kane Williamson, Trent Boult and Tim Southee are numbers 2, 3 and 4 respectively, with the Auckland Aces’ Andre Adams just a nudge ahead of Kane in the top spot. I’d rather have “Nossy” in my team though, wouldn’t you?

With the Blackcaps sucking Trent, Tim, Kane and Dan Vettori out of the squad of course, fresh players have stepped in and for the first time we’ve seen Hamilton youngsters (and fellow mechanical engineering students) Anurag Verma and Mitchell Santner included in the Knights’ twelve together. 

At 21, Anurag is at last re-emerging from the injury tent. Having been in the same 2008 New Zealand under-19s team as Trent Boult, it’s been a frustrating coming-of-age for the pacey right-armer. He was contracted last season to the Knights, exciting times for any young man - but then was unable to play at any level throughout the summer after suffering a torn abdominal muscle in November 2010. Fingers crossed this represents the start of Anurag’s career getting back on track.

By the way, complete with a new Northern Districts first-class record for the highest-ever winning margin (an innings and 230 runs), here’s how the Plunket Shield points table was looking heading into the current round. That massive boost in the Knights’ net run rate is almost single-handedly courtesy of Kane’s unbeaten 284. “Nossy” also boosted his first-class batting average from 41.2 to 45.5 in one hit!