Auckland’s Robbie O’Donnell achieved a remarkable feat this week. The middle order batter became just the seventh Auckland player to score a century and take five wickets in an innings. Confession time — Notes From Slip was not aware he even bowled. Turns out he had got through 130 overs in his previous 66 first-class games — that is about two token overs a match, which I suppose qualifies you as a part-timer. He might be pressed into action a lot more based on his outing against Canterbury. He snared five for 47 from 17.4 overs after scoring 123 . And there is another twist to the story. The right-armer switched from spin to, well, dibbly-dobblies, ahead of last season. If you can bowl wicket-to-wicket with a bit of away swing, you are always a chance in New Zealand.
Martin Guptill still has plenty to offer at the top of the Black Caps ODI side. He has been edged out of the side for the series against India — which starts today in Wellington — by Finn Allen, who has the kind of strike rate which would make Kane Williamson blush. The messaging around Guptill’s non-selection has been about insisting there is still plenty of cricket to play this summer and there will be other opportunities. The 36-year-old is just two games shy of 200 ODIs, so we should see him at least a couple of more times. You can understand the selectors going with Allen in T20, and their decision to name Allen in the ODI side with an eye to next year’s World Cup has some solid rationale behind it as well. But Guptill seems a more complete player than Allen, and a more solid option at the top of order in a format where there is still time to pull out the forward defensive once or twice.
Still grumpy about PlayHQ.
Polly Inglis is unavailable for the Otago Sparks’ opening games this weekend. But this could be her summer. With the retirement of long-serving keeper Katey Martin, Inglis will have more opportunity to work on her skills behind the stumps and press for higher honours.
adrian.seconi@odt.co.nz
