Cricket: Beard, Craig in Volts after recovering from injuries

Otago spinners Nick Beard and Mark Craig will take their place in the Volts squad for a series of warm-up twenty20 matches in Tauranga next week.

Beard has had a cortisone injection for a troublesome shoulder injury and Craig has recovered from an ankle problem.

Pace bowler Sam Blakely, however, has been ruled out with a biceps injury and has been replaced by left-armer Blair Soper.

Otago will play a combined New Zealand and Northern Districts squad in a series of five twenty20 matches beginning on Monday as part of its preparation for next month's Champions League in India.

The composite team features eight past or present internationals, including Peter Fulton, Trent Boult and BJ Watling.

Otago, though, is missing most of its internationals, with the McCullum brothers, Brendon and Nathan, Hamish Rutherford and Ian Butler taking a break. Former test opener Aaron Redmond is also unavailable.

The White Ferns will host the West Indies in three one-day internationals and five twenty20s in February and March.

The ODI series will be staged at Bert Sutcliffe Oval, in Christchurch, beginning on February 26.

Invercargill's Queens Park will host the first three twenty20 matches, with the final two games scheduled for the Queenstown Events Centre.

Pre-season cricket
The squads
Otago:
Derek de Boorder, Sam Wells, Neil Broom, Jimmy Neesham, Jacob Duffy, Mark Craig, Nick Beard, Neil Wagner, Michael Bracewell, Blair Soper, Iain Robertson, James McMillan.
New Zealand/Northern Districts: Peter Fulton, Dean Brownlie, BJ Watling, Corey Anderson, Ish Sodhi, Roneel Hira, Bruce Martin, Hamish Bennett, Trent Boult, Jono Boult, Tim Seifert, Anton Devcich, Scott Kuggeleijn.

 

Add a Comment

OUTSTREAM