This might seem like a quick detour from the road to the all-consuming World Cup, but it does in fact have a lot to do with the World Cup. New Zealand supporters - those who have actually stuck around through what has been a dreadful summer - will no doubt have noted the results and performances in the domestic one-day competition with great interest.
Auckland upstaged Canterbury in last Sunday's final, something of a coup given that Canterbury had utterly dominated the preliminary stage and even convincingly beaten the Aces in their last enounter. Neither team enjoys much representation in the national side, but this has also meant having most of their first choice XI to choose from over the season. The main talking point in all of this, has been the performances of certain individuals.
Rob Nicol, the opener and off-break bowler who was brought in for couple of T-20 games against Sri Lanka last year, has been the standout for Canterbury all season; his one-day figures from nine games read 648 runs at 72 (including 119 in a losing cause in the final) and 15 wickets at an ER of 4.22. Lou Vincent, who's been turning out for Auckland in the hope of being reconsidered for the one-day side, was just behind him in the runs tally - 642 at 71.
Perhaps these two happened to find their best form after the World Cup squad has been announced, but everytime I see the likes of Jamie How, Jacob Oram and (to a lesser extent) Kane Williamson and Luke Woodcock struggle to impose themselves I can't help wondering whether the selectors have not missed a trick or two. Nicol, besides being next in line for the test opening slot, is the sort of player who can bat anywhere in the order at any tempo. Throw in his more-than-useful offspinners and you have a flexibility that would have served NZ well going into the big tournament.
Vincent's case is one which will always leave me cold. We now know his splendid 153 in the final will likely be his last cricketing act on NZ soil. His relationship with NZC and the selectors has been fractious to say the least, and Glenn Turner and co. understandably might have decided to wash their hands off him. On the other hand, with NZ's resources being stretched to the limit and short on experience, could the selectors afford to overlook him so easily in their World Cup plans? Turner's alleged snubbing of Vincent at the final is a sad reminder of the ego-clashes that have brought NZ cricket down in recent years.
Among the other players, Aussie-born Dean Brownlie (whom I had profiled last year) was an outside chance to make the World Cup before he lost form badly, but appears to be among the runs again. He looks to be another name on the selectors' minds when the World Cup is done. Michael has noted the rejuvenation of Tim McIntosh, who enjoyed an excellent one-day season with Auckland. I personally felt that McIntosh's lack of one-day play with Auckland - who tended to exclude him, for obvious reasons - was a major factor in him being tied down too easily while batting in tests, so this is a good sign in that it might expand his game a bit. Having said that, his spot in the test side has got to be under serious threat from Nicol.
To end on an optimistic note: the Auckland Aces, who will be representing NZ in the T-20 Champions league later this year, could potentially field a good side. The lineup could look like this: Martin Guptill, Lou Vincent (if he makes himself available), Jeet Raval, Jimmy Adams (overseas player from Hampshire), Colin de Grandhomme, Colin Munro, Gareth Hopkins, Andre Adams, Daryl Tuffey, Kyle Mills, Chris Martin. This team should definitely prove more competitive than Otago and Central Districts were in the last two editions.
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