NZ Off-Season Happenings: The IPL and County Championship

These are quiet times for New Zealand in general, even the naming of the new national captain is on the backburner. With international duty a long way away, the off-season assumes a certain importance in ensuring the top players aren't totally undercooked by that time. Even if our lot haven't necessarily been setting stadiums afire, NZ has enjoyed decent representation in the IPL, as well as a couple of names on the county scene.

Among the high-profile IPLites, King Dan undoubtedly enjoyed the most fulfilling tournament, captaining the Royal Challengers to the final and being as miserly as ever with the ball. Baz, the Knight Ryder and Rossco put in regular appearances but, much like their respective teams, lacked the consistency to go all the way. The rest weren't called upon to do much, though Jimmy Franklin had a couple of good outings for Mumbai in the 'finisher' role, outperforming Pollard and Symonds.

The stats:

Batsmen
JEC Franklin (Mumbai Indians), 107 Runs @53.50, SR 137
LRPL Taylor (Rajasthan Royals), 181 Runs @36.20, SR 119
BB McCullum (Kochi Tuskers Kerala), 357 Runs @ 27.46, SR 130
NL McCullum (Pune Warriors), 26 Runs @26.00, SR 118
DL Vettori (Royal Challengers Bangalore), 23 Runs @23.00, SR 82
JD Ryder (Pune Warriors), 292 Runs @22.46, SR 148
JDP Oram (Rajasthan Royals), 0 Runs @0.00
SB Styris (Chennai Super Kings), 5 Runs off 2 balls
TG Southee (Chennai Super Kings), DNB

Bowlers
Vettori 12 Wickets @25.91, ER 6.01
Ryder 4 Wickets @29.50, ER 7.69
Franklin 3 Wickets @33.00, ER 9.73
Southee 4 Wickets @41.50, ER 8.73
Oram 1 Wicket @45.00, ER 11.25
NL McCullum 0 Wickets, ER 6.80

Nathan McCullum was perhaps unlucky not to get more than two games, while Styris and Oram remain eternal benchwarmers even after being transferred. Franklin looked good with the bat once he swapped the black helmet for blue, and Southee did pretty well in the few opportunities he received before Doug Bollinger kept him out. The big three - Ryder, McCullum and Taylor - registered impressive strike rates but continued to find daft ways of getting out; some extended sessions with John Wright are in order.

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Over in England, wonderkid Kane Williamson had a largely anonymous start with Gloucestershire before registering 149 against Leicestershire on his fifth visit to the crease. It should turn out to be a good education at this stage in his career, and one hopes he doesn't waste it. And, Martin Guptill has finally been summoned by Derbyshire following Usman Khawaja's departure - heaven knows he needs the experience as well. He made 9 in his only innings thus far, and it'll be interesting to see how he adapts to the early June pitches there.

I'll certainly be keeping an eye on how these two are doing. A good showing from these two would balance out the somewhat disappointing performances from their more celebrated NZ teammates in the IPL.