25th Match: Canterbury v Central Districts at Christchurch, 22 Jan 2002 CricInfo Live Report

25th Match: Canterbury v Central Districts at Christchurch, 22 Jan 2002
Lynn McConnell

Central Districts innings: 30 overs, End of innings,
Canterbury innings: 15 overs, End of match,
Pre-game: Scene set,

BRILLIANT ASTLE CENTURY CARRIES CANTERBURY TO EASY EIGHT-WICKET WIN

Nathan Astle scored a superb 78-ball century to power Canterbury to an eight-wicket win over Central Districts in their State Shield match at Jade Stadium today.

Astle took 20 runs from the 24th and last over of the game, bowled by Brent Hefford, to bring up his 101 with a six off the last ball.

He hit 15 fours and four sixes in his innings. His last 86 runs came off 44 balls. His second 50 was hit off 23 balls.

It was an amazing innings and clearly showed his readiness for Australia.

Canterbury gained at least a semi-final berth in the competition and it claimed a bonus point from the speed of its win.

It was a minor form of carnage, but hugely encouraging for the impetus Astle may be able to give the New Zealand batting at the top of the order in Australia.

He was dropped, too easily, by Michael Mason just in front of the deep square leg boundary when he was on 58. The dropped catch was made worse when the ball tricked over the boundary.

The first nine overs cost 23 runs and the second nine cost 86.

Canterbury's 100 came up off 106 balls as Astle continued to blast. His 50 came up off 55 balls and included five fours and three sixes. At one stage he hit three successive balls from Thompson for boundaries.

The bowling did not make attractive reading for the CD bowlers. Michael Mason had six overs for 23 runs, Brent Hefford six overs for 39, Andrew Schwass three overs for 24, but with two late wickets, Ewen Thompson five overs for 44 and Campbell Furlong four overs and 20 runs.

ASTLE ON FIRE AS CANTERBURY SWAMP CENTRAL DISTRICTS

Nathan Astle confirmed his readiness for a return to Australia to rejoin the Black Caps by heading a Canterbury assault on the Central Districts bowling attack in their State Shield match at Jade Stadium today.

CD were dismissed in the 48th over for 147 runs and after 15 overs Canterbury were 80/0 in comparison to CD being 36/4 at the same stage.

Astle started slowly but then in the seventh over he punished Michael Mason with two trademark cut shots behind point for boundaries. Then in the eleventh over he hit a superbly lofted off drive, pulled a ball for six to the longest boundary on the ground, and added another two runs for good measure.

Canterbury's 50 came off 70 balls, by comparison CD took 122 balls to score their half century.

Then in the 14th over he hit a huge on drive into the lower deck of the Hadlee Stand for six off Andrew Schwass's bowling.

Compounding the situation for CD was the fact that Shanan Stewart provided not only back-up but went almost blow for blow with Astle. In the 15th over he twice played lofted off drives from Ewen Thompson's bowling, the first for two and the second for three.

Stewart moved ahead of Astle and was 40not out with Astle 36 not out at the 15-over mark.

SINCLAIR PLAYS LONE HAND FOR DISAPPOINTING CENTRAL DISTRICTS

Mathew Sinclair's 71 stood out like a beacon on a moonless night as Central Districts could only score 147 against Canterbury at Jade Stadium today.

While the rest of the CD team struggled to reach double figures, Sinclair, clearly sensing that if a low score was on the cards he might as well take the chance to get some time in the middle, played himself in and then in the latter stages he hit out as CD finally got some momentum going in the innings.

The pace of his innings can be seen from the fact that his 50 came up off 89 balls and included only one four and one six.

Initial impetus in the innings was provided by Richard King after CD had been 17/3. King hit out briefly for 18 before becoming one of the three CD batsmen to get out to the bowling of Chris Martin, caught in the slips to almost identical shots.

The score progressed through the middle stages of the innings at little over two runs an over before Sinclair started to lift his rate after about the 40th over.

He had some good support when Ewen Thompson blasted 16 off 13 balls and the scored was 142 when Thompson tried to swing/sweep a ball from Astle only to lose his off stump, a situation made worse two balls later when Michael Mason was bowled by Astle.

Then when Sinclair was looking to use the last three overs to hit out, Brent Hefford was run out, leaving Sinclair on 71 off 108 balls with two fours and two sixes and CD all out for 147.

Martin ended with three for 22 off 8.2 overs while Astle ended with three for 28 off nine overs.

CENTRAL DISTRICTS STRUGGLING AT JADE STADIUM

Canterbury had Central Districts on the rack in their State Shield match at Jade Stadium today.

The conditions were perfect for cricket but the CD top order did not have much time to enjoy them after Ben Smith won the toss and decided to bat.

At the 30-over mark, CD were 73/5 with Mathew Sinclair 28 not out and Campbell Furlong one.

The pitch being used for the game is in its third day and it caused all manner of problems for the batsmen in the early stages.

A fortuitous boundary by Peter Ingram, which slid along the ground through the slips for four was not repeated until the 11th over when Richard King managed to cover drive Warren Wisneski for four.

CD lost openers David Kelly and Ingram in nearly identical manner in the sixth over, bowled by international Chris Martin.

Off the first ball of the over Kelly played a forward defensive shot only to see the ball fly from the edge to Warren Wisneski at second slip.

With Martin bowling a much tighter line than in the previous game against Auckland, Canterbury captain Gary Stead bolstered the slips cordon by adding a third slip. Off the last ball, the move paid off as Ingram fell when edging to Darron Reekers who had been placed at third slip.

Further trouble occurred for CD when Smith was run out when ending up at the same end as Richard King while Shanon Stewart gathered the ball and ran to the bowler's end to break the wicket and complete the dismissal. CD, in the ninth over were 17/3.

After unleashing two cover drives on his way to 18, King fell into the same slip trap as Kelly and Ingram off Martin's bowling. CD were 35 for four.

Mathew Sinclair was joined by Bevan Griggs and while scoring was a problem, Sinclair did provide one memorable shot when lofting bowler Stephen Cunis back over his head for four runs.

Martin's first spell, of eight overs, yielded three wickets for 19 runs.

Nathan Astle bowled two overs for five runs from the southern end of the ground before leg-spinner Aaron Redmond replaced him. CD were struggling at 61/4 after 25 overs.

Astle switched ends to the northern end of the ground for the 28th over by which stage CD were 68/4. It had immediate effect as Astle got the ball to jump off just short of a length and Griggs was unable to keep the ball down to prevent it flying to Wisneski at slip.

CENTRAL WIN TOSS AND BAT FIRST

Glorious conditions, quite the best of the Canterbury summer for representative cricket, greeted Canterbury and Central Districts for their State Shield match at Jade Stadium today.

Central Districts, with no prospect of making the semi-finals, won the toss and batted on a pitch being used for the third day.

Canterbury could confirm their place in the semi-finals with a victory.

But once again the main focus in the match will be on CLEAR Black Cap Nathan Astle who is completing the second phase of his fitness test before flying to join the New Zealand side in Australia tomorrow.

Peter Ingram has come into the CD side while Greg Todd is the 12th man and Ryan Burson is Canterbury's 12th man.

The teams are: Canterbury: Gary Stead (captain), Nathan Astle, Shanon Stewart, Darron Reekers, Carl Anderson, Gareth Hopkins, Paul Wiseman, Stephen Cunis, Chris Martin, Warren Wisneski, Aaron Redmond. Ryan Burson (12th man).

Central Districts: Ben Smith (captain), David Kelly, Richard King, Bevan Griggs, Mathew Sinclair, Andrew Schwass, Michael Mason, Peter Ingram, Campbell Furlong, Ewen Thompson, Brent Hefford. Greg Todd (12th man).