Smorgasbord Summer of Cricket 2009/10

Here is the scorecard in terms of matches: Hamilton 4, Wellington 4, Napier 3, Christchurch 2, Dunedin 2, Auckland 2.

January is set to be a big month for the as-yet-unnamed domestic cricket competitions with no international cricket between 16 December and 2 February. Perhaps we should rename the three tournaments after iconic domestic players - so it would be The Doc Austen Trophy (4-dayers); The Mark Douglas Shield (ODIs); and The Carl Bulfin T20 (T20s).

If I was picking a weekend to make sure I was there for it would be December 4-5-6 on the embankment at The Basin watching the artist formerly known as Yousuf Youhana bat for three days, and belting tennis balls about on the oval in the lunch break.

No cricket in Auckland until March 6 - damn near half a year away.

NZC said there were only two tests against Australia as it was "not realistic" to play Test cricket in April - even though that was done against Sri Lanka in April 2005 and against India in April 2009. In fact we are unbeaten in Test matches in April in New Zealand - maybe Australia just cannot be bothered with hanging about in New Zealand for another 3-day practice game and a third test.

Dunedin is back as a one-day international cricket city. Seems a bit off that the match against Bangladesh is scheduled 10 days before orientation week and is on a Monday when every school kid in the city will be back at school. Of course, if the nation elects to take Monday off as a protest at Waitangi Day being on a Saturday, thus denying us a deserved extra day's holiday, it will work perfectly.

No Basin Reserve limited overs games - the rumours that erupted last month have come to naught. The 6 March match that was the subject of the rumour has now gone to Eden Park with an 8000 capacity. Seems a shame.

Six test matches: the most ever in New Zealand in one season. You beauty. And Pakistan play no Twenty20 matches, even better.

Dunners also returns for the opening Test of the summer against Pakistan. The University Oval down there seems to be a pet project of NZC's, sort of like Isaia Toeava is for Graeme Henry or Peter McGlashan is for Daniel Vettori. Earlier in the year, the Oval was regarded as having the worst wicket in the country, and the worst practice facilities, and of late there has been some toing and froing about moving the boundary. The drainage needs to be sorted too so we don't have comments like this emanating across the cricketing globe: "The University Oval has a certain old-world charm to it but that charm can only take you so far. Yesterday it exposed itself as a ground hopelessly ill-prepared to host test cricket."

Queenstown is relegated to the bench this summer, having become something of a magnet for a regular New Year's Eve fixture.

Dates:

Pakistan

Nov 24-28: 1st Test, Dunedin

Dec 3-7: 2nd Test, Wellington

Dec 11-15: 3rd Test, Napier

 

Bangladesh

Feb 3: T20, Hamilton

Feb 5: 1st ODI, Napier

Feb 8: 2nd ODI, Dunedin

Feb 11: 3rd ODI, Christchurch

Feb 15-19: Test, Hamilton

 

Australia

Feb 26: 1st T20, Wellington

Feb 28: 2nd T20, Christchurch

Mar 3: 1st ODI, Napier

Mar 6: 2nd ODI, Auckland (8000 tickets only)

Mar 9: 3rd ODI, Hamilton

Mar 11: 4th ODI, Auckland (8000 tickets only)

Mar 13: 5th ODI, Wellington

Mar 19-23: 1st Test, Wellington

Mar 27: 2nd Test, Hamilton