Hopkins no-longer a stop-gap Black Cap

An Australian journalist stared at the New Zealand cricketer at the press conference and nudged his mate. "Who's he?"

The shaven-headed chap peering over the top table beside his skipper was Gareth Hopkins, hardly a household name in Australia and someone who wouldn't have featured much on the tourists' pre-series scouting list.

Not any more.

Yesterday's third one-day international at Seddon Park in Hamilton was wicketkeeper Hopkins' finest in a 16-match career stretching back to 2004, and marked him down as more than just a stop-gap.

Even if it was in a losing cause, as Australia took a 2-1 series lead with a six-wicket win, the 33-year-old more than earned his keep.

Arriving at a shaky 146 for five, passing New Zealand's key hitter Ross Taylor on his way out, Hopkins cracked 45 off 51 balls to desperately try and revive their targeted par score of 300.

Twice he cleared the ropes, including one remarkable top edge off 150kmh speedster Mitchell Johnson that flew well over the pickets. And later with the gloves he produced a direct hit runout of dangerman Shane Watson then a late stumping off Daniel Vettori to remove centurymaker Brad Haddin.

Yesterday's innings topped his previous best one-day score of 35, set against Australia last Saturday, which showed how few chances Hopkins had received since his debut in England in 2004.

"The Australians wouldn't have seen me so wouldn't maybe have the stronger plans that they might for some of the other batters," he said as the team headed to Auckland for tomorrow's fourth and penultimate match.

"That's always going to be interesting because after seeing the last couple of games they'll have some better plans, so it's up to me to tweak it or look at doing it a lot better."

Wellington-born Hopkins made his first-class debut in 1997-98 but first Adam Parore then Brendon McCullum loomed largest in the eyes of the national selectors.

He got his chance in England in 2004 when McCullum was ruled out, but only now does he feel comfortable in the set-up.

"I haven't really performed at international level and that's always been in the back of my mind. I always believed and I was always confident. Now it's about finishing off games and my focus will be on that.

"Mentally I've worked on a few things. I have been a lot more confident this year and it's domestic form as well. I'm happy with my gameplans and had a good winter in India with the A team.

"Being part of the Twenty20 has helped, it's lifted the intensity that you need at international level and I've felt comfortable with that."

The world Twenty20 championship in the Caribbean next month looks a certainty for Hopkins and so, too, does a regular spot in the one-day side as a specialist "finisher" in the power play overs.

Hopkins is comfortable in Auckland, his fourth first-class team after Northern Districts, Canterbury and Otago.

He left Northern Districts due to former test Robbie Hart standing ahead of him; then Canterbury didn't renew his contract and Otago snapped him up.

He learned his batting trade under Glenn Turner, learned to be more attacking, then shifted north when McCullum returned south from Canterbury.

This season he led Auckland to the domestic Twenty20 and one-day finals, albeit both for painful defeats to Central Districts and Northern Districts respectively.

"The boys give me a bit of grief about that (moving). Five minutes ago Peter Ingram was asking me if I was going to play for CD. I've got a good thing going in Auckland."

And the New Zealand brains trust will say he's got a good thing going with them, too.

- NZPA