Wellington Firebirds team to play Northern Knights

CRICKET WELLINGTON MEDIA RELEASE
Monday 23 November 2009

Wellington Firebirds team to play Northern Knights in Plunket Shield

The Wellington Firebirds squad to play the Northern Knights in the third round of the 2009/10 Plunket Shield at Seddon Park in Hamilton, starting Tuesday 24 November at 10.30am, is:

Matthew Bell (captain)
Joe Austin-Smellie
Harry Boam
Dewayne Bowden
Josh Brodie
Michael Burns
Andy McKay
Cameron Merchant
Neal Parlane
Jeetan Patel
Robbie Schaw
Malaesaili Tugaga
Luke Woodcock

Thirteen players have been named, with the playing XI to be finalised on the morning of the match.

Unavailable due to injury: James Franklin (knee).

Joe Austin-Smellie replaces Chris Nevin who is on paternity leave and Michael Burns is added to the squad. All-rounder Stewart Rhodes has been released for this game.

20-year old North City club wicket-keeper batsman Austin-Smellie will make his Wellington Firebirds and first-class debut. Austin-Smellie is a member of the New Zealand High Performance Programme and a former New Zealand U19 player, having playing youth internationals against England in 2008.

If Jeetan Patel is released by the Blackcaps selectors prior to the first Test against Pakistan, also starting on Tuesday, he will travel immediately to Hamilton to join the Wellington team. If this occurs, New Zealand Cricket playing conditions allow for a full playing substitute until Patel’s arrival.

After scoring 156 runs in the Firebirds’ first two matches of the season, skipper Matthew Bell is now just 109 runs away from becoming Wellington’s leading first-class run-scorer and 55 runs short of moving into second place. Bruce Edgar (6,494 first-class runs for Wellington) and Robert Vance (6,440) are currently Wellington’s leading all-time run accumulators, ahead of Bell (6,386). The Central Stags’ Matthew Sinclair (6,601) heads this list for all provinces.

Bell, who started his career with Northern Districts, has now scored 9,702 first-class career runs for all teams.

The Firebirds and the Knights both won their second round games last week. The Firebirds beat the Auckland Aces by 99 runs and the Knights completed their second win of the season against the Central Stags by 9 wickets.

Plunket Shield points after two rounds: Northern 16, Canterbury 10, Wellington 8, Central 2, Auckland, Otago 0.

ENDS

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