300
Number of List A games Hamish Marshall now has under his belt after facing his old team ND in Whangarei. That’s a mighty milestone for a Kiwi player. Unfortunately for the popular Firebirds captain, he was out hit wicket for a golden duck and his team lost by 135 runs.
'Huh? Oh! No. What? Argh!' #hitwicket #300thgame #onahattrick #fordtrophy #allhappening #hateitwhenthathappens @ndcricket v @wgtnfirebirds pic.twitter.com/9aHIiyppBQ
— #NZIII (@MargotButcher) January 28, 2017
THREE
Number of bonus point wins up new leaders ND’s sleeves now. With the number of bonus points being one of the frontline criteria for deciding nitty gritty ranking stuff on the points table in the event of equal points, that could come in handy when it comes to sorting out a home final. The Aces and Canterbury will be jealous, they only have one each. Watch this space.
ELEVEN
Number of points separating the top and bottom teams with three rounds to go. Wins are worth four points — or five for a bonus point victory — so, just as in McDonald’s Super Smash this summer, it’s been a tight race and it’s still anybody’s guess who the final four will be.
THREE
Number of captains the Otago Volts have anointed in this campaign, after Brad Wilson replaced BLACKCAP Jimmy Neesham who replaced injured Hamish Rutherford. Wilson got the trump card with the Volts gaining their first win of the comp in Palmerston North, getting liftoff from the bottom of the table at last.
1001
Number of List A runs for Central Stags captain Will Young (above) after he top-scored for the Stags in Palmerston North with his first half century of the white ball season. Unfortunately for Young, it all went to custard for the injury-rattled Stags as they petered out to hand the Volts the win.
ONE
Number of wins for defending champs the Stags after five rounds. With just three rounds to go, things are getting urgent if they’re to make the final four, let alone gun for a three-peat. They’ve had rubbish luck, close finishes haven’t gone their way, but you never know — every team is still in it, after all.
92
Number of balls it took 23-year-old firebrand bat Nick Kelly to slash his way to his maiden Ford Trophy / List A century at Cobham Oval. It was just his sixth game for ND and if you’re not impressed then you really need to go see #CobhamOvalSoBig in person to appreciate. Having scored his maiden 50 in the previous week, Kelly has now raced into the top five run-makers of the Ford Trophy season.
THREE
Number of times the Volts’ ‘Beast’ Michael Bracewell (below) has got out in the 90s in Ford Trophy in the last three summers — 98, 91 and now 92 against the Stags. He’s never made it to 100 in one-day white ball for the Volts, although he does have a List A century for New Zealand A, against Scotland. Cricket, eh.
THREE
Number of crunch clashes this Wednesday as round six of eight unfurls in Invercargill (Queen’s Park), Christchurch (Hagley Oval) and Wellington (Basin Reserve). C’mon the weather!
