A later start to the first-class Plunket Shield championship this summer has BLACKCAPS and their Domestic teammates champing at the bit to get going with the red ball.
With five rounds of the one-day Ford Trophy already in the bank, all the teams start again at 10.30am on the opening day of the 2024/25 first-class season.
The stage is set at Napier's McLean Park, Christchurch's Hagley Oval and Wellington's Cello Basin Reserve where the first of eight rounds will unfold - with four matches in a row this side of Christmas, and the decisive end of the competition closing out the season in March 2025, after the white-ball competitions have wrapped up.
The Plunket Shield began in the 1906/07 season and is one of New Zealand sport's oldest and most prestigious trophies.
Every male cricketer in the country wants to get their hands on it at least once in their career, to join an incredible history and legacy set by famous forebears.
The Wellington Firebirds head into this season's action as the defending title-holder, with the trophy currently housed at the Basin.
Welcoming back our BLACKCAPS! 👏
— Cricket Wellington (@cricketwgtninc) November 9, 2024
Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, and Rachin Ravindra, who were instrumental in defeating India 3-0, have all been named in the Firebirds Round 1 #PlunketShield side with the start of the test summer only weeks away.
🔗: https://t.co/uOhEJ6fWSf pic.twitter.com/xlH9ugi1pa
They saw off a bold challenge from Northern Districts in the final round last summer in Hamilton to secure its new home, having uplifted the trophy from the previous summer's champion the Central Stags, in Hawke's Bay.
The Stags are one of several teams with new coaches and/or captains looking to enhance their cricketing CV in this big campaign.
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Tom Bruce has deputised for Greg Hay in the past as skipper but now that Hay's retired, he will lead the team on a full-time basis.
He'll be tossing the coin with another new Plunket Shield captain with Luke Georgeson now leading the Otago Volts, with the southerners now coached by Australian Ash Noffke.
The injury-hit Otago men have three uncapped players in their squad for Napier in young spinner Zac Cumming, young paceman Toby Hart - fresh off his Ford Trophy debut - and batting allrounder Hunter Kindley who likewise has previous played just one one-dayer for the side (in early 2023), and is back after wrestling with injuries.
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The Stags have an uncapped player too in 20-year-old local Tyler Annand, a New Zealand indoor rep and paceman, but have not regained their BLACKCAPS with Ajaz Patel unavailable and Josh Clarkson and Will Young now in Sri Lanka.
The Firebirds do have a BLACKCAPS influx, however, with a potent trio back for the team after India: Devon Conway, Tom Blundell and Rachin Ravindra.
Blundell will captain the side tomorrow at the Basin with the BLACKCAPS' mightily anticipated Tests against England now less a month away.
The Plunket Shield will provide excellent prep as the hosts get ready to face an Auckland Aces line-up that's coming off a strong Ford Trophy campaign - the Aces top of the table, under new coach Rob Nicol.
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White-ball form doesn't always convert, but confidence carries over - with Sean Solia now back in charge as skipper, taking over from Finn Allen who captained four of the five Ford Trophy matches.
Last season's nearly men Northern Districts haven't won this trophy for some years and start the new attempt away to Canterbury at Hagley Oval, with both teams looking strong in what should be a riveting clash - ND with internationally-retired BLACKCAP Neil Wagner in their arsenal.
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Former Aces captain Robbie O'Donnell is set to step out in ND whites for the first time with the team captained by Jeet Raval who assumes the title from Greg Hay as the country's most experienced cricketer.
Canterbury welcomes home BLACKCAPS captain Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell and Matt Henry from the historic 3-0 Test sweep of India in India, and also have Jesse Frew - son of former Canterbury reps Robbie and Lisa Frew (née Astle, a former WHITE FERN) and nephew of former BLACKCAP Nathan Astle - likely to debut, with regular keeper Mitch Hay now away in Sri Lanka.
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All four-day matches are livestreamed free on NZC YouTube and live-scored on the NZC app as well as here at nzc.nz, with toss in each match scheduled for 10am.
