Well, it is my 17th birthday today and I am proud to celebrate it with the Black Caps who defeat an under-strength Sri-Lankan team to claim a "BRONZE" medal at the Commonwealth Games. Chris Harris and Nathan Asle scored 1/2 centuries and Harry and Daniel Vettori did the job with the ball. Harris bowling figures during this tournament have been remarkable, with the ball he has had his sequence:) 3/7, 4/25, 2/26, 2/20. What a legend.
17/9/98
New Zealand crumble to Australia in the semi-final of the Commonwealth Games, and are dissmissed for "58", yes you did hear right. Im still crying. Although I'm not as distraught as I could be as the matches are not official One-Day Internationals. So you could say apart from pride and the opportunity of a "GOLD" medal, nothing is lost. Thank god (lol), and that must rip Brad Young off, as he claimed what would have only been the 3rd hat-trick by an Australian in One-Day Internationals, but.......sorry mate it don't count. 20/8/98Current New Zealand representative Dion Nash announces that he will be shifting provinces to play his domestic cricket. Formerly at Northern Districts he will now be playing for Auckland.
17/8/98Today NZC announced the New Zealand cricket squad to prepare for the World Cup and four-test tour of England in mid-1999. The squad is:-S.P.Fleming(c)(Canterbury), N.J.Astle (Canterbury), M.J.Horne(Otago), L.G.Howell(Canterbury), B.A.Young(Northern Districts), M.D.Bell(Wellington), B.A.Pocock(Northern Districts), C.Z.Harris(Canterbury), C.D.McMillan(Canterbury), C.M.Spearman(Central Districts), M.S.Sinclair(Central Districts), M.D.Bailey(Northern Districts), S.B.O'Connor(Otago), G.I.Allot(Canterbury), C.J.Drum(Auckland), D.J.Nash(Northern Districts), C.L.Cairns(Canterbury), K.P.Walmsley(Auckland), R.J.Kennedy(Wellington), A.R.Tait(Northern Districts), A.J.Penn(Central Districts), D.G.Sewell(Otago), S.B.Doull(Northern Districts), G.R.Larsen(Wellington), B.J.Walker(Auckland), D.L.Vettori(Northern Districts), P.J.Wiseman(Otago), M.W.Priest(Canterbury), A.C.Parore(Auckland), M.G.Croy(Otago) and R.G.Hart(Northern Districts). The features of the squad include the introduction of 20-year old leg-spinner Brooke Walker and two new wicket-keepers in Marty Croy and Robbie Hart.
13/8/98New Zealand has lost one of it's best players in recent years. Mark Greatbatch of Central Districts announced that he has retired from all levels of cricket as of now, to pursue a career in business. Mark played 41 Test-Matches for New Zealand scoring 2021 runs at an average of 30.62. His Test-Career started with a century on debut and perhaps is most well remembered as the man who saved New Zealand at Perth in 1990, with a gutsy innings of 146* and saving New Zealand from a hopeless position. He played 84 One-Day Internationals scoring 2206 runs at 28.28. He remains the only ever kiwi batsmen to score successive One-Day International hundreds and brought the one day game to new heights with his dazzling display at the 1992 World Cup. Overall in First-Class cricket he played 161 matches, had 278 innings, remained not out on 30 occassions, had a highest score of 202*, scored 9445 runs, averaged 38.08, scored 23 hundreds and 41 half-centuries, held 138 catches and as a bowler took 1 wicket at 118. Good luck to Mark in his future career.