Wellington Firebirds head coach Glenn Pocknall says his side’s finals experience will be a key factor as they prepare for the Ford Trophy elimination final against Northern Districts at Seddon Park tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s match will be the Firebirds’ fifth finals match appearance in the past three seasons and Pocknall is confident the experience will bode well for his side in the high-pressure moments of finals cricket.

“We’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in several finals matches in the past few seasons and that kind of experience is invaluable when these types of games come down to the wire,” he said.

“All of our guys now have experience in those high-pressure finals matches, whether that’s been in the Super Smash or the Ford Trophy, and we’re hoping that can be a difference-maker for us in these finals.

“Northern Districts have been one of the form teams in the One-Day competition this year so we will need to be at our best – we’ve prepared well as always and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

The Firebirds will be looking to continue their pursuit of adding a second piece of silverware to the cabinet with a win tomorrow, after successfully defending their Super Smash title last month.

Pocknall has selected a settled squad that has built on their Super Smash success in the Ford Trophy competition, winning three out of their last four matches to make a late finals run.

Ollie Newton and Ben Sears are both included after overcoming recent injuries, and Lauchie Johns also comes into the side as wicketkeeper cover for Tom Blundell.

The Firebirds come into the match in strong form – they’ve won five out of their last seven Ford Trophy matches, the latest coming in a record-breaking win over the Otago Volts at the Basin Reserve on Sunday where they posted the highest List-A total in New Zealand cricket history with 427/8.

Play gets underway from 11.00am at Seddon Park in Hamilton and will be played behind closed doors following the government’s latest COVID-19 alert level changes.

Wellington Firebirds squad | Ford Trophy | Elimination Final
Troy Johnson (c)
Finn Allen
Jakob Bhula
Tom Blundell (wk)
Michael Bracewell
Fraser Colson
Jamie Gibson
Lauchie Johns
Iain McPeake
Ollie Newton
Ben Sears
Logan Van Beek
Peter Younghusband

Ford Trophy Elimination Final
Northern Districts v Wellington Firebirds
Wednesday 3 March | 11.00am
Seddon Park, Hamilton

Article added: Tuesday 02 March 2021