-
Source: Photosport -
Related
Auckland cricket captain Richard Jones has always taken his leadership duties seriously.
He certainly led by example again on Wednesday to score 101 and pilot his team to 186 for four at stumps on the second day of the Plunket Shield match against Wellington here at the Basin Reserve.
That left the four-day game delicately poised as Auckland look to hunt down the 356 posted by Wellington in their first innings when play finally resumed mid-afternoon on Wednesday following heavy overnight and morning rain.
Jones actually gave the captaincy away this summer after guiding Auckland for some years but was thrown the duties again for this game when his successor Gareth Hopkins skipped the match to attend the birth of his first child.
It is clearly a responsibility which sits easily with Jones as he dominated an average Wellington bowling attack, which failed to apply pressure until late in the day when offspinner Jeetan Patel came into his own.
The 36-year-old Jones, who made 98 last week against Central Districts, enjoyed a first wicket partnership of 125 with Martin Guptill, who impressed also to score 49 after being dropped in the gully when on seven.
They were finally parted when former Auckland seamer Andy McKay induced an edge behind after international Guptill had spent close to two hours at the crease.
Jones lost the company of English import Ravi Bopara for 18 shortly before he posted his 16th first-class century, a milestone he reached off 150 deliveries with 11 fours.
But no sooner had Jones ticked off that mark and he was gone, caught by substitute fielder Stewart Rhodes in close under the helmet from the bowling of Patel.
Patel then removed Anaru Kitchen in almost identical fashion as Auckland lost a third wicket in the space of 14 runs as the day's play dragged out beyond 7pm.
Patel was comfortably the pick of the bowlers as he extracted significant turn to pick up three for 41 from 19 overs.
Earlier, Wellington improved from their overnight 327 for seven, with wicketkeeper Chris Nevin stranded on 48 not out after adding 22 to his overnight score.
