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Snap Up Titans Twenty20 Tickets, Says Dion Nash

Thursday 10 February 2011, 10:54AM

By Margot Butcher

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Knights team-mates congratulate Graeme Aldridge on taking the wicket of Otago's Neil Broom to become the New Zealand record-holder for one-day domestic bowling
Knights team-mates congratulate Graeme Aldridge on taking the wicket of Otago's Neil Broom to become the New Zealand record-holder for one-day domestic bowling Credit: Margot Butcher

Tickets have gone on sale and the first of the Australian big names have been confirmed for Hamilton’s Titans International Twenty20 match next fortnight.

Former Australian test and one-day international fast bowler Craig McDermott and evergreen offspin bowler Greg Matthews - whose legendary cockiness with bat and ball made him a man New Zealanders loved to hate in the 1980s - will cross the Tasman to take on their Kiwi rivals in the February 24 Twenty20 match.

Allrounder Dion Nash, who will be helping defend New Zealand’s honour in the Samsung NZCPA Masters team, is not surprised Greg “Mo” Matthews jumped at the chance to have another crack at the Kiwis.

“Mo is always keen to come play and captain the Australian Masters XI against us, if he can. He’s a real character of course and fun to play against, so it’s bound to be very entertaining.”

Nash says that the masters regulars likely to be joining Matthews and McDermott are still pretty fit and still love to play the game competitively.

“You always know when you play the Australians that you’re in for a match. A lot of the guys that turn out for the ACA XI could still be playing first-class cricket in Australia. They’re top-quality players so it’s a pretty tough standard and I definitely wouldn’t want to go out without having bowled a few balls beforehand - otherwise I might make a real egg of myself!”

That’s not going to be a problem for the 39-year-old former BLACKCAPS captain who has been putting himself through early morning boot camp-style trainings to stay fit and played three one-day club games for Auckland premier side Grafton United this year in a return to competitive cricket - and has also played Aussie Rules for the Mount Roskill Saints since his 2002 retirement from the BLACKCAPS.

“I would have played more games for Grafton had it not been for the reality of my commitments with a young family and work,” said Nash, who until this month travelled regularly across the planet as marketing director for the 42Below vodka brand.

“I did OK for Grafton and I’m definitely still up for the odd one-off game. It’s just bowling back-to-back that I wouldn’t like to go back to. With club cricket, you’ve got a week to recover!”

Nash says he’s looking forward to the chance to beat Australia in the Titans match as it’s something he didn’t get to do very often in his BLACKCAPS career.

“I’d like to even up the score a little. The Aussie guys are probably quite relaxed about it, but I need to claim back some victories off them!

“Everyone’s a little more relaxed in themselves now, but it’s still going to be highly competitive,” he added. “The competitive nature of everyone comes out loud and strong - no one wants to get out for a duck, we all want to win. Everyone wants to smash a six and show how fast they can still bowl, but we can enjoy the opposition characters a bit more. And in a way, that more relaxed nature of it actually allows players to shine a little more.

“The enjoyment factor in these matches for us comes from the fact that we’re all able to laugh at ourselves a bit more these days - compared to perhaps what we used to be like under the pressure and the must-win nature of representing your country in test and ODI cricket.”

Nash, who played in the inaugural 2009 event that was held as a curtainraiser to a BLACKCAPS Twenty20 international match in Wellington, said he didn’t hesitate to sign up again. “It’s supporting both Northern Districts Cricket, who were instrumental in developing me as a young cricketer, and the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association and everything that they are about, so from that perspective I think it’s a great cause."

The NZCPA runs a series of initiatives to strengthen the game at both the professional and grassroots levels nationwide, utilising the passion and knowledge of former top New Zealand players.

Said Nash, “I think the public will be in for a really good show and we're all looking forward to playing in front of a big crowd at Seddon Park. I think it would be great to see these Titans matches become regular summer events, with us taking on great players of the past from England or the West Indies and the like,” Nash added. “There’s a lot of interest there.”

Tickets to the Titans International Twenty20 between the Samsung NZCPA Masters and the ACA Masters XI, set for Seddon Park, Hamilton at 6.30pm on February 24, are available at Ticketek (http://premier.ticketek.co.nz) or at the gate on the night.