CLEAR Black Caps availability for round three of State Championship starting Monday

New Zealand Cricket has advised its Major Associations that most of the CLEAR Black Caps touring squad will be available to play in the third round of the State Championship (four-day) competition.

The State Northern Knights play the State Canterbury Wizards at Harry Barker Reserve, Gisborne, and the State Wellington Firebirds take on the State Central Stags at the Basin Reserve. The two matches start on Monday 10 December.

The State Otago Volts third round match against the State Auckland Aces is played a week later at Carisbrook starting on 18 December.

Only four of the 15 players returning from Australia today will be rested from the next round of State Championship. They are Chris Cairns, Daniel Vettori, Nathan Astle, and Craig McMillan. Cairns and Vettori continue a managed rehabilitation programme following their return from injury while Astle has a minor knee injury and McMillan a minor health issue relating to his diabetes. All four players will complete personalised training programmes leading into the first National Bank Series Test against Bangladesh starting in just over two weeks.

Chief Executive of New Zealand Cricket, Martin Snedden, said the players were enthusiastic about turning out for their home regions.

"After a lengthy two-month tour of Australia playing some arduous and draining cricket I might have thought the players would prefer a rest but that has not been the case. In fact I have been very pleased with the attitude of the players who have been very keen to represent their home teams in the domestic competition.

"It is important to have our best players competing in the State Championship whenever possible to raise the profile and quality of cricket at first-class level, and to provide a depth of experience from which other players will learn.

"It is also important that the members of the CLEAR Black Caps continue playing cricket as a lead-in to the two National Bank Series Tests against Bangladesh, the first of which starts just over two weeks away on Tuesday 18 December," Snedden said.

The CLEAR Black Caps fly back into New Zealand today. The current leaders of the State Championship are the State Canterbury Wizards who have eight points, just one point ahead of the State Auckland Aces.