<i>Dhal</i> - the new staple in a changing city

Cricketers' lunch at Eden Park this week included meat, salad, bread, fruit - and a bowl of dhal. The Indian vegetable dish could serve as a symbol of the new look for Auckland cricket, says Bob Pearce in the New Zealand Herald, because Indians are increasingly the face of cricket in the cosmopolitan city.

And they play it well. Twenty-year-old Jeet Raval, who emigrated from Gujarat four years ago (where he was an age-group representative but as a bowler), scored 256 for Auckland on the outer oval in only his third first-class game. Left-arm spinner Roneel Hira has been a key member of the one-day team for a couple of seasons, Tarun Nethula has shown that his leg-spin can dismiss the best and off-spinner Bhupinder Singh is awaiting his chance. Raval and Nethula are both in the Auckland team to contest the State Championship final against Central Districts.

In the same daily, former New Zealand opener Mark Richardson believes the Wellington faithful must surely pine for the return of the Boxing Day Test to the Basin Reserve.