Focus reverts to 50 over game | Canterbury Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Canterbury

Canterbury cricket captain Peter Fulton talks to sports editor Nick Tolerton as his team prepares to resume the Ford Trophy campaign against Wellington away tomorrow

Can you take any pluses from the defeat in the T20 final, Peter?

Not so much out of that game, but I can out of the whole T20 campaign. We had a pretty successful run and one-day cricket is a lot of the same sort of skills and attributes, so we have definitely got some momentum going. Hopefully, with a slightly different side, we can build on that in the 50-over games.

What do you think of T20's importance in the game now?

I think it's a good thing. Even here in Canterbury, the crowds we had are far bigger than for the 50-over or four-day competitions. So in terms of getting people interested and as far as kids are concerned, it's a good way of getting them interested, and it's a way of introducing new people to cricket. The players, I think, enjoy 50-over and four-day a lot more, but with the Champions League in India as a target, it's got a place in New Zealand cricket.

How do you personally enjoy it?

As a batsman you prefer to play the longer forms to give you a chance to spend longer out in the middle, but it's good to play in front of decent-sized crowds.

What's Canterbury's prospects for the Ford Trophy?

I think we've got three games left in the round-robin and the goal is obviously to finish as high in the table as we can - preferably in the top two so you get an extra life. But, first of all, we've got a game against Wellington tomorrow that we have to get ourselves up for.

After Sunday's result and the loss to Auckland in last year's 50-over final, would you love a rematch with them in the final?

Yeah. They're leading the Ford Trophy and it would be lovely to have another chance against them. We've had some good battles in the last couple of years.

Do you hope to get a recall to the Black Caps?

I think all the guys in the Canterbury side have that ambition to play for New Zealand whether they've been there before or not. If Canterbury does well it gives everyone a chance to play for New Zealand.

What's your prediction for the Zimbabwe series?

I expect we would win the T20 and one-day series pretty easily. The test match could be a little bit closer, but I still expect New Zealand to win that as well. I'd be surprised if we lost any of them at home.