Top Kiwi batsman Mathew Sinclair has been in superb form since his stint as Swardeston’s lead overseas player this summer.
After being out of favour with the New Zealand selectors and missing selection for the England tour, Mat completed the season for Swardeston in the East Anglian Premier League. He now finds himself in Australia with the Black Caps and all set to open in the Tests and one-day internationals.
This has been a remarkable turnaround for the right-hander who has just celebrated his 29 birthday. From league cricket in the UK to being one of the top performers in New Zealand’s recent series in Bangladesh and recording his highest ever first-class score in the NZ A tour of South Africa.
Mat finished top of the Swardeston EAPL averages with 698 runs at 63.45 and once the season was over jetted out to South Africa to link up with the NZ A team.
In five innings there Mat scored 460 runs and with 92 finished top of the averages. In one of the four-day Tests against South Africa A, Mat recorded his highest ever first-class score of 268.
However his form still did not get him selected in the original tour party for Bangladesh and only an injury to Michael Papps enabled him to make the trip. However once there he wasted no time in cementing his place at the top of the order.
In the two-match Test series he top scored with 76 as he averaged 49.50. In the one-day series he topped the averages with 64 after making 128 runs in two innings.
New Zealand completed a clean-sweep of both series and Mat received the news he was hoping for when he was named in the squad to travel directly to Australia.
His selection drew this comment from Richard Hadlee, the manager of New Zealand’s selection panel: “We have confidence in Mathew Sinclair and it makes sense for him to open the innings. It is good for Sinclair to have the opportunity to continue on from where he left off in the Tests against Bangladesh.”
Once again Mat has built on some good foundations by scoring 88 in the opening tour game against New South Wales which featured both Brett Lee and Stuart Magill in their attack. Mat’s innings outshone his fellow countrymen as they were dismissed for 213.
He then followed up with 79 in the second innings as the Kiwis were beaten by nine wickets ahead of the 1st Test.
