The unkindest cut

Chris Harris
Craig McMillan
Michael Papps
James Marshall
Craig Cumming
Matthew Sinclair

Only one of those players failed to get a contract with New Zealand Cricket this year. Only one of them has a first-class batting average of 48. Jonathon Millmow, in hysterics yesterday over the exclusion of Ian Butler, is in even more explosive paroxysms of disgust today over the revelation that Matthew Sinclair has been axed.

When Millmow was mewling that the selectors will have some explaining to do if Chris Harris is selected, the official list had yet to be announced. It has now. You will notice that it is accompanied by a good deal of justification over the non-selection of Butler and Sinclair. It also raises a couple of points of interest that Millmow has not yet discussed. Darryl Tuffey has a contract despite a season from hell. And so has Shane Bond despite his injuries. It also contains a very nasty practical aspect. The new contracts are active as of today. Which means that the old ones expired yesterday. So, Butler and Sinclair a) have only just been told that they did not make the list and b) their income has just dropped from (a minimum of) $45,000 per year to $0.