| 2016–17 Plunket Shield | |
| Fromdate: | 22 October 2016 |
| Todate: | 1 April 2017 |
| Cricket Format: | First-class |
| Tournament Format: | Round-robin |
| Champions: | Canterbury |
| Count: | 19 |
| Participants: | 6 |
| Matches: | 30 |
| Most Runs: | Brad Wilson (730) |
| Most Wickets: | Ajaz Patel (44) |
| Previous Year: | 2015–16 |
| Previous Tournament: | 2015–16 Plunket Shield season |
| Next Year: | 2017–18 |
| Next Tournament: | 2017–18 Plunket Shield season |
The 2016–17 Plunket Shield was the 88th season of official first-class cricket in New Zealand. The competition started on 22 October 2016, and ran to 1 April 2017.[1] The round seven fixtures that started in early March 2017, were played as day/night matches.[2] [3] These were in preparation for a possible day/night Test match between New Zealand and England, scheduled to take place in March 2018.[4] Despite some concerns about the visibility of the pink ball while catching, the matches received positive feedback.[5]
In the first round of matches, Michael Papps playing for Wellington, became the first player to score 10,000 runs in the Plunket Shield.[6] The start of the round four fixture between Wellington and Central Districts was delayed because of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck New Zealand on 14 November 2016.[7] It was later abandoned because of frequent aftershocks in the area.[8]
Canterbury won the tournament, their 19th title in the competition, and their third win in the last four years.[9]
| Team[10] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canterbury | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 105 | |
| Northern Districts | 10 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 103 | |
| Auckland | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 98 | |
| Wellington | 10 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 86 | |
| Central Districts | 10 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 79 | |
| Otago | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 60 |
| Team | Home Ground(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Districts | Seddon Park, Cobham Oval, Harry Barker Reserve | |
| Auckland | Eden Park No.2 | |
| Central Districts | ||
| Wellington | Basin Reserve, Karori Park, Westpac Stadium | |
| Canterbury | ||
| Otago |
Prior to the start of the season, the following squads were announced:[11]
| width=330 | Auckland | width=330 | Canterbury | width=330 | Central Districts | width=330 | Northern Districts | width=330 | Otago | width=330 | Wellington | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| valign=top | valign=top | valign=top | valign=top | valign=top | valign=top |
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