Domestic Cricket Daily: 2016/17 Domestic Squads
The domestic cricket season is coming folks, bringing with it jandals, mellow summer nights as well as the New Zealand Breakers and Wellington Phoenix. Before the domestic cricket season gets underway, we've gotta break down each region's squads don't we?
Otago Volts
Warren Barnes, Derek de Boorder, Ryan Duffy, Josh Finnie, Anaru Kitchen, Michael Rae, Christi Viljoen, Brad Wilson, Michael Bracewell, Sean Eathorne, Jack Hunter, Rhys Phillips, Hamish Rutherford, Sam Wells.
Blackcaps Show-Ponies
Neil Wagner, Mark Craig, James Neesham.
Batsmen
Michael Bracewell, Hamish Rutherford, Derek de Boorder (wk), Brad Wilson, Sean Eathorne, Ryan Duffy.
Dabblers
Josh Finnie, Anaru Kitchen, Christi Viljoen, Sam Wells.
Bowlers
Warren Barnes, Jacob Duffy, Jack Hunter, Rhys Phillips, Michael Rae.
Seasoned Vets
Derek de Boorder, Anaru Kitchen, Brad Wilson.
Young Guns
Warren Barnes, Josh Finnie, Jacob Duffy.
Bit Of A Yarn
Otago are the one team that I would put into the 'Dark Horse' basket as they could catch fire this season, or they could endure a tough season while their young wave of cricketers continue to establish themselves at this level. While I labelled de Boorder, Kitchen and Wilson as the 'Seasoned Vets' the likes of Bracewell and Rutherford aren't in that category because of their age, they've got plenty of experience now and with a young tinge to this Otago squad, Rutherford and Bracewell will key members of this squad.
There's some interesting scope for those two when considering the Blackcaps as Rutherford is coming off a County cricket season with Derbyshire and he's been a forgotten man in the conversion regarding an opener's spot in any international format. If Rutherford can show that he's made improvements in his defensive game outside off-stump to go along with his attacking flair, he could work his way into Blackcaps consideration. First and foremost though, he'll need to score consistent runs at this level.
Bracewell has been on the scene for a number of seasons now and I've had his name in many things I've written regarding future Blackcaps batsmen. Don't be surprised to see Bracewell and Rutherford slide down the order either (they can both be picked as opening batsmen) as veteran Brad Wilson will likely hold down an opening spot alongside Ryan Duffy who has hit four half-centuries and a century in 16 First-Class games.
Josh Finnie is a youngster to watch out for with the bat as the 19-year-old has already played seven FC games and hit two half-centuries, while also taking 5 wickets with off-spin.
Namibian international Christi Viljoen will lead the bowling attack and operate as an all-rounder, offering some solid lower order batsmanship. Viljoen averages 24.95 with the ball in FC cricket and rounded off last season with 11 wickets in five innings' which will give Otago an experienced bloke leading what looks to be a very promising pack of seam-bowling youngsters, perhaps the best crop in the country.
Warren Barnes has enjoyed success since moving down to Otago from Auckland the 24-year-old will be looking to take his List-A average of 28 and T20 average of 19 into the Plunket Shield arena. Barnes is probably the best young bowler that you don't know about as he's quick enough and gets some nice out-swing, however he'll be in a hefty battle along with Jack Hunter (21yrs, FC avg of 33.40), Michael Rae (21yrs, 60.37) and the pick of the crop Jacob Duffy who at 22-years-old has already played 32 FC games and taken 90 wickets at 36.10.
Duffy joins Bracewell and Rutherford as Otago cricketers who could push their cases for Blackcaps selection this summer; they are on or nearing the brink. If these three are stacking up runs and wickets, then Otago will be a dangerous team this summer as they've got plenty of talent - young and old - that could help chip in, contributing to victories.
Canterbury
Todd Astle, Leo Carter, Andrew Ellis, Peter Fulton, Tim Johnston, Cole McConchie, Henry Shipley, William Williams, Jeremy Benton, Michael Davidson, Cam Fletcher, Kyle Jamieson, Ken McClure, Ed Nuttall, Logan van Beek.
Blackcaps Show-Ponies
Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls.
Batsmen
Peter Fulton, Leo Carter, Cam Fletcher (wk), Ken McClure, Michael Davidson
Dabblers
Todd Astle, Andrew Ellis, Logan van Beek, Cole McConchie
Bowlers
Tim Johnston, Kyle Jamieson, Ed Nuttall, Jeremy Benton, Henry Shipley
Seasoned Vets
Todd Astle, Andrew Ellis, Peter Fulton.
Young Guns
Ken McClure, Jeremy Benton, Kyle Jamieson
Bit Of A Yarn
Any team that is led by a talented gang of veterans with ample experience is going to go alright in kiwi domestic cricket, especially when those veterans aren't quite in the Blackcaps mix. Peter Fulton is always going to be lurking amongst the top run-scorers, Todd Astle put himself in the frame for Blackcaps selection last summer thanks to his wickets and runs while Andrew Ellis is equally gifted as an all-rounder.
You'll struggle to find a trio of veterans as influential as these three and what should excite Cantabrians is that there's a interesting wave of youngsters coming through. This gives Canterbury a great mix of experience and youth, but the key thing there is that talent exists in abundance. Ken McClure stood out late last summer as he hit a few centuries and there aren't too many domestic batsmen who have immediately scored runs as easy as McClure did, so how he backs that up this summer will be something to keep an eye out for.
McClure has a First-Class average of 60.63 after eight games and he'll feature in the middle order for Canterbury, while Leo Carter will open and at 21-years-old, he already has six 50's and a century after 13 games.
Ed Nuttall deals in wickets and his left-arm swing along with the medium-pace of Kyle Jamieson - the very tall Kyle Jamieson - will give Canterbury a funky new-ball pair. Nuttall and Jamieson are very promising seamers, who will be able to call upon Ellis to support them with his accuracy. The real dose of funk however comes with Canterbury's spinners, a group which is led by Astle's leg-spin and also features the left-armers Tim Johnston and Jeremy Benton. Benton played in the last Under-19 World Cup and the off-spine of Cole McConchie could also prove to be handy.
Canterbury could very well be the best domestic team, thanks to the fact that while they have plenty of talent, most of that talent isn't going to be away on Blackcaps duty too much. The veteran trio of Ellis, Fulton and Astle offer plenty but their Blackcaps days are past them while the likes of Jamieson, Nuttall, McClure, Carter, Benton, Johnston and Cameron Fletcher still need to perform to demand selection. That's all good for Canterbury though as they will roll out a strong team regardless of the format.
Wellington Firebirds
Brent Arnel, Tom Blundell, Matt McEwan, Stephen Murdoch, Michael Papps, Michael Pollard, Anurag Verma, Peter Younghusband, Hamish Bennett, Fraser Colson, Ian McPeake, Ollie Newton, Jeetan Patel, Matt Taylor, Luke Woodcock.
Blackcaps Show-Ponies
Luke Ronchi
Batsmen
Stephen Murdoch, Michael Papps, Michael Pollard, Fraser Colson, Tom Blundell (wk), Matt Taylor.
Dabblers
Luke Woodcock.
Bowlers
Hamish Bennett, Anurag Verma, Brent Arnel, Ian McPeake, Ollie Newton, Jeetan Patel, Peter Younghusband, Matt McEwan.
Seasoned Vets
Michael Papps, Hamish Bennett, Brent Arnel, Jeetan Patel, Luke Woodcock, Stephen Murdoch, Michael Pollard.
Young Guns
Fraser Colson, Matt McEwan, Tom Blundell.
Bit Of A Yarn
That Fraser Colson and Matt McEwan are in their mid-20's and have made their way into my 'Young Guns' category probably tells you all you need to know about this Wellington squad. They might be a bit short of freakish talent, however there's a mountain of experience there and coming up such a grizzly group of veterans probably won't be a highlight for opposition youngsters.
Hamish Bennett has moved up from Canterbury and will compete for a spot in Wellington's starting bowling attack along with McEwan, Ian McPeake and Anurag Verma. McEwan, McPeake and Verma all have First-Class bowling averages over 30 but on pitches that offer a little assistance, they could be an interesting bowling attack to watch out for as they all fit the mould of the stereotypical right-arm seamer.
Wellington's spin stocks are healthy as always, led by Jeetan Patel and Luke Woodcok who are extremely experienced and know all about bowling spin in a kiwi summer. Woodcock adds immense value to the team as he's a capable opener with the bat and can give his skipper as many overs of left-arm spin as is required. Peter Younghusband will add some depth to this group with his leg-spin, having graduated form sub-fielder for the Blackcaps to getting a domestic contract.
Woodcock, Michael Papps, Michael Pollard and Stephen Murdoch have pretty much seen it all in kiwi domestic cricket and they'll provide the bulk of Wellington's runs. Colson is a interesting lad to keep tabs on and is a former NZ Under-19 rep but at 26-years-old, he's only played nine FC games. Colson will likely form an interesting middle order combination with Tom Blundell also being a former U19 rep and he'll take the wicket-keeping gloves, while also averaging 35.14 with the bat thanks to three centuries and six half-centuries from 25 games. Blundell is one of three wicket-keepers that I'll be keeping a close eye on this summer along with Tim Seifert and Cameron Fletcher - Fletcher and Blundell were put in the shade by Seifert in the recent Emerging Players series.
On paper, it just feels as though Wellington don't quite have enough talent to compete with the top-dawgs of the Plunket Shield and Ford Trophy. They definitely won't be easy to beat though and if Wellington do manage some success, it'll be interesting to see which players are leading the charge for the Firebirds.
Central Districts Stags
Tom Bruce, Greg Hay, Ryan McCone, Ajaz Patel, Seth Rance, Bevan Small, Blair Tickner, Will Young, Dane Cleaver, Marty Kain, Andrew Mathieson, Navin Patel, Jesse Ryder, Ben Smith, Ben Wheeler.
Blackcaps Show-Ponies
Ross Taylor, George Worker, Doug Bracewell, Adam Milne.
Batsmen
Will Young, Ben Smith, Greg Hay, Tom Bruce, Dane Cleaver (wk)
Dabblers
Jesse Ryder
Bowlers
Andrew Mathieson, Ryan McCone, Navin Patel, Bevan Small, Ben Wheeler, Seth Rance, Ajaz Patel, Marty Kain, Blair Tickner.
Seasoned Vets
Greg Hay, Seth Rance, Jesse Ryder.
Young Guns
Navin Patel, Will Young.
Bit Of A Yarn
Central Districts best represents the state of kiwi domestic cricket as their squad is largely made up of blokes in their mid-20's or younger, without the pack of grizzly veterans who had been a staple of the domestic cricket scene for so long. The Stags' group of youngsters who ooze talent now have a few domestic seasons to their names and form the core of this team and much of that talent is with the ball.
Seth Rance is arguably the best limited overs bowler in Aotearoa and his right-arm-medium's will be crucial, especially before Christmas. How the Stags bowling attack looks around Rance will be very interesting, as Bevan Small, Ben Wheeler, Navin Patel and Andrew Mathieson are all worthy of starting. Blair Tickner is also in the mix and have added former Canterbury seamer Ryan McCone to their roster, giving them seven seamers to chose from.
Even in the spin department, it's a wee bit congested with Ajaz Patel and Marty Kain both offering left-arm tweakers. Ajaz and Navin Patel both played their part in the kiwi/Indian domination last summer (along with Bharat Popli's runs, Ish Sodhi's wickets, Jeet Raval's runs, Tarun Nethula's wickets), with Ajaz amongst the leading wicket-takers last summer. It's bloody tricky to pick a starting seam attack, which gets even more complex when CD have two spinners who can do a great job; Patel must surely have his nose ahead of Kain but there's also the spin-duo option.
The focal point of this Stags set-up is Will Young and he should relish a leadership role, especially at this stage of his career. Young is the pick of our young batsmen around the country and there's no reason to think that if he stacks up some runs, he could push himself into the mix for a Blackcaps spot. It's not as though some Blackcaps batsmen are doing all they can fight off challenges from lads like Young.
Ben Smith is also a batsman to keep tabs on as he's already got his First-Class average up over 41, at just 25-years-old. Smith scored some big runs last summer and he is perhaps the most low key batsman in Aotearoa, so if you want to impress your mates with a bloke who they probably won't know too much about, it's Ben Smith and he'll be opening the innings for CD. Tom Bruce can't be slept on either, he smoked 71 in the Ford Trophy final and has a First-Class average of 45.92 at 17 games.
The role that Jesse Ryder plays will be interesting to observe. I'm far less interested in Ryder's performances within the Blackcaps context and more concerned with enjoying his work merely as a cricketer. Last summer Ryder played a key role in the leadership of the Stags and I just want to keep enjoying Ryder scoring runs/taking wickets.
Northern Districts Knights
James Baker, Jono Boult, Joe Carter, Daniel Flynn, Tony Goodin, Nick Kelly, Daryl Mitchell, Joe Walker, Bharat Popli, Dean Brownlie, Anton Devcich, Zak Gibson, Brett Hampton, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Seifert.
Blackcaps Show-Ponies
Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Corey Anderson, BJ Watling, Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner ... some Kane Williamson geezer.
Batsmen
Daniel Flynn, Dean Brownlie, Joe Carter, Bharat Popli, Daryl Mitchell, Tim Seifert (wk).
Dabblers
Anton Devich (spin), Nick Kelly (spin), Joe Walker (spin), Scott Kuggeleijn (seam).
Bowlers
Zak Gibson, Brett Hampton, Jono Boult, Tony Goodin, James Baker.
Seasoned Vets
Daniel Flynn, Dean Brownlie, Anton Devcich, James Baker.
Young Guns
Tim Seifert, Nick Kelly, Brett Hampton, Zak Gibson.
Bit Of A Yarn
With a strong Blackcaps contingent, led by their seam-bowling duo of Tim Southee and Trent Boult, Northern Districts run a smart operation in ensuring that there's a constant wave of young seam bowlers who are ready to pounce at a domestic cricket opportunity.
Last summer we saw Brett Hampton emerge for the Knights as a young buck, this summer Hampton will be joined by Zak Gibson in the pace department by Scott Kuggeleijn who dominated with the ball last time around and James Baker. This is a pace attack that has plenty of promise, however we'll need to see how Hampton and Gibson perform with consistent game time to really gauge how successful ND will be with the ball this summer.
They also have plenty of options with regards to their spinners, ensuring that they will be able to absorb the absence of their Blackcaps spinners. Anton Devcich and Nick Kelly are both capable of giving the ball a tweak, although they a more suited to the shorter format and it'll be especially interesting to see how Kelly goes if given a decent crack in the Plunket Shield. Josef Walker also fits this mould, capable of batting in the middle order and bowling some offies.
Holding things down for the Knights are a group of veterans who have seen it all before in domestic cricket and it's a near-certainty that we will see runs flow of the bats of Daniel Flynn and Dean Brownlie. I'm more concerned with how many runs come from Bharat Popli's bat this summer as he was the leading run-scorer in Plunket Shield last season and if he can kick on, he'll put himself front and centre of the national selectors. Also capable of making that step up in the near future is wicket-keeper/batsman Tim Seifert who is arguably our most talented young wicket-keeper/batsman in the country.
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Well-oiled machine who have individuals you've gotta pay attention to, may struggle for wins though.
Auckland Aces
Cody Andrews, Mark Chapman, Lachie Ferguson, Michael Guptill-Bunce, Dane Hutchinson, Rob Nicol, Glenn Phillips, Sean Solia, Brad Cachopa, Colin de Grandhomme, Donovan Grobbelaar, Shawn Hicks, Tarun Nethula, Rob O'Donnell, Jeet Raval.
Blackcaps Show-Ponies
Martin Guptill, Colin Munro.
Batsmen
Mark Chapman, Michael Guptill-Bunce, Glenn Phillips, Brad Cachopa (wk), Rob O'Donnell, Jeet Raval.
Dabblers
Rob Nicol (offies), Sean Solia (seam), Colin de Grandhomme (seam), Donovan Grobbelaar (seam), Shawn Hicks (seam).
Bowlers
Cody Andrews, Lachie Ferguson, Dane Hutchinson, Tarun Nethula.
Seasoned Vets
Rob Nicol, Brad Cachopa, Colin de Grandhomme, Donovan Grobbelaar, Tarun Nethula, Jeet Raval.
Young Guns
Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Shawn Hicks, Rob O'Donnell.
Bit Of A Yarn
Observing the Aces this season will be very interesting from a Blackcaps perspective as there are a bunch of players who are either on the fringe of Blackcaps selection or at least on the radar. Jeet Raval has featured in the Blackcaps squad recently, however he needs to demand selection by stacking up the runs and as an opening batsman for Auckland, this will also set up the Aces nicely.
There's some young batting phenoms in this squad as well with Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips and Rob O'Donnell all likely to make waves this summer with the willow. There might be some growing pains as they deal with the consistency required at this level but they have all got a bit of domestic experience now and have shown that they can score runs at domestic level. I'll be very interested to see if one of these three emerges ahead of the other two and enjoys a breakout season, or if all three get plenty of runs.
Don't sleep on Shawn Hicks as he's a young all-rounder to watch out for. Hicks needs time to really establish himself in domestic cricket and with Colin de Grandhomme and Donovan Grobbelaar both offering plenty with bat and ball, it will be interesting to see what sort of role Hicks gets.
Michael Guptill-Bunce will be looking to kick on from an impressive season last summer and should partner Raval at the top of the order.
Cody Andrews has moved from Northern Districts and Dane Hutchinson has moved from Wellington, I'm more concerned with Lachie Ferguson in the seam department. Ferguson is quick and has piled up wickets in recent seasons, if he continues this trajectory then we could see him become one of the most hostile domestic bowlers and possibly impress the national selectors.
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Plenty of young talent to compliment a grizzly gang of veterans who dominate the domestic scene.