Domestic Cricket Daily: Ford Trophy Openers Doing The Thing
The oddly timed return of Ford Trophy cricket saw many of the same suspects who scored runs in the first two Plunket Shield rounds, continue their run-scoring, but Auckland Aces' Sean Solia and Wellington Firebirds' Andrew Fletcher lead the pack with centuries. Both Solia and Fletcher opened for their respective teams and they both carried their bats through the innings, leading their teams through successful run chase.
For Solia, this innings could suggest that he is out to rival his 2016/17 Ford Trophy season. Solia was 2nd in runs that season, which only came from 7inns compared to Central Districts batsmen George Worker (1st) and Will Young (3rd) who had 10inns. With 466 runs and an average of 77.66 and an impressive strike-rate of 99.57, Solia tore through Ford Trophy bowling line ups.
Last season though, Solia could only manage 140 runs @ 20avg/66.66sr in 7inns. Same number of innings and a huge difference in run production, so for Solia to get this one-day campaign started in such fashion is a fantastic sign. Solia wasn't exactly in hot form over the first two rounds of Plunket Shield either, scoring 11, 11 and 9 in his 3inns before coming up against Trent Boult and Neil Wagner in Northern Districts' bowling attack for the Ford Trophy opener.
Auckland were in pursuit of 269 for victory and Solia finished up on 133* off 138 balls, after he had watched his opening parter Finn Allen and Michael Barry sent back to the sheds by Trent Boult in consecutive deliveries. No other Auckland batsman scored over 26 besides Solia and in a young batting line up, Solia stood up against Aotearoa's best bowlers to get Auckland a narrow victory.
The speed at which Solia scores, is eye catching. Back in 2016/17, Solia had the highest strike-rate of the seven batsmen who scored over 300 runs and for context, none of those batsmen had strike-rates over 95, let alone close to Solia's 99sr. Solia hit the most sixes of those batsmen as well and went 50+ in 5 of his 7inns. Despite the lean season last summer, nothing has changed in Solia's run-scoring as he finished with 96.37sr from the Ford Trophy opener and that was greater than Fletcher's 85.16sr and the next best batsman, Ben Smith's 93sr.
Both Solia and Fletcher are also 25-years-old, so to have two young-ish openers smacking first up centuries is lovely. In fact, four of the five best batsmen from round one were openers; Solia, Fletcher, Smith and Greg Hay.
Fletcher was also (many similarities here folks) coming into Ford Trophy cricket with a lack of Plunket Shield runs. In his debut season, Fletcher managed scores of 18, 14 and 16 in his 3inns before exploding with his 132* off 155 balls to carry Wellington through a fairly easy win over Canterbury. Supported by half-centuries from Malcolm Nofal and Devon Conway, Fletcher anchored the innings and Wellington chased down their target of 287 in 47.1 overs.
Wait on, Fletcher is another domestic cricketer born in Africa? While Fletcher doesn't have the background in South Africa like Conway, Willem Ludick or Chad Bowes, he was born in Cape Province and has been in the Wellington system for a few years now. That low key gives Wellington a top-three in their batting line up of Kiwi-Africans, all of whom scored 50+ in Ford Trophy round one.
Here are some hard and fast notes on others who passed 50 in round one...
Ben Smith - CD vs Otago
93 off 100.
Greg Hay - CD vs Otago
82 off 114. Chucking Smith and Hay together here because they are an enticing opening duo for CD and the domestic circuit should be a bit cautious as these two showed what they can do, of which there could be plenty more with the Stags without their fringe Blackcaps.
Josh Finnie - CD vs Otago
63 off 49. Finnie gave it a tonk and his 5 sixes was the most of any batsmen this round. Another who scored runs after a mediocre start to Plunket Shield; 0, 1, 33, 8.
Henry Nicholls - Wellington vs Canterbury
62 off 72. The Blackcap continuing his streak of 40+ scores; 4inns this season, 4 x 40+.
Cole McConchie - Wellington vs Canterbury
90 off 90. Canterbury's skipper showed his lads how to do the run-scoring thing, but his dismissal in the 41st over limited Canterbury's first innings total.
Malcolm Nofal - Wellington vs Canterbury
50 off 52. Business as usual for Nofal.
Devon Conway - Wellington vs Canterbury
58 off 49. Business as usual for Conway.
Daryl Mitchell - Auckland vs ND
66 off 80. Keep an eye on Mitchell as he was 3rd in Ford Trophy runs last season, averaged 59.16 with 104.41sr.
Brett Hampton - Auckland vs ND
79 off 52. Master tonker. We saw that Hampton can whack it around last summer and the all-rounder did exactly that vs Auckland with 6 fours and 4 sixes.
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