Auckland skipper Rob Nicol is back to go up against El Niche Cache, this time talking all about T20 cricket.

El Niche Cache: Having played plenty of domestic cricket, was there anything that surprised you from this season's Super Smash?

Rob Nicol: Not too much really. The Super Smash is turning into a consistently entertaining spectacle. The hype around how tight it was at the end was justified but if you look at previous seasons, it's happened most times. It was a surprise to go out how we did with the super over in the other deciding fixture and our side knocked out thanks to DLS and missing by run-rate with it being affected by weather. Can tick that box now, never done that before.

How do you deal with such a bummer of a way to go out - it's kinda up to the cricketing gods to decide that?

The tendency in that situation is to go 'geez if only we didn't have rain' or 'if only the cricket gods were with us'. We were very quick to bury that and look at what we didn't do well enough, we only won five fixtures - six obviously would have taken us through. We talked about looking at what we could have done better during the comp and where we need to improve as a unit. We also asked the individual to look inward and take things out that they learned which they can apply to the next Super Smash and are transferable into the Ford Trophy.

We hear a lot about spinners enjoy a lot of success in T20 cricket but Seth Rance and Brent Arnel took the most wickets while Tymal Mills was arguably the best bowler of the competition. Why do you think these seamers were so dominant?

That was a trend of the Super Smash. The yorker was back in vogue, both Seth and Brent were relentless with both their execution and method. Tymal is at a different level and we are expecting big things from him in BBL and then in India later on in the summer. Spin bowling was still a crucial piece of the cog. Tarun (Nethula) for us was initially dynamite as in previous seasons and then went quiet a little but still ended up in the top wicket-takers.

On the surface Mills is just a quick lefty, so explain what makes him such a quality T20 bowler...

Firstly he is a consummate professional. His knowledge and thirst for improvement in this format has been sped up because of circumstance; his body only allows him to play this format. His pace is a point of difference even world-class players have to counter. Couple that with changes of pace and field sets, making him the all round package. We couldn't speak highly enough of him. He ticks all the boxes we look for in a pro. He could play the length of the competition, he brought into our side and in the changing room he gave back.

Did you also pick up some key learnings or sheer enthusiasm from guys like Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman? Learning from young and old is an intriguing concept...

Interesting you bring that up. Watching what they are capable of and the uninhibited dash they have for the fixture helps you keep trying to adapt your own game further. I think you garner respect from people if you show vulnerability in saying 'I don't know everything and I'm willing to try and learn with you'. They are exciting talents! We talk a lot about speed of learning, meaning the quicker these guys figure out their method, the quicker and more successful they will be in the big show. They progressed massively in the Super Smash but we didn't make the finals and that's the next step. Putting more of those match-winning performances together and taking us all the way to lifting the trophy. That gets you international honors. You look at Jeet (Raval), Lockie (Ferguson) and the two Colin's (Munro/de Grandomme) from our group. There is a direct relationship there of us winning comps and them progressing.

The big hitters or slashers get noticed the most, but guys like BJ Watling and to a lesser extent Tom Latham/Jeet Raval performed strongly also. How do you assess the nuances of batting in T20 if you don't have a strike-rate over 130?

You need the players that sit at parity run-rate or just above to be the yin in the yin-yang partnership. That is the attribute they bring to the team. They can usually up the anti, read the situation and play for the other batsman. Basically BJ played that roll perfectly against us at the Mount just after Christmas which allowed Dean (Brownlie) and the other incoming batsmen to express themselves and out-play us in the process. Usually these guys have a similar trait, they are quality communicators. Kane also did this roll in the last Blackcaps fixture.

You can only speak for Auckland - do batsmen have designated roles in that regard? Batsman A is a hitter, batsman B rotated the strike ... is it that specific or more fluid?

We want to create partnerships that are constantly asking the question - what do we need now? We know some days one person will be hot and other days the other will be. So as individuals it's about reading the situation and then adapting to that in the partnership. We had phases and targets that were generic. It was again down to us as a batting team to decipher whether that was par or not. Malleable is a word we have used a fair bit.

How do you approach your spin bowling, knowing that you and the batsman both know you're not going to turn it square or that you don't have the full arsenal of variation as other spinners? A cricketing pleb would simply think that a non-spinning offie would be the perfect bowler to line up...

Yeah I'd be lining myself up if I faced me too! Basically you have to play with the egos of the opposition batsmen and bowl to your field. I'm constantly trying to be ahead of what the batsmen is thinking and have the courage to bowl the ball slow to entice the mistake. I have a special ball I call the moon ball. But apart from that I'm all for getting in the battle and trying to do a job for the side.

Was there an instance during the Super Smash where your plan to a certain batsman changed during their innings thanks to their hitting and that change brought with it a wicket?

We had a couple of shifts in our thinking; one particular time in our first fixture against the Knights in Hamilton, we brought Lockie back into the attack as Corey Anderson was getting going and that did the trick. Pure speed was the thinking there. Then the other time was in New Plymouth vs CD Stags when we decided to roll the dice and bowl Tymal right the way through the power play. He bowled three to try and pick up Mahela's (Jayawardene) wicket. It worked but then we got collected by Taylor in the late stages of their innings so the risk reward possibly didn't work as well in that play.

Shit - batting in the nets with Ferguson and Mills steaming in would have been fun?

Or not. Definitely didn't have my dancing shoes on during those sessions. It was a serious challenge which was cool to pit yourself against. I certainly didn't feel rushed by opposition bowlers during the Super Smash, no disrespect.

We've seen Colin de Grandomme slot in at slip and roam the boundary thanks to that gun of an arm he's got. Would you rank his arm among kiwi cricket's best and if so, who would else would you put in that conversation?

Yeah Colin is steady away. Michael Bracewell has a rocket arm and is super agile in the field. Other people that spring to mind are more your inner circle type guys. Both Tom Bruce and Henry Nicholls are like premier goal-keepers in the thirty meter circle with dead-eye-dick arms.

Have you noticed anything in the Big Bash (strategies, skills etc) that differs greatly from how kiwi teams play in the Super Smash?

I can't say I have. There are different skill-sets they have to bring in because of the ground dimensions and the surfaces. Those would be the two predominate things that consistently differ. I personally believe any full-strength team in the Super Smash would give the BBL sides a proper run for there money. On that I think NZC should be hunting an allotted number of players per side to play as locals instead of trying to get a side in the BBL, one or two players would be brilliant.

Interesting, because the idea of getting a team in the BBL seems far-fetched while getting as many kiwis playing in the BBL seems more realistic and entertaining. I'm of the belief that the Super Smash should be scheduled to allow as many kiwis to play BBL as possible and if condensed down a bit it could make the same cash, if not more. How cool would it be for someone like Glenn Phillips to dominate the Super Smash and then pick up a development contract with a BBL team for the entirety of the BBL, possibly playing if there's an injury or something?

Whatever dynamic works. Like I said before we are as good as the Aussies. It'd strengthen their competition, especially if they had more teams in the competition. Marketing wise, NZ population base is 19.3% of Australia, surely the BBL would appreciate the extra potential growth?

And lastly, how are preparations for the Ford Trophy going? Who or what should we keep an eye out for in the 50-over comp?

We are full-steam ahead at the present leading into our first game at Eden Park against the Knights. Keep an eye out on some new names coming through for us and the likes of Glenn (Phillips), Sean (Solia) and Mark (Chapman) to consolidate their form in this format. I wouldn't be surprised if there are some eye-popping scores across the competition just because batsmen will probably take some of that fearlessness through into this competition.