Excuse me while I squeeze this little Super Smash update in here, I'll keep it hard and fast for your beautiful souls. We've got Otago vs Northern Districts today and then things heat up again for the weekend, giving me some time to drop some more yarns, a video and I'll head back over to the Women's Big Bash League to reflect on the New Years fixtures over there.

This recent cluster of games has seen the youngsters rise to the top of the run-scoring rankings. Nothing makes me happier than seeing young kiwi cricketers dominate and while I'm not overly fussed by the Blackcaps Battlers context; there's absolutely no reason why Tim Seifert, Mark Chapman or Will Young shouldn't be in the Aotearoa T20 team. These international T20 games have little meaning, if anything they should be used to build towards the next World T20 which isn't until 2020 and that's right when these young lads will be looking to settle into international cricket.

The only context around international T20 cricket coincides with giving Aotearoa's best young T20 players international experience. Ah well.

Young has actually been rather mediocre this summer for Central Districts and as I've been celebrating Young as a domestic run-scoring cookie monster for a while, that made me feel stink. He scored 24 runs in 3 Ford Trophy innings (didn't score 10+ in any innings), after 218 runs in 8 Plunket Shield innings which only amounted to a PS average of 24.22 - that's a rather horrible return for Young.

Now Young is one of three Ford Trophy batsmen to score 50+ twice (Chapman and Shawn Hicks) and he has scored 20+ in his last 4inns, which when you consider that Young has scored those consistent knocks with a strike-rate of 143.20 is standard Young business. Since Christmas, Young has back to back 40+ scores and this summer has seen Young do the opposite of what his career has been about as his best work has come in Plunket Shield cricket, closely followed by Ford Trophy and he hasn't quite been as productive in T20 cricket; he's doubled his T20 half-century tally this season.

Chapman on the other hand, he's been my Young Moa MVP of the season and he's merely rolling through the formats doing what he does best. His century for Auckland yesterday featured his typically funky shots, not funky in terms of reverse-lappies and what not but funky in terms of 'yo, how did he hit that for a biggun?'. Seriously, watch his innings and keep that question in mind;

Mark Chapman's 101 vs Canterbury Knights - Super Smash - 2017 - HD Match:CAN vs AKL, 18th Match, Super Smash, 2017-18Date:Monday, January 01, 2018Toss:Auckland won the toss and opt to batTime:02:10 AM GMTVenue:Hagley Oval, ChristchurchUmpires:John Bromley , Tim ParlaneThird Umpire:Eugene SandersMatch Referee:Gary BaxterCanterbury Squad:Playing XI:Henry Nicholls, Michael Pollard, Chad Bowes,

And shout out to that Youtube channel for doing what NZC is so terrible at doing. It absolutely boggles my mind how NZC think they don't need to have highlights (at the very least) on Youtube. Imagine if kiwis could simply catch domestic cricket videos on Youtube, how amazing that would be and I'm about to lose the plot and go on a rant but I'm going to stop right now because NZC are silly.

Chapman was Auckland's leading run-scorer in the Plunket Shield, averaging 31.55 with a trio of 50+ scores which he backed up with being Auckland's 2nd best run-scorer in Ford Trophy - 2nd to Colin Munro, with the two Jaffas leading all batsmen. Chapman had a century, a 50+ knock and a 24 in 3 Ford Tropy innings and of the top 10 run-scorers in Super Smash, Chapman is only joined by Luke Ronchi in having a strike-rate over 170.

That folks means that Chapman gives it a tonk, but like Seifert, Chapman does the business in all formats with a strike-rate that reflects the format. This is the numero tahi sign of quality young batsmen as they are scoring runs in all formats and are adjusting their game to suit that format. Let's compare their stats in the three formats this season...

Super Smash

Seifert: 6inns, 243 runs (1st), 40.50avg, 149.07sr, 1 hundy.
Chapman: 5inns, 215 runs (2nd), 43avg, 170.63sr, 1 hundy, 1 halfie.

Ford Trophy

Seifert: 3inns, 62 runs (30th), 31avg, 92.53sr, 1 halfie.
Chapman: 3inns, 204 runs (2nd), 204avg (2 not-outs), 94.88sr, 1 hundy, 1 halfie.

Plunket Shield

Seifert: 10inns, 425 runs (4th), 47.22avg, 55.19sr, 1 hundy, 1 halfie.
Chapman: 9inns, 284 runs (12th), 31.55avg, 52.20sr, 3 halfies.

See how their strike-rates progress through the formats and it's kinda creepy how similar those strike-rates are. These youngsters go good folks and to only view either of them as being T20 specialists just because there's some T20 buzz in the sky is silly, they have been doing the business all summer, in all formats.

Um, so has George Worker, he smoked 75 off 38 balls. Worker hasn't played enough games in any of the formats to rank high on the run-scoring charts, yet any domestic cricket game he plays in he is likely to maul the opposition bowling attack. Such has been Worker's effectiveness this summer, he may have moved up to join Colin Munro as the domestic bully.

Super Smash: 2inns, 115 runs, 57.50avg, 212.96sr.
Ford Trophy: 2inns 96 runs, 48avg, 82.05sr.
Plunket Shield: 3inns, 175 runs, 58.33avg, 52.87sr.

And peep those strike-rates. The best batsmen know how to flow through the formats and apply their freakish batting talents to the various situations that the variety of formats offer #beautiful.

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Peace and love 27.