The traditional kiwi medium-pacer idea still holds true in Aotearoa as this style is still the most conducive to consistent success in kiwi conditions. Pace and hostility though, that's where the Domestic Cricket Daily funk sits today as I'm going to focus on the work of three rather nifty seamers in Lockie Ferguson, Neil Wagner and Ben Sears. Round toru of the Plunket Shield started back on Friday, with runs, wickets and rain all making notable appearances so I'll definitely cast my gaze wider in the coming days; today it's about those funky seamers.

Auckland Aces are in Wellington, taking on Wellington Firebirds and at the start of day four the Firebirds are 104/2 looking to chuck a target up for Auckland to chase. Wiggle back to the first innings and we'll find the return of Lockie Ferguson to the glorious realm of Plunket Shield cricket, where Ferguson took 4w @ 2.42rpo in 9.3ov to help dismantle Wellington for 91.

Matt McEwan took 3w @ 2.80rpo and that's notable because (prior to day four), McEwan has the lowest average of any bowler with 10+ wickets. McEwan's rocking 12.08avg with 12w and continues to be a low key force in leading the Aces seam attack. The spotlight though, was on Ferguson as he is sniffing around a Blackcaps Test spot and no one should be surprised that Ferguson's doing well in his best domestic format.

The beauty of Ferguson bowling with a red ball is always how sharp he moves the ball into righties, which would be bloody annoying when that red ball's coming at you quickly. Ferguson had Wellington opener Fraser Colson heading back to the sheds in his first over, with what is now a typical Ferguson Plunket Shield dismissal...

That was Ferguson's only wicket in Wellington's top-five batsmen, then Ferguson wrapped up the back end of the innings. Remember that Ferguson averages 24.65 in First-Class cricket, so this is business as usual for the Auckland heater.

Ben Sears on the other hand, isn't as well known as Ferguson and is still in the emerging stage of his domestic cricket career. Sears is a hostile seamer for Wellington Firebirds and after Wellington were skittled for 91, Sears took 6w @ 3.15rpo in 13.4ov to helped keep a lid on Auckland's innings; all out for 217.

3w came in Auckland's top-five, starting with a delivery that went straight through the gate of Jeet Raval...

Sears then had Mark Chapman and Sean Solia dismissed, followed by Ben Horne and Kyle Jamieson. The dismissal of Horne caught my eye, roughing Horne up with a short delivery that came back into him which forced an error...

This feels notable because Sears' wickets of Raval, Chapman and Solia all came into lefties - going past Raval's inside edge and then catching the inside edge of Chapman and Solia. The shorter stuff seemed to nip back into righties and while it's tricky to outline how fast Sears is bowling or what kinda stuff he's bowling, some key indicators of pace and movement were present.

If we're talking hostile seamers, obviously Northern Districts Knights seamer Neil Wagner will be in the discussion. However, what I loved about Wagner's 4w @ 2.91rpo in 32ov vs Otago Volts was the movement he offered with the new/new-ish ball as opposed to standard Blackcaps bully plans. When Wagner was dominating Plunket Shield cricket and demanding a Blackcaps call up, in-swing to lefties and out-swing to righties from his whippy action were trademarks. It kinda feels like we are robbed of seeing that in the Test cricket arena, so here is Wagner at his best...

To Hamish Rutherford as well, someone who knows Wagner's stuff pretty well. That came after Wagner had caught the outside edge of fellow Volts opener Dale Phillips, moving the ball across the righty...

Same stuff to get the wicket of Anaru Kitchen, only with a change of angle to angle into Kitchen then take the ball away...

And Wagner then capped off his 4w with a missile straight into Nick Kelly's front dog...

All 4w were in Otago's top-five and while Otago fought back valiantly, this was vintage Wanger. Well, my favourite vintage of Neil Wagner who is as skillful and crafty as he is hostile.

There were other nice seam performances across the round outside of those three. Fraser Sheat came into the Canterbury team to take 4w @ 3.47rpo in 15ov, against a standard stacked Central Districts Stags batting unit. Sheat's victims were Greg Hay, Tom Bruce, Dane Clear and Willem Ludick, helping the Canterbury restrict CD to 164 in their first innings.

Ludick is emerging as a low key factor in this Stag outfit as he replicated Sheat's work int he next innings, taking 4w @ 3rpo. Ludick snared Stephen Murdoc and Cole McConchie in Canterbury's top-five and as of Monday morning, Ludick has 13w @ 14.53avg/2.30rpo so far this season. That makes Ludick the Stags' best bowler and Ludick has taken his opportunity for more overs brilliantly, considering the quality that is absent from the Stags bowling group.

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Peace and love 27.