2020/21 Aotearoa Super Smash: Update #6 (Who's Next In Line?)
Having seen Sophie Devine step back into Aotearoa's Super Smash and tonk 10 sixes in 64 balls for Wellington Blaze as well as Ross Taylor playing a standard Roscco T20 innings of 48* @ 177.78sr to steer Central Districts Stags to a win over Otago Volts, there' some funky White Ferns and Blackcaps context to what is happening in both Super Smash competitions. Not only do we have those dominant performances of Aotearoa's best to enjoy, the wave of youngsters is also evident in either competition and the next few games could see one of these youngsters make an undeniable case for international selection.
What is a standard Rossco T20 innings?
Chasing Otago's 153 in 17 overs, Taylor came to the crease at the start of the 6th over with the Stags on 46/2. Taylor navigated the middle overs, allowed Will Young to crack 27 runs @ 192.86sr and held it down while Josh Clarkson hit 31 @ 163.16sr. Taylor was not-out at the end of the innings, sealing the win.
Two younger blokes stick out at the top of the run-scoring rankings. Wellington's Finn Allen is currently on another planet, sitting 2nd in runs with a strike-rate of 194.97 which is significantly better than anyone else except for Doug Bracewell. Clarkson is a bit more low key, having snuck into 3rd for runs and while Allen's found a pocket of form, Clarkson has built up more T20 street-cred prior to this moment.
Clarkson's 23-years-old and has played 56 T20 games, Allen is 21-years-old and has played 8 T20 games. Most notably, Clarkson has held down a strike-rate of 144.25 in his career and was fairly solid in the Ford Trophy this summer with two half-centuries and a strike-rate of 115.92.
I'm not going to suggest that either of these two should be in the Blackcaps T20I squad to face Australia as there are simply too many blokes ahead of them. George Worker leads all run-scorers in the Super Smash and that means he is a factor, while someone like Will Young can't be overlooked in the group of batsmen who are trying to slide into Blackcaps T20I squads. I remember writing about Young's form in 2019, across all formats around his false-start Test debut and pesky injuries. Consider this deja-vu as Young is packing up runs across the formats, outside of the high visibility of Test cricket...
Plunket Shield: 43*, 9, 23, 14, 110*.
Aotearoa A: 27, 64*, 133.
Blackcaps Test: 5, 43.
Super Smash: 50, 68, 27.
Three long-format brackets, then the Super Smash where Young is cruising along @ 176.82sr. Allen and Clarkson will find it harder to do what they do best in smacking boundaries when they get an international chance. Young's skillset feels easier to transition into Blackcaps T20I business, although it's a specific role in the batting line up where Young would operate like Kane Williamson, Devon Conway and Ross Taylor.
Considering Henry Nicholls doesn't get a crack, Young's down the pecking order in that role. Key thing here is that there are bigger blokes who are commanding attention with their slugging, plus there are those like Young trying to get a sniff with a different style. While we are here, don't sleep on Colin Munro over in the Big Bash League and as he fits into the slugger style, the depth on offer makes it harder to suss out how the younger lads get a chance this summer.
For the bowlers, Matt Henry and Blair Tickner are intriguing. Generally though, I'm more interested in what happens from this point forward and who demands further attention in stacking up wickets when it matters most. Tickner leads all wicket-takers with 12w @ 16.91avg/7.51rpo/13.5sr and he's in the Blackcaps T20I mix so that's fair play.
Henry on the other hand played his last T20I in January 2017. Coming off a Ford Trophy where he took 7w @ 22vg/4.40rpo, Henry is now 2nd for bowlers in the Super Smash with 9w @ 18avg/8.23rpo/13.2sr and he has taken 1+ wicket in all four of his Super Smash games. Unfortunately for Henry, he is very similar to Young in performing well across all formats and they share a similar situation as Henry is part of a seaming group that is bubbling with depth.
Henry, Tickner, Doug Bracewell, Scott Kuggeleijn and Hamish Bennett are all competing for the Blackcaps T20I second tier seamers. They fall behind the likes of Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson, Lockie Ferguson and as Jimmy Neesham was among the best bowlers prior to a finger injury, plus Daryl Mitchell is a seam factor in the Super Smash; there are options.
The top of the women's bowling rankings is flush with White Ferns; Leigh Kasperek is 1s, Holly Huddleston is 2nd, Maddy Green is 5th, Jess Kerr is 7th. Frances Mackay is 3rd and she has played for the White Ferns previously, which leaves Auckland's Arlene Kelly in 4th and Jesse Prasad in 8th as the funky prospects. Trying to forecast how these seamers may look at the international level though is tricky as the gap between Super Smash and T20I cricket vs Australia and England is rather hefty, so further domination will be required.
Kelly and Prasad are both righty seamers, usually getting the same in-swing as Jess Kerr does for Wellington. Canterbury leggy Sarah Asmussen has only played two games and she has 2w in either game, giving her 4w @ 12sr and this is notable because Asmussen is 3rd in Hallyburton-Johnstone Shield bowlers with 11w @ 16.54avg/4.33rpo. Prasad is right behind Amussen in HBJ Shield bowling as well, on 9w @ 8.88avg/2.87rpo and they could be two bowlers to keep tabs on as the Super Smash heats up.
Super Smash wahine batting has Kate Ebrahim leading all run-scorers and I'd suggest that there could be value in stacking the White Ferns with the likes of Ebrahim, Mackay and the other veterans for this upcoming stint of T20I cricket. Ebrahim's last T20I was in October 2018, so I'm not sure on her vibe but she is nicely poised with Super Smash runs for Canterbury - a smidge ahead of CD Hinds' Natalie Dodd.
Dodd is 2nd in runs, without a 50+ score and should be in any White Ferns squad moving forward as batting depth considering she is 3rd in HBJ Shield runs and was in the White Ferns squad that toured Australia last year. Dodd is keeping herself in the frame and then Northern Spirit batswomen Caitlin Gurrey is 3rd in Super Smash runs to also keep herself in the mix. Gurrey has been among the best batswomen in every domestic competition for the last few summers and like Dodd, they are at the very least putting pressure on some of the White Ferns batting line up.
Dodd: 7inns, 184 runs @ 30.66avg/93.40sr.
Gurrey: 7inns, 184 runs @ 30.66avg/102.22sr.
Gurrey last played for the White Ferns in early 2019 and Auckland's Anna Peterson should also be a factor after she's been out of the international arena since last year's T20 World Cup. Peterson has the highest non-Devine strike-rate, although she hasn't done too much with the ball just yet (2w @ 32avg/36sr). All of which, leads me to believe that the freshest White Ferns selection possibility is Gurrey and otherwise, the squads coming up will look similar to recent ODI and T20I squads.
Within that though, there can be changes to the playing 11 and where game time is dished out. Kasperek, Huddleston, Green, Lea Tahuhu and the Kerr sisters are all performing well with the ball. Then we have Devine, Green, Dodd, Gurrey, Amy Satterthwaite, Amelia Kerr, Katey Martin, Peterson and Hayley Jensen who are scoring runs with hefty strike-rates. There is a solid White Ferns squad in place and the competition for game time within that squad is where we'll have the most fun over the coming weeks.
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Peace and love.