Wellington Firebirds and Blaze sit on the Aotearoa's Super Smash perch, combining winning T20 games with a culture that permeates around the kiwi cricket landscape. There is one more cluster of Super Smash games to come though, along with Blackcaps and White Ferns T20I cricket to suss out and that serves up a nice platform to explore other pockets of Super Smash funk. Let's start with what some of the Blackcaps have been up to, specifically those who slid into the most recent T20I squad that played Pakistan...

Ish Sodhi has been out injured, which in theory opens up some sort of opportunity for another spinner - Todd Astle. Astle didn't play a game vs Pakistan despite being in the squad and has moved into the Super Smash where he has taken 4w @ 45avg/6.92rpo in 26overs. Not quite as lethal as one would hope, but Astle has been economical and along with offie Cole McConhie's 5w @ 37.25avg/6.47rpo in 23ov, Canterbury's spin duo have been able to tie up opponent batsmen; two high usage spinners conceding less than 7rpo each is lovely.

Astle has cracked 53 runs @ 143.44sr in a lower order batting role and depending on Sodhi's health, Astle has been steady enough to stay in the mix. What Astle does with Canterbury sitting 3rd (top three teams qualify for finals) in this next week or so will be crucial to his chances of selection vs Australia, especially if Sodhi returns from injury.

Martin Guptill is a major area of intrigue given his form and the plethora of smackers on offer to Aotearoa. Guptill has only played 3inns so far, with 44 urns @ 14.66avg/100sr and that strike-rate isn't prime Gup and when we stretch this back further, Guptill has scored 30+ just twice in three Super Smash games, three T20I vs Pakistan and three Ford Trophy games. Guptill has organisational equity with the Blackcaps as he's a kaumatua in the white ball realm, but while Guptill is struggling in two domestic white ball competitions, Colin Munro is performing well in the Big Bash League for example; 5th in runs, 411 runs @ 34.25avg/129.65sr.

Jacob Duffy took 4w on his Blackcaps T20I debut and since then, Duffy has taken 3w in 7inns of Super Smash cricket. Duffy has 3w @ 79.66avg/9.56rpo and unfortunately for Duffy, he went back into an Otago Volts team that is 2-5 in 5th on the ladder while Blair Tickner and Doug Bracewell moved from that series vs Pakistan to contribute to the 5-3 Central Districts Stags in 2nd.

Blair Tickner: 1st in wickets, 14w in 31ov @ 16.78avg/7.58rpo/13.2sr.

Doug Bracewell: 6th in wickets, 10w in 28ov @ 23.70avg/8.46rpo/16.8sr.

Bracewell also has the highest strike-rate of batsmen with 100+ runs after Wellington's Finn Allen took a dip in run-scoring recently. Bracewell has 155 runs @ 191.35sr and he's in a nice little splash of form, taking 8w in his last four games with four not-out innings with the bat.

The last joker he is Scott Kuggeleijn, who sits 2nd in wickets. In fact, moving away from that recent Blackcaps squad, here are the top-four seamers in the Super Smash and they all fit into a similar style of bowler and standing in the Blackcaps mixer...

Blair Tickner: see above.

Scott Kuggeleijn: 11w in 29ov @ 25.09avg/9.51rpo/15.8sr.

Matt Henry: 10w in 25.4ov @ 20.90avg/8.14rpo/15.4sr.

Hamish Bennett: 10w in 30.2ov @ 21.40avg/7.05rpo/18.2sr.

There are various Blackcaps who have done fantastic bits and pieces, or in the case of Will Young there are these players from outside the T20I bubble wo are performing well and I've covered throughout the tournament. Mark Chapman for example is in rather hectic form this summer overall and is one of many Auckland Aces Blackcaps who have been unable to drag Auckland up the ladder.

First, Chapman's form and that starts at the end of the Plunket Shield last summer.

Last two Plunket Shield games: 52, 24, 143, 146.

2020/21 Plunket Shield: 3, 54, 6, 95, 60.

Aotearoa A vs West Indies A: 45, 45, 40.

T20I vs Pakistan: 34.

Super Smash: 25, 73.

Chapman has played two games for Auckland and Auckland are rooted to the bottom of the Super Smash ladder with a 1-6 record. The Aces had had Glenn Phillips playing six games, then Guptill's played three games, Kyle Jamieson's got two games and Lockie Ferguson is still yet to play. Auckland can't be thrown up as a 'young' group, they are a younger group with older players who aren't exactly dominant forces in the absence of their Blackcaps and for both Auckland and Otago Sparks in the women's competition, there is a pretty clear correlation between experience and success - mainly vice versa.

Auckland have Will Somerville as their best bowler and the best spinner in the Super Smash, then their playing group has revovled around the O'Donnell brothers, Sean Solia, Ben Horne, Danru Ferns, Louis Delport, Ben Lister, Ollie Pringle and the emerging lefty seamer Ross ter Braak. All of whom are solid domestic performers but aren't quite at the level of the talent other teams have.

Three Otago Sparks wahine were named in the Aotearoa Under 19 Women's team to play a bunch of games later in the summer and all three have been playing Super Smash. That's notable because most of the other players haven't been required to player Super Smash with other teams as they are well stocked with talent and the Spark have been working with a group that is struggling right now, but is likely to blossom soon enough.

Olivia Gain's played two Super Smash games, Georgia Adams has played six games and Molly Loe has played four games as Otago's Aotearoa Under 19s crew. Otago's two best bowlers are 22-year-old Sophie Oldershaw and 19-year-old Emma Black, while 24-year-old Polly Inglis is the Sparks leading run-scorer. Remember that Suzie Bates would otherwise be playing if it weren't for a shoulder injury and I'd strongly suggest that Otago will benefit from this short-term mahi to build a young group around the Bates, Katey Martin and Hayley Jensen trio.

Given what Wellington are up to, Canterbury's solid teams and the plain ol' talent that Auckland Hearts, Northern Districts Knights and CD Stags can roll out; Super Smash cricket requires experience, contributing youngsters and top-tier weaponry. If you're slightly off that path and dealing with more domestic troopers or building a younger squad for future delights, expect to struggle.

In the men's competition, ND Knights require you're attention. Both their upcoming games will be broadcasted on either Duke or Spark Sport and they are 10 points behind CD Stags and Canterbury in chasing that 3rd spot. They'll have to defeat Auckland Aces on Friday and the Aces will be bolstered by those big donnies, although the Knights will also have their top-tier talent on board and that's where their hopes for Super Smash finals cricket reside. Tim Southee, Colin de Grandhomme and Trent Boult have played two games each, Mitchell Santner's played three and Kane Williamson's made one appearance - Sodhi is yet to play.

This will be crucial to the Knights fortunes, also insightful for Blackcaps T20I business coming up. CD Stags will fight off this challenge in two tough games against Wellington and Canterbury, while Canterbury face Otago before that CD Stags encounter.

Wellington, Canterbury and Auckland make up the top-three of the women's competition. Northern Spirit are the chasing team, 6 points behind Auckland and if the Spirit can upset Auckland they will the play Otago with a hearty chance of cracking finals cricket. Auckland also have one more game vs Otago and that presents a low key sniff for Otago to shake things up with their last two games.

Northern will require Caitlin Gurrey to explode with runs, while the Spirits' best bowler is another Aotearoa Under 19s squad member Nensi Patel with 7w in 20ov @ 15.42avg/5.40rpo/17.1sr. The Spirit probably don't have the x-factor nor firepower to make a move against the top three teams though, which isn't a bad thing right now as they have an emerging group similar to Otago; Patel, Lucy Boucher and Makayla Templeton are all in the Under 19 squad.

Here are the Super Smash stats for the White Ferns T20I squad that played vs Australia late last year...

Sophie Devine

4inns, 260 runs @ 86.66avg/211.38sr.

Rosemary Mair

12ov, 1w @ 82avg/6.83rpo/72sr.

Natalie Dodd

8inns, 233 runs @ 38.83avg/96.28sr.

Lauren Down

6ins, 119 runs @ 23.80avg/86.86sr, 1 x 50.

Maddy Green

8inns, 161 runs @ 32.20avg/105.22sr, 1 x 50 | 17.3ov, 8w @ 14.37avg/6.57rpo/13.1sr.

Holly Huddleston

20ov, 11w @ 10.09avg/5.55rpo/10.9sr.

Hayley Jensen

6inns, 114 runs @ 19avg/129.54sr |17ov, 3w @ 45avg/7.94rpo/34sr.

Amelia Kerr

7inns, 237 runs @ 59.25avg/141.07sr | 28ov, 6w @ 22.50avg/4.82rpo/28sr.

Jess Kerr

29ov, 8w @ 18.25avg/5.03rpo/21.7r.

Katey Martin

7inns, 94 runs @ 15.66avg/101.07sr.

Katie Perkins

6inns, 147 runs @ 29.40avg/104.25sr, 1 x 50.

Hannah Rowe

6inns, 91 runs @ 18.20avg/82.72sr | 22.5ov, 4w @ 43avg/7.53rpo/34.2sr.

Amy Satterthwaite

7inns, 292 runs @ 73avg/137.08sr, 3 x 50 | 17ov, 4w @ 29.25avg/6.88rpo/25.5sr.

Lea Tahuhu

16ov, 5w @ 17.20avg/5.37rpo/19.2sr.

Jess Watkin

8inns, 132 runs @ 18.85avg/108.19sr, 1 x 50 | 25.2ov, 7w @ 24.14avg/6.67rpo/21.7sr.

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