2021/22 Ford Trophy: Will Young's Stacking Up Runs (Central defeat Auckland)
Ford Trophy cricket has been loitering in the background of Aotearoa cricket with Super Smash getting headline status and sporadic FT games sprinkled in. Yesterday's win for Central Districts over Auckland marked the start of a more concentrated FT period, although there are a few Plunket Shield games to catch up on with Auckland hosting Northern Districts on Friday.
Central have played three games, with two wins and a no-result. They have played the fewest number of games while Wellington, Otago and Canterbury have four games tucked away. Auckland have played five games and Northern have played six games. With such a messy table, let's not worry about how teams are ranked right now and we'll swing back around in a week or so when there is a more even spread of games.
Central's win was set up by 107 (97sr) from Will Young with support from Tom Bruce's 50 (128sr) and Doug Bracewell's 42 runs (145r). Adithya Ashok took 3w @ 5.40rpo for Auckland as Central jacked up a target of 297 to which Auckland responded by being all out for 183. Martin Guptill hit 54 runs (65sr) and that was about it for the Aucklanders.
There first note here is a meh Auckland vibe. Big ups to the lockdowns early last summer that impacted Auckland and Northern, however both Auckland blokes and wahine have been in a weird pocket to start 2022. Auckland are 2-3 in FT after being 4-6 in SS and they are yet to play a PS game. Auckland wahine are 0-4 in HBJ Shield and made the SS elimination final (5-5) but couldn't trouble Otago - after losing to Otago in all three of their SS games.
Guptill and Mark Chapman have one decent knock each in their stints while Glenn Phillips is yet to score 50+ in 5inns. George Worker's holding it down with two centuries in his 5inns, yet there isn't the same Blackcaps domination that we have seen elsewhere.
Move into the bowling department and Lockie Ferguson is a lone soldier with 7w @ 13.57avg/4.75rpo/17.1sr. Ferguson is the only Auckland bowler averaging below 30 (and strike-rate below 30), while Ashok's haul against Central is a continuation of low key nice SS form after a slow FT start. Ferguson finished 2nd for all SS wicket-takers and and Ashok finished 7th with 14w @ 17.14avg/6.48rpo/15.8sr.
Ashok took 1w @ 7rpo in his first FT game, then 0w @ 6.40rpo in his next game. Three SS games followed and Ashok took 2w, 3w, 0w, 3w before this 3-wicket-haul yesterday.
That period of intriguing Ashok form coincided with Auckland losing three straight SS games. Auckland have lost three of their last four FT games as well. We know Ferguson's a monster in domestic cricket and he'll snare wickets regardless, yet the Ashok wrinkle is a fresh development and the young leggy has quickly commanded selection in Auckland's 1st 11. Ashok is currently averaging 46.75 after three FT games and how this drops during the back end of the summer will be fun to track, especially when Ashok could earn PS selection to finish the summer.
I'm also having fun tracking the bowling mahi of Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman. Chapman was celebrated by cricketing genius Gavin Larsen as a all-rounder a few years ago, publicly stating that Chapman's spin bowling would be of value in his selection hunt. More recently though, Phillips has moved away from wicket-keeping and had a jolly ol' time bowling in England last winter before continuing that trend this summer.
Ford Trophy
Glenn Phillips: 13ov, 1w @ 5.38rpo.
Mark Chapman: 6ov @ 8.33rpo.
Super Smash
Glenn Phillips: 5ov, 3w @ 6.80rpo/10sr.
Mark Chapman: 8.5ov, 1w @ 9.50avg/53sr.
Those stats are boosted by yesterday's action where Phillips bowled 4ov @ 6.50rpo and Chapman bowled 2ov @ 10rpo. Auckland also rolled out four spinners (Somerville, Ashok, Phillips, Chapman) while Central played spinner Jayden Lennox (1w @ 3.75rpo) and their seamers rolled Auckland.
All of which provides a messy Auckland vibe. In a podcast earlier this summer I noted that both Auckland teams looked super stiff and this messy vibe isn't overly negative, just hard to figure out what the Auckland blokes are up to. They have their little crew of Aotearoa's best cricketers and all their role-players are settled domestic cricketers, plus Ashok the hot youngster. That's not resulting in a funky team though.
As for Central...
Will Young has looked great in Test cricket, although his bounty of runs feels a bit low key. This stretches back to Young bagging back to back centuries in County Championship cricket last winter for Durham (County cricket can't develop English batters, while preparing kiwis for Test cricket perfectly). Then Young hit 82 vs England and had a knock of 89 in his first innings of Test cricket in India before the dip came with scores of 2, 4 and 20.
Hosting Bangladesh saw Young put up scores of 52, 69 and 54.
Then a knock of 23 in his lone SS game before this 107 in his first FT game of the summer. Young has five 50+ scores in 11inns of Test cricket, averaging 38.90 and we may see Young parlay his Blackcaps mana into domestic dominance.
Ross Taylor is mandatory domestic viewing and I'll be closely tapped into his twilight period for as long as it lasts. Ashok dismissed Taylor yesterday and unfortunately Taylor didn't bowl, so this wasn't peak Luteru but a fun thread to follow nonetheless.
Blair Tickner check in...
Super Smash: 38ov, 10w @ 35.40avg/9.31rpo/22.8sr.
Ford Trophy: 13.3ov, 6w @ 9.16avg/4.07rpo/13.5sr.
Plunket Shield: 145.2ov, 14w @ 30.42avg/2.93po.
Tom Bruce check in...
Super Smash: 10inns, 267 runs @ 38.14avg/163.80sr, 2 x 50.
Ford Trophy: 2inns, 52 runs @ 26avg/110.63sr, 1 x 50.
Plunket Shield: 8inns, 327 runs @ 81.75avg/67.84r, 3 x 50.
Friday's FT games are Otago vs Central and Wellington vs Canterbury. Hopefully I'll touch base with those games on Saturday morning, while that Auckland vs Northern PS game is being played.
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Peace and love.