Plunket Shield trucks along into autumn with Otago defeating Wellington the only result from the latest round. Canterbury and Central played out a draw, while Northern and Auckland had their fixture scratched without a ball bowled due to Papatuanuku and Ranginui. Otago's win was the second of their campaign, putting them ahead of Central and Wellington who have one win each. With two more rounds to play, Canterbury and Northern are chasing Auckland who sit on top of the ladder as the only team with four wins and 70+ points.

Lots of stuff happened in the two games played and there is a low key trend of Plunket Shield cricket being refreshed with young talent. This is a trickle down flow from Blackcaps moving into their IPL holidays, leaving space for the second tier of Blackcaps to step into the ODI squad to face Netherlands. This then leaves space in Plunket Shield for youngsters to be promoted and cricket freaks would be wise to tap in, learning about each team's youngsters.

This is a hectic phase for Aotearoa sport, so I'll let things simmer before exploring trends and talent. In pondering recent Plunket Shield mahi, one pocket stood out as a intriguing yarn to share. This is not about big-upping everyone who scored runs or took wickets, nor is this about zoning in on a trending team. Following curiosity leads me to Cole McConchie's 187* in Canterbury's first batting innings, linking his performances with those of Rachin Ravindra and recent Blackcaps selections.

Michael Bracewell earned a Blackcaps promotion for the ODI series vs Netherlands, leaving McConchie and Ravindra surplus to requirements. When Aotearoa needed more spin options for the tour of Bangladesh they turned to McConchie and Ravindra, providing spin support behind Ajaz Patel. That was in September last year, then Ravindra played Test cricket in India and in Tauranga against Bangladesh.

Now Bracewell is the second spin option behind Ish Sodhi to face Netherlands. If Mark Chapman is deployed ahead of Bracewell, this would be a major shift from Chapman's mahi with Auckland where Glenn Phillips routinely bowls ahead of Chapman. Bracewell's a lovely cricketer and deserves to be integrated into Blackcaps cricket, making this yarn more about Aotearoa's depth than exploring who should be selected etc.

I covered Ravindra's Blackcaps journey in this yarn.

Here is what Bracewell, McConchine and Ravindra have done in domestic cricket this summer...

Plunket Shield

Cole McConchie: 11inns, 341 runs @ 34.10avg, 1 x 100 | 50ov, 2w @ 94avg/3.76rpo.

Rachin Ravindra: 7inns, 194 runs @ 32.33avg, 2 x 50 | 73ov, 8w @ 32.87avg/3.6rpo.

Michael Bracewell: 10inns, 190 runs @ 19avg, 1 x 50 | 119.5ov, 7w @ 57.42avg/3.35rpo.

Ford Trophy

Cole McConchie: 6inns, 159 runs @ 31.80avg, 1 x 50 | 27ov, 2w @ 76avg/5.62rpo.

Rachin Ravindra: 2inns, 80 runs @ 40avg | 17ov, 1w @ 71avg/4.17rpo.

Michael Bracewell: 7inns, 197 runs @ 28.14avg, 1 x 50 | 38.5ov, 8w @ 22.87avg/4.71rpo.

Super Smash

Cole McConchie: 11inns, 193 runs @ 19.30avg, 1 x 50 | 39ov, 6w @ 49.66avg/4.64rpo.

Rachin Ravindra: 2inns, 21 runs @ 10.50avg | 13ov, 3w @ 31avg/7.15rpo.

Michael Bracewell: 10inns, 478 runs @ 79.66avg, 1 x 100, 4 x 50 | 25ov, 6w @ 28.50avg/6.84rpo.

If one was to trip over Blackcaps selections for a series vs Netherlands, Bracewell is at least the best white-baller of the trio this summer. McConchie and Ravindra shared similar tours of Bangladesh, both averaging below 20 with the bat and ball. This means that these two didn't score many runs, but were fabulous with the ball.

Ravindra hasn't quite contributed to Blackcaps cricket as quickly as his rise through selection ladders suggested. Neither Ravindra or McConchie has been dominant in domestic cricket this summer, but both have had solid moments with bat and ball. For McConchie his big Plunket Shield hundy was his headline moment, while Ravindra scored one of his two 50+ scores this round as well.

Just as Bracewell is preparing for his first dose of Blackcaps cricket, McConchine and Ravindra roll out their best mahi of the summer. These three do similar things on a cricket field but there are nuanced differences such as Bracewell being a powerful batter while Ravindra consistently opens for Wellington in Plunket Shield. This provides guidance in breaking down Blackcaps selection as they can plug different holes at the higher level.

Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips seem to be the best batter/spinners in Aotearoa right now. And yup Phillips is in that category for those just tapping into domestic cricket. McConchie and Ravindra toured Bangladesh, then didn't quite kick on in the best way over the summer. Bracewell led Wellington Firebirds admirably with epic Super Smash highlights, thus commanding selection for ODI cricket vs Netherlands.

Now is a glorious time to embrace Plunket Shield cricket. One will find many new players and names to learn about, giving folks a head start on the next wave of Aotearoa cricket talent. The summer has featured a notable leap in Phillips' all-round mahi for example and such learnings are now present in how McConchie and Ravindra finish out the summer. Lots of cricket is flowing down the estuary right now, yet Plunket Shield is where one learns the most.

Join the Niche Cache Patreon whanau to support our kiwi sports content straight up, get a karma boost and find extra podcasts.

Every Monday and Friday we fire off an email with bonus content. Sign up here!

Peace and love.