2022/23 Super Smash: Update #6
Papatuanuku and Ranginui dominated this weekend's action of Men's Super Smash, winning two games to leave Canterbury and Otago with victories over Central. Central still sits mid-table depsite losing three games in a row, sitting behind Otago and Canterbury on the Super Smash ladder. Only 4 points separates Central in third and Auckland at the bottom of the ladder, while Otago and Canterbury are the only teams with two games left to play.
In their two losses this weekend, Central offered some Blackcaps intrigue. Will Young had a duck against Canterbury and then hit 53 runs @ 160.6sr against Otago, taking him to 145 runs @ 36.25avg/172.61sr. Young has two 50+ scores in his four opportunities in Super Smash, while also offering a frisky 103.68sr in Ford Trophy. Young's five games of Ford Trophy have seen him hit a century, along with three not-out innings which give him 197 runs @ 98.5avg.
Ajaz Patel has also been grinding in domestic cricket and while he doesn't have the wickets of fellow lefty-spinner Jayden Lennox, Patel is Central's most economical bowler. Lennox is first for SS wickets with 15w @ 15.33avg/7.66rpo, while Patel has 2w @ 47avg/6.71rpo. This is reversed in FT as Patel's got 7w @ 22.42avg/4.52rpo and Lennox has 2w @ 48avg/4.57rpo.
Patel and Lennox are the only Central bowlers conceding 8rpo or below. Central's busiest seamers are Brett Randell and Ray Toole, who both have 8+ wickets while conceding more than 10rpo.
Dean Foxcroft, Chad Bowes, Leo Carter and Tom Bruce had nifty scores this weekend to make up the leading run-scorers in Super Smash. Foxcroft and Bowes have three scores over 50, Carter and Bruce have two...
Dean Foxcroft: 336 runs @ 56avg/124.44sr
Chad Bowes: 282 runs @ 47avg/154sr
Leo Carter: 237 runs @ 59.25avg/121.53sr
Tom Bruce: 216 runs @ 36avg/151sr
Foxcroft played another classy knock in Otago's win over Central, hitting 46* @ 143.75sr. Young all-rounder Ben Lockrose offered match-winning firepower to Otago's run-chase with 58* @ 223sr and this may spark up the summer for 22-year-old Lockrose. Lockrose hit his first 50+ score in all three domestic formats and his highest List-A score also came this summer with a knock of 27 in FT.
Lockrose averages a smidge over 30 in LA and T20 cricket, but his best bowling mahi is currently found in SS. With 7w @ 28.57avg/7.4rpo in 27 overs, Lockrose is Otago's busiest bowler and he is also one of four Otago bowlers with 40+ overs in FT.
Canterbury's young seam duo of Zak Foulkes and Will O'Rourke continue to snare wickets, which has grown into a fabulous trend this season. 20-year-old Foulkes took 3w @ 5.5rpo against Central and he has 2+ wickets in each of his last three games, along with 10w @ 9.6avg/6rpo in his first four games of SS
21-year-old O'Rourke took 2w @ 6.25rpo vs Central and he has at least a wicket in six of his seven games of SS this season. O'Rourke has 10w @ 18.8avg/8rpo and along with Foulkes, they are joined by Ray Toole (Central), Michael Rae (Otago) and Lennox in a group of five bowlers with 10+ wickets.
Last summer Canterbury made the final with Henry Shipley taking 18w @ 14.11avg/7.25rpo and Matt Henry taking 14w @ 23.5avg/8.22rpo. Henry is yet to play Super Smash this summer, Shipley only played four games (6w @ 14.66avg/7.65rpo) and Canterbury are first on the ladder. Canterbury were 1-3 with Shipley and since his departure, Canterbury are 4-0. Much of that is thanks to the excellent mahi from Foulkes and O'Rourke.
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