2023 Plunket Shield First Stanza Emerging All Stars
After highlighting the best players in Plunket Shield's First Stanza, let's check in with the best emerging players from the first four games of the season. There were a few youngsters in the Emerging All Stars who are top-five for runs and wickets and deserve to be put in the spotlight. Kristian Clarke (Northern Districts) and Ray Toole (Central Districts) have 17 wickets each which has them fourth and fifth for wickets, while Gareth Severin (Wellington) sits among a grizzly crop of domestic batters in fourth for runs.
Will O'Donnell, Nick Greenwood, Gareth Severin, Dale Phillips, Zak Foulkes, Max Chu, Kristian Clarke, Brett Randell, Adithya Ashok, Fraser Sheat, Ray Toole
There were some notable omissions who also deserve to be highlighted as talented young cricketers in Aotearoa. Sandeep Patel scored a century for ND in the first game before dipping out of their 1st 11 and he is being slow-cooked in the ND system. Patel is outside the 1st 11 for this weekend's Ford Trophy action but will be a next up batter for ND. Muhammad Abbas (Wellington) didn't quite do enough with bat or ball to bump others out of the Emerging All Stars but his talent is undeniable and folks would be wise to tap in with Abbas' mahi.
Matt Fisher is a slippery seamer for ND who had a fantastic start to the summer (9w @ 19.6avg/3.8rpo) but he only played two games. There are plenty of young seamers in Aotearoa and Fisher deserves some love heading in Ford Trophy, which is his best format. Fisher's First-Class average of 24.5 drops down to 20.5 in List-A and along with the likes of Ben Sears, Fisher is one of the best emerging fast bowlers in Aotearoa.
Using the same selection marker, Will O'Rourke could not be selected. O'Rourke only played two games for Canterbury with similar mahi to Fisher (9w @ 18.3avg/2.3rpo) and he is clearly being one of the best young seamers in Aotearoa.
Adithya Ashok is selected having already played a T20I for Blackcaps. Ashok (133.1ov) finished the first stanza second to Jacob Duffy (141.1ov) as the the busiest Plunket Shield bowlers and while averaging 35.9, Ashok took the most wickets of all Auckland bowlers in the first stanza. This is a lovely development bump for Ashok and there aren't many other young spinners on the circuit; Ajaz Patel and Michael Rippon are the next best spinners.
Brett Randell is a bit older than most of these lads but with Fisher and O'Rourke missing the selection marker, Randell is a notable seamer on the rise with 12w @ 23.6avg/2.8rpo this season. Randell has pounced on his move from ND to CD, averaging below 25 in his first two FC campaigns under the CD umbrella. Randell is on track for his third summer in a row taking 20+ wickets and he is another to keep tabs on during Ford Trophy as his FC average of 25.1 drops down to 22.1 for LA.
Alongside Randell in the CD bowling unit is lefty Toole, who has 17w @ 22.4avg/3.3rpo. Toole has a FC average of 26.2 and he is getting better every summer...
2019/20: 8w @ 33.25avg
2020/21: 22w @ 26.86avg
2021/22: 23w @ 25.95avg
2022/23: 31w @ 22.96avg
2023/24: 17w @ 22.47avg
Kristian Clarke is also commanding attention early in his career as the ND seamer has 17w @ 17.1avg/3.8rpo this summer, as well as a FC average of 26.9. FC is Clarke's worst format while averaging under 22 in LA and T20. Clarke doesn't have a 50+ score this summer but he is averaging 22.4 with the bat in FC as someone who could blossom into an all-rounder.
Canterbury made the bold move to play Zak Foulkes as an opening batter in the first few games and while that was due to the absence of Chad Bowes, it is evidence of how Foulkes' talent is viewed in Canterbury. Foulkes had four scores below 20 as an opener and his move back down to the middle order saw him register scores of 61, 44 and 50. Foulkes also has wickets in all eight innings bowled and is emerging as the best pure all-round cricketer in Aotearoa. Foulkes is averaging 18.7 with the ball and 27.4 with the bat.
The best Plunket Shield seamer you don't know about is still Fraser Sheat, who has 14w @ 19.5avg/2.2rpo in the first stanza. Sheat has a FC record of 25avg/2.8rpo after 33 games and it will be interesting to see how much game time Sheat gets in Ford Trophy/Super Smash as he has played nine FT games and just two SS games.
Max Chu earns the wicket-keeper role for the Emerging All Stars, currently Otago's second best batter. Chu only has one 50+ score in the first four game but knocks of 38, 49 and 46 bolster his total tally of runs. This is also Chu's fourth season in a row averaging 30+ and he is on track for his third season in a row scoring 300+ runs. Still only 23-years-old, Chu is quietly settling as a solid Plunket Shield batter and one of the best glovesmen in Aotearoa.
Openers Will O'Donnell (Auckland) and Nick Greenwood (Wellington) are up top in the Emerging All Stars batting line up. O'Donnell only has his century in the last game of the first stanza as but he did manage a big knock and is now averaging 36.7 in FC cricket. Greenwood doesn't have a century but he has three 50+ scores and the Jersey international has snapped up his opportunity to open for Wellington.
Greenwood enters Ford Trophy with a LA record of 45.1avg and in 22 T20Is for Jersey, Greenwood has a fantastic record of 30avg/144sr. The 24-year-old is currently second for Jersey T20I runs and while he may opt to pursue Blackcaps cricket, the Jersey connection is a funky wrinkle for Greenwood.
The best batters for Wellington and Otago are Gareth Severin and Dale Phillips. Severin has 315 runs @ 45avg and his FC average of 46.8 is propped up by two seasons averaging 45+. This winter Severin had stint in England playing three games for Kent 2nd 11 where he had two 50+ scores in five innings, which forms a 10 game phase in which Severn has two centuries (140+ runs) and four other 50+ scores.
Phillips is continuing his development with Otago as he chases his fourth FC summer in a row with a century. Phillips doesn't have that century just yet but he does have three 50+ scores and a strong second stanza will give Phillips four seasons of 400+ runs in row. Like older brother Glenn who averages 41.7 in FC batting, Dale's best format is FC where he averages 35.6. He is yet to dominate Ford Trophy/Super Smash so watch out for the younger Phillips bro in the upcoming white ball phase.
Will O'Donnell - Auckland - 26yrs
13th - 233 runs @ 33.2avg/40sr, 1 x 100
Nick Greenwood - Wellington - 24yrs
7th - 262 runs @ 37.4avg/64sr, 3 x 50
Gareth Severin - Wellington - 23yrs
4th - 315 runs @ 45avg/50sr, 1 x 100, 1 x 50
Dale Phillips - Otago - 25yrs
6th - 285 runs @ 35.6avg/71sr, 3 x 50
Zak Foulkes - Canterbury - 21yrs
192 runs @ 27.4avg/55sr, 2 x 50 | 8th - 105.5ov, 15w @ 18.73avg/2.6rpo
Max Chu - Otago - 23yrs (W/K)
9th - 255 runs @ 31.8avg/48sr, 1 x 50
Kristian Clarke - ND - 22yrs
4th - 75ov, 17w @ 17.17avg/3.8rpo
Brett Randell - CD - 28yrs
101ov, 12w @ 23.6avg/2.8rpo
Adithya Ashok - Auckland - 21yrs
10th - 133.1ov, 14w @ 35.92avg/3.7rpo
Fraser Sheat - Canterbury - 25yrs
9th - 122.5ov, 14w @ 19.57avg/2.2rpo
Ray Toole - CD - 26yrs
5th - 114ov, 17w @ 22.47avg/3.3rpo
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