2024/25 Super Smash Scout: The Best Youngsters, Part 2
As always there are lots of funky youngsters knocking around in Super Smash and 'The Best Youngsters, Part 2' is here to offer a few key thoughts about Matt Boyle, Auckland's young core, Amelia Kerr, Eden Carson and more. This break down won't specifically cover all the best youngsters, so here are the best batters and bowlers in both competitions
The men's top-10 batting chart has Katene Clarke (3rd - 25yrs), Tim Robinson (4th - 22yrs), Max Chu (5th - 24yrs), Matt Boyle (6th - 22yrs), Curtis Heaphy (9th - 21yrs) and Bevon Jacobs (10th - 22yrs). The men's top-10 bowling chart has Jock McKenzie (3rd -23yrs) and Ben Lockrose (5th - 24yrs).
The women's top-10 batting chart has Amelia Kerr (2nd - 24yrs) Olivia Gain (10th - 23yrs). The women's top-10 bowling chart has Eden Carson (1st - 23yrs), Emma Black (5th - 23yrs), Kerr (7th) and Ocean Bartlett (9th - 21yrs).
Usually the youngsters spotlight goes on players who are in their early 20s and haven't played international cricket. This Super Smash Scout is expanding the horizons though with the likes of Robinson, Jacobs and Carson all commanding attention. Sometimes it's easy to forget that Kerr is still a youngster despite being one of the best cricketers in the world.
Here is how Kerr's Super Smash season looks game by game...
vs ND: 67*, 4 wickets
vs CD: 7 runs, 1 wicket
vs CD: 34*, 1 wicket
vs Otago: 41 runs, 0 wickets
vs Otago: 22 runs, 0 wickets
vs Auckland: 75*, 1 wicket
Kerr has a T20I record of 25.92avg/108.4sr with the bat and 19.87avg/6rpo with the ball. While she has played lots of T20 cricket around the world, the funkiest wrinkle is her Super Smash career in which Kerr has 43.53avg/118.7sr with the bat and 13.13avg/5rpo with the ball.
Carson is also cooking as an elite spinner, averaging 16 in both T20I and T20 bowling. This summer Carson is the leading wicket-taker for Otago Sparks in Super Smash and HBJ Shield, sitting on 13w @ 12avg/2.8rpo before HBJ Shield resumes. Carson is averaging 13 and 11 in domestic cricket bowling this summer, while the only season of Super Smash where she averaged over 25 was her first in 2018/19.
Sticking with Otago and Gain is also having a decent summer across both formats as one of the most powerful young hitters in the women's circuit. Gain has 92 runs @ 23avg/80sr in HBJ Shield to go with her 148 runs @ 24avg/91sr in Super Smash, both of which are well above her List-A record of 18.28avg/62sr and T20 record of 12avg/95sr.
Gain averaged below 15 in her first four seasons of Super Smash and she is now in the midst of her best T20 season. In HBJ Shield, Gain is in her fourth consecutive season averaging 20+ after four season below that mark to start her career.
Missy Banks (23yrs) only has 25 runs for Canterbury but she's got the second highest strike-rate for her team with 125sr, while also taking the most wickets. Given that Banks has a T20 batting strike-rate of 75, she is well above that mark and she is a much better T20 bowler (20.5avg/7.2rpo) compared to List-A (52.45avg/4.5rpo).
Now averaging below 25 for her fifth consecutive Super Smash, Banks has also got more economical over the past three seasons. In 2022/23 she conceded 7.5rpo which has dropped to 6.93rpo and 6.9rpo in the following seasons. Banks isn't in the top-10 for women's Super Smash wickets and sits behind Otago's Emma Black as the best young seamers, but she is leading the way for Canterbury with strong veterans around her.
Similar story with Xara Jetly (23yrs) who is behind CD's Ocean Bartlett as the best young spinners outside the White Ferns bubble. Jetly averages 22 in List-A bowling and 18 in T20 bowling, with her 3 wickets in Wellington's win over Auckland taking her to 6w @ 24.5avg/6.6rpo for this season. This means that Jetly is in her sixth consecutive summer below 25avg in Super Smash and she has conceded less than 7rpo in all six.
Fresh off of the Wellington vs Auckland game day we have to put the spotlight on Auckland Aces emerging talent. Simon Keene (23yrs) has been promoted up the order and he smacked 81 runs @ 231sr, while Angus Olliver (21yrs) took 2w @ 7rpo and Jock McKenzie (23yrs) took 1w @ 8.7rpo. Add in Jacobs and Adithya Ashok for an enciting group of youngsters scattered through different roles.
Simon Keene: 131 runs @ 26avg/187sr | 2w @ 39avg/7.8rpo
Bevon Jacobs: 166 runs @ 41avg/149sr
Jock McKenzie: 85 runs @ 28avg/119sr | 10w @ 15.1avg/8.5rpo
Angus Olliver: 3w @ 13avg/6.3rpo
Adithya Ashok: 5w @ 34avg/10.1rpo
Matt Boyle is the best batter for Canterbury and Muhammad Abbas is one of Wellington's best batters who also offers handy lefty seam.
Boyle has scores of 1, 26 and 49 in his last three games. He is the only Canterbury batter with 200+ runs and his strike-rate of 157.03 is much higher than Tom Latham's 112.2sr, while chillin' alongside Chad Bowes' 157.42sr. Boyle now has a T20 career record of 27.5avg/141.7sr and that's slightly lower than his First-Class average of 29.66.
Abbas is third for Wellington but he and Tim Robinson are the only Firebirds with two 50+ scores. Abbas has scores of 7, 55*, 2*, 22 and 57 this season with a strike-rate of 160.6 which is notably higher than Robinson's 143.75sr.
While Abbas has only taken 2w @ 74avg/9.2rpo, he has bowleed 16 overs and that's tied with Ben Sears as the third busiest bowlers for Wellington. Last summer Abbas bowled a single over in the Super Smash and he has bowled 2ov in the last two seasons of Ford Trophy combined. The prospect of a classy powerful batter who bowls lefty seam is exciting and Abbas is quietly brewing his all-round skillset.
One last scouting note is CD Stags seamer Toby Findlay (21yrs) who picks up with Otago's 17-year-old seamer Mason Clarke left off. Clarke dropped out of the Otago team when Jacob Duffy returned after an impressive start to his domestic career, offering classical out-swing to righties at decent pace.
Findlay didn't take a wicket in his first two Super Smash games but his athletic approach, enough nimble and impressive pace caught the scouting antenna. Then Findlay snared 2w @ 5.2rpo vs Auckland and 1w @ 8.2rpo vs Canterbury, dismissing both Auckland openers and then getting another opener in Bowes.
With 13 overs in four games, Findlay is the fourth busiest CD bowler but he is only behind Blair Tickner's 24ov for CD seamers. Findlay has also conceded just 7.23rpo which puts him a smidge behind Angus Schaw as CD's most economical bowlers.
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