2025/26 Super Smash: Matthew Boyle, Flora Devonshire, Fraser Sheat & Xara Jetly

Prior to the Northern Districts vs Southern Regions of Aotearoa game day at Bay Oval, there is a glorious vista of young kiwis performing at a high level in both Super Smash competitions. We've already covered many of these players throughout the domestic cricket season and in the opening rounds of Super Smash, so here's a quick debrief of the emerging wave taking over Super Smash.

There are six batters who have batting strike-rates over 170 in the men's competition and all six are 25-years-old or younger.

Highest batting strike-rates in men's Super Smash

  • Jamal Todd: 212.5 (21yrs)

  • Matt Boyle: 198 (22yrs)

  • Lachlan Stackpole: 181.81 (20yrs)

  • Mitch Hay: 181.81 (25yrs)

  • Bevon Jacobs: 178.68 (23yrs)

  • Jesse Tashkoff: 172.05 (25yrs)

Recent updates include...

Mitchell Hay hit 31 runs @ 193.75sr vs Central Districts in Christchurch and then Matthew Boyle exploded for Canterbury in their big win vs CD in Nelson with 73* @ 243.33sr. Jesse Tashkoff scored 83 runs @ 212.82sr for Wellington vs Auckland in Wellington and Bevon Jacobs hit his second 50+ score in a row with 54 runs @ 180sr.

Tashkoff then scored 23* @ 127.77sr vs ND and Jacobs has six 50+ scores in his last six games. In the Wellington vs Auckland game, Lachlan Stackpole also hit 14 runs @ 140sr which wasn't a big knock but maintains his nifty strike-rate.

10 bowlers have 4+ wickets right now and the four lowest averages all below to emerging seamers...

  • Luke Georgeson: 5w @ 8avg (26yrs)

  • Cam Paul: 5w @ 13avg (21yrs)

  • Yahya Zeb: 4w @ 13avg (23yrs)

  • Fraser Sheat: 5w @ 13.2avg (27yrs)

Sheat is the funky wrinkle here because of his 3w @ 4.2rpo for Canterbury in their most recent win vs CD. Sheat has wickets in six consecutive innings and is averaging below 30 in all three formats, having been a consistent force for Canterbury in Plunket Shield despite their immense seam bowling depth. Now Sheat is getting a crack at T20 bowling and he's averaging 22.42 after seven innings.

Flora Devonshire and Izzy Sharp have the highest batting strike-rates for kiwis in the women's Super Smash, while also being in the group of four batters who have scored 100+ runs so far. Both have far higher strike-rates than Georgia Plimmer and also Amelia Kerr, with Sharp being the only other batter aside from Kerr who has two 50+ scores so far.

All four ladies who have scored 100+ runs are 25yrs or younger...

  • Amelia Kerr: 206 runs @ 137.3sr (25yrs)

  • Izzy Sharp: 144 runs @ 156.52sr (21yrs)

  • Georgia Plimmer: 138 runs @ 115.96sr (21yrs)

  • Flora Devonshire: 100 runs @ 175.43sr (22yrs)

Then there is the best bowler on the women's circuit this season in Xara Jetly. The 24-year-old is tied with Elizabeth Cohr (23yrs) and Jess Kerr on 14 wickets in HBJ Shield, while also being the leading wicket-taker in Super Smash. Here's her mahi this season...

  • HBJ Shield: 14w @ 16.28avg/4.4rpo

  • Super Smash: 7w @ 10.42avg/4.9rpo

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Peace and love.