While mainstream media hangs on every IPL auction as if it's relevant to kiwi cricket, Bevon Jacobs' dipped out of the IPL mixer at the same time as he flowed into career-best form across the formats and specifically T20 cricket. Jacobs has hit three 50+ scores in a row for Auckland in the Super Smash and ahead of the Wellington vs Central Districts game day in Wellington, Jacobs is the only batter with two or more 50+ scores and 150+ runs.

Jacobs has batted three times so far in Super Smash and that means he has cracked a halfie in every Super Smash innings this season...

vs ND in Hamilton: 55 runs @ 177.41sr
vs Wellington in Wellington: 54 runs @ 180sr
vs Otago in Auckland: 53 runs @ 165.62sr

Having a score in three different locations is notable because Jacobs is working through different conditions, but it's also important for Auckland batters because their batting mahi is boosted by the cauldron of Eden Park's outer oval. Even Martin Guptill scored quicker at his home ground with 13 runs @ 130sr vs Otago after knocks of 3 runs @ 60sr in Hamilton and 19 runs @ 105sr in Wellington.

This provides a lovely snapshot of the different generations of kiwi cricketers and why folks who are still clinging to memories of a previous decade, need to catch up to how freaky these younger cricketers are. Jacobs is the leading run-scorer in Super Smash and he is part of the group of nine youngsters who have strike-rates over 170, while Guptill is 29th for runs with 35 runs @ 11.66avg/106sr.

Don't put Jacobs in the T20 box though because he is simply the best emerging batter in Aotearoa which absorbs all three formats. Jacobs is the best T20 batter on the rise and will soon join the Blackcaps mixer in India where he may also flow into the T20 World Cup squad. Jacobs is also eighth for Plunket Shield runs and he is Auckland's best longform batter, meaning that he is Auckland's best batter in the longest and shortest formats right now.

Jacobs scored four 50+ scores in seven Plunket Shield innings and now he's stacked up seven 50+ scores in the last seven games in which he's batted. The beauty of Aotearoa cricket is that the only blokes who have similar FC mahi to Jacobs as emerging batters, are not among the best Super Smash emergers right now with lads like Dale Phillips, Matthew Boyle, Jamal Todd, Max Chu and Jesse Tashkoff adding to the immense talent in kiwi cricket.

Jacobs has a FC batting average of 53.23. That's higher than Mitch Hay's 48.9 and we saw Hay score 61 runs on Test debut as an example of how this level of excellence can flow into the highest format. Rhys Mariu's FC average of 55.81 is better than Jacobs' and Mariu already has a 50+ score in ODI cricket which shows his class even though he's averaging 33.25 in List-A batting.

Mariu's not a 1st 11 batter for Canterbury in Super Smash though and has only played three T20 games. The other bloke with a bonkers average is CD's Curtis Heaphy who averages 46.71 in FC batting and 52.88 in LA batting, which makes Heaphy the best batter sneaking under the radar. Heaphy has also played a role in a Super Smash championship which balances his T20 mahi of 24.21avg/109sr.

Jacobs has a lower LA average of 25.36 and does his job for Auckland with aggressive middle order batting. He already has a LA strike-rate of 100 and has hit the same number of sixes as fours (30) in his 22 innings. Jacobs has a 50+ score in the current Ford Trophy with the most sixes hit and he had two 50+ scores last season, so his excellence is still evident in his 'weaker' format.

Last year Jacobs made his T20I debut for Aotearoa and smacked 44* @ 147sr vs South Africa in the dominant tri-series campaign for Blackcaps. Many would have seen Jacobs score 20 runs @ 95sr vs Australia in the kiwi spring and viewed Jacobs as build ups, although this was part of an important development period for Jacobs who operated below 15avg/100sr in both his first T20 tournaments overseas and wasn't a dominant force for NZ-A in South Africa.

Jacobs scored no runs in his two one-day innings for NZ-A and had a duck, then a score of 51 runs @ 88sr in his longform appearance. This is part of the development journey for all kiwi cricketers as they learn how to apply their skills in foreign conditions and even then, Jacobs had a destructive T20 innings and still managed to pass 50 runs in a tricky overseas tour.

Most importantly, Jacobs returned to Aotearoa where he has dominated the domestic circuit. His trio of 50+ scores in Super Smash led to this break down of Jacobs' mahi but the funkiest outlook for Jacobs is as an all format Blackcaps, which includes a middle order spot in the Test batting unit. Given that the only other emerging batter who averages 50+ in FC batting is Mariu and he has phenom funk in the longest format, Jacobs should be viewed in the same way as someone who can elevate to a regular Test role.

Scores in last 10 games

0, 32, 94, 26, 66, 58, 125, 4, 5, 55, 54, 53

T20Is

vs South Africa: 44* @ 146.66sr
vs Zimbabwe: 0 runs
vs Australia: 20 runs @ 95.23sr

NZ-A tour of South Africa

FC: 51 runs @ 25.5avg/86.44sr, 1 x 50
LA: 0 runs in 2 innings

2023/24

Ford Trophy: 101 runs @ 16.83avg/93.51sr (6x4/5x6)
Super Smash: 134 runs @ 33.5avg/188.73sr (12/9)

2024/25

Plunket Shield: 476 runs @ 59.5avg/56.86sr, 1 x 100, 3 x 50 (56/16 - 2nd for most sixes)
Ford Trophy: 251 runs @ 35.85avg/106.8sr, 2 x 50 (17/16 - 4th)
Super Smash: 263 runs @ 37.57avg/140.64sr, 2 x 50 (17/15 - 3rd)

2025/26

Plunket Shield: 378 runs @ 54avg/81.29sr, 1 x 100, 3 x 50 (48/10 - 2nd)
Ford Trophy: 130 runs @ 32.5avg/99.23sr, 1 x 50 (7/9 - 1st)
Super Smash: 162 runs @ 54avg/174.19sr, 3 x 50 (10/11 - tied 1st)

Career

FC: 53.23avg/66.49sr (114/27)
LA: 25.36avg/100.2sr (30/30)
T20: 32.57avg/145.53sr (44/41)

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Peace and love.