Canterbury's Kings have got off to a flier by smashing their way to the top of the Burger King Super Smash points table at the completion of Round One, sitting on top thanks to a fat net run rate following their record-breaking demolition of the Volts on Thursday, led by star import Ben Stokes.
BIG HITS
Stokes is the runaway early leader on the run charts after his 93 at Hagley Oval, the second highest T20 innings of his career. Next best is Wellington Firebird Michael Bracewell (below) who smote an unbeaten 56 off 26 balls at Seddon Park this evening while Robbie O'Donnell 54*, Auckland Aces) Jesse Ryder (54, Central Stags), and Ish Sodhi (Knights, 51) have all struck half centuries in the opening round.
MOST WICKETS
It’s not often a bowler claims a five-wicket bag in the T20 format and winds up on the losing side, but that’s exactly what happened to Otago Volts paceman Jacob Duffy — the early competition leader with his five wickets — on Thursday evening in Christchurch.
Remarkably it was 23-year-old Duffy’s second career T20 five-for, both against the Kings; while the only other player to have taken two T20 five-wicket bags in the history of the New Zealand domestic competition was also playing in the same match: Kings captain and allrounder Andrew Ellis who claimed both his five-wicket bags at Seddon Park in previous seasons.
With 52 wickets in the format, the youthful but experienced Duffy (having debuted for the Volts as a Southland schoolboy) is well on the way to claiming his province’s record for most career wickets (see SELECTED STATCHAT, below).
ROUND TWO STARTS TOMORROW
ROUND TWO STARTS TOMORROW
The Knights are straight back into it tomorrow night (Saturday 15 December), and will create history by hosting the first night match to be played under the new light towers at their alternate home venue of Mount Maunganui’s Bay Oval. The special occasion match against the unbeaten Auckland Aces begins 7.10pm and is LIVE on SKY Sport.
The Central Stags are looking to spring back from their high-scoring opening round loss to the Aces when they host the Canterbury Kings in their first home match, at Nelson’s Saxton Oval. The match begins at 2pm Sunday and a new face is set to be announced in the squad tomorrow following the loss of Doug Bracewell, George Worker and Adam Milne to the BLACKCAPS.
Saxton Oval is set for a scorcher on Sunday. MButcher/CDCA
Later that Sunday afternoon, at 4.10pm, the Otago Volts host defending champions the Wellington Firebirds in their first home match at Dunedin’s University of Otago Oval; this match is televised LIVE on SKY Sport.
Later that Sunday afternoon, at 4.10pm, the Otago Volts host defending champions the Wellington Firebirds in their first home match at Dunedin’s University of Otago Oval; this match is televised LIVE on SKY Sport.
SELECTED STATCHAT
Should Kings captain Andrew Ellis take three wickets on Sunday at Saxton Oval, he will become the first in the competition's history to reach 100 Burger King Super Smash wickets. Ellis bowled only one over in round one, but that was long enough for him to snare two wickets. Ellis already owns the Kings' team record, the next best career haul a distant 35 by Logan van Beek who this season moved to the Firebirds.
• MOST CAREER WICKETS BY TEAM — active Burger King Super Smash players only
Canterbury Kings - Andrew Ellis 97
Auckland Aces - Tarun Nethula 38 (Team record: Michael Bates 84)
Central Stags - Seth Rance 50 (Team record: Michael Mason 56)
Knights - Tim Southee 50 (also the Knights record)
Otago Volts - Neil Wagner 62 (Team record: Nathan McCullum 63)
Wellington Firebirds - Luke Woodcock 84 (also the Firebirds record)
Central Stags wicketkeeper-batsman Dane Cleaver continued his strong summer in all formats with both bat and gloves on Wednesday by equalling the domestic T20 record for dismissals in an innings, his four catches putting him the same bracket as Derek de Boorder (Otago Volts) and Gareth Hopkins when Hopkins was keeping for the Auckland Aces — Hopkins now the coach of the Knights in Burger King Super Smash.
The powerhouse duo of Colin Munro and Glenn Phillips broke the Aces’ first wicket record for their side against the Stags with their fast stand of 80 at Eden Park Outer Oval, the previous record held by Paul Hitchcock and Martin Guptill (64) had stood for 11 seasons.
The Aces also broke their fifth wicket partnership record in the match, Robbie O’Donnell and Ben Horne’s 74 edging the 71 struck by Colin de Grandhomme and Craig Cachopa in 2012/13. O’Donnell’s match-winning half century was also his individual career best.
Ish Sodhi and Daryl Mitchell smashed a new seventh wicket record for the Knights this evening with their stand of 80 at Seddon Park, easily breaking the previous mark of 42 set by Anton Devcich and Peter McGlashan in Napier 2011/12.
