Holding The Fort
Blackcaps T20 scope, Auckland FC & Wellington Phoenix squads, Kiwi-NRL Finals, World Athletics Championships, and more
Scotty’s Word
My rule to focus Blackcaps ponderings: don't worry about players who aren't playing
With that in mind, here are a few key points from the Blackcaps T20 squad to play Australia...
Rachin Ravindra's T20 development
Ravindra has grown into a 1st 11 T20 batter for Aotearoa and this has only become clear since the T20 World Cup last year. He can open the batting but the best opening combo I've got is Tim Seifert/Finn Allen which leads to a Ravindra vs Devon Conway battle to take Allen's spot. Ravindra's best role is batting three or four and, since he has recently emerged as a 1st 11 T20 batter, some sorting through the top-five needs to happen over the next wave of T20I series.
T20I batting by year
2021: 9avg/98sr
2023: 18.2avg/134sr
2024: 15.8avg/119sr
2025: 42.4avg/164sr
T20 leagues this year
IPL: 27.2avg/128sr
MLC: 23.9avg/172sr
Hundred: 30.3avg/202sr
Kinda crazy one-day batting strike-rates
ODI World Cup: 64.2avg/106sr
Champions Trophy: 65.7avg/106sr
ODI career: 44avg/109sr
List-A career: 38.1avg/103sr
Ish Sodhi is still in the mix as a leading spinner
Sodhi and Michael Bracewell will be the main spinners vs Australia, perhaps with a bit of Ravindra sprinkled in. Sodhi hasn't had a settled T20I role over the past year as he only played one game of the T20WC last year and two games of the T20 tri-series in Zimbabwe, which flexes across two different coaches.
This is Sodhi's best year of T20I bowling since 2017 but he has still been solid since the pandemic and has a chance to work closely with coach Rob Walter in the next month.
vs Australia: 22.5avg/8.2rpo
In NZ: 25.4avg/8.4rpo
Last six years of T20I bowling
2020: 26.2avg/7.3rpo
2021: 16.9avg/8.1rpo
2022: 22.9avg/7.9rpo
2023: 26avg/7.5rpo
2024: 29.6avg/8.2rpo
2025: 13.7avg/7.3rpo
Don't forget about Mark Chapman
Like Sodhi, this will be an important phase of T20I cricket for Chapman. He has been underrated for Blackcaps in T20Is and can cover a variety of batting roles, but Chapman's weaker stat zones are against Australia and in Aotearoa - he has a T20I record of 104avg/164sr in Pakistan, for example.
Sodhi has less competition for his spin role than Chapman. The T20 batting department for Blackcaps is flush with talent and I’ll put the spotlight on the Bevon Jacobs/Tim Robinson duo who were both selected in the squad to play Australia beyond the paywall for paid subscribers and the Patreon whanau. Chapman needs to keep chipping in with swift runs to command selection moving forward.
vs Australia: 20avg/121.2sr
In NZ: 20.6avg/138sr
Last four years of T20I batting
2022: 30.8avg/164sr
2023: 44.3avg/142sr
2024: 19.9avg/132sr
2025: 18avg/152sr
By position
Three: 18inns, 22.5avg/135sr
Four: 30inns, 27.3avg/124sr
Five: 26inns, 35.1avg/145sr
Six: 5inns, 8.4avg/113sr
Also...
We aren't far away from a T20 batting unit featuring Allen, Ravindra, Jacobs, Robinson and Glenn Phillips. That tickles my T20 slugging antenna and I only get more fizzed pondering that Muhammad Abbas will soon enter that equation.
Five Funky Things About The State Of New Zealand Test Cricket
2025 New Zealand A Tour Of South Africa Preview
2025 ODI Women's World Cup: New Zealand Squad Breakdown
And also...
Outside of the T20 bubble there are two awesome young batters who showcased Blackcaps depth with their NZ-A mahi in South Africa. Rhys Mariu added a knock of 135 to his double century (249) in the first longform game and he is a 23-year-old averaging 62.7 in First-Class batting - now including two overseas tours with NZ-A.
The funkiest thing about Mariu is how quickly he scores. Usually he starts slow but once he is in a groove, Mariu cruises through batting gears and all his big donnie knocks have as many reverse sweeps as sweeps for example. Simon Keene smashed 67 runs @ 167sr down the order and aside from Keene, Mariu scored 414 runs in these two game with a strike-rate of 86.43 and the only batter in the top-order who scored 50+ runs with a strike-rate over 80 was Jacobs (86.44sr).
Keep in mind that Mariu scored 58 runs in his second ODI with a strike-rate of 95.
Curtis Heaphy is 22-years-old and he had scores of 35, 30*, 32, 36, 190 and 13* in South Africa. Heaphy scores much slower but his quality is undeniable and he is now averaging 42.3 in FC batting to go with his List-A average of 50.5. He played a funky role in Central Districts winning the Super Smash and was the leading run-scorer in Ford Trophy last summer as well.
Mariu, Heaphy and Abbas will dip beneath the Blackcaps T20I radar but they are freaky batting talents who are already offering competitive depth in the Blackcaps pipeline. All three are 23-years-old or younger and no one should be worried about the future with these lads in the stash.
I have lots of NZ-A stats listed beyond the wall as I prepare for the tour debrief. Another thing I've got for paid Subscribers and the Patreon whanau is a spotlight on the Kerr sisters. Jess has developed into an impressive all-rounder and along with Amelia, they should be 1st 11 players throughout the ODI World Cup.
Aotearoa rugby league nuggets...
Special mention to the Tafua siblings from Christchurch. Older sister Jaydika is starting edge forward for Sharks in NRLW and Makaia isn't named for NZ Warriors in NSW Cup but he played their first finals game and is the next up dummy half behind Samuel Healey. Makaia might get a late inclusion for the game vs Eels on Saturday night and then there is the youngest sibling Evander who is in the Bulldogs system while still based in Christchurch.
They each represent a different club in Christchurch as well. Jaydika is a Papanui junior, Makaia is a Linwood junior and Evander is a Sydenham junior.
All Players From New Zealand Named In NRL/NRLW Finals (NRL Week 2, NRLW Week 1)
Jordan Riki (Hornby) leads the South Island crew in NRL/NRLW finals and Hokitika's Rosie Kelly is on the extended bench for Cowboys in NRLW finals.
The most notable rugby union wahine in NRLW finals won't be playing this round as Broncos are having a rest. Kerri Johnson is from Kaikohe and while Stacey Waaka was awesome for Broncos last year, the team is just as good with Johnson on the wing in her first season of NRLW.
Johnson played for Blues in Super Rugby Aupiki and Azalleyah Maaka played for Chiefs Manawa via Gisborne. Maaka has only crept into the Broncos team for their last few games but she could get a bench role for finals footy.
Top-tier Kiwi Ferns named in NRLW finals (Kiwi Ferns potential)
Knights: Shanice Parker, Tiana Davison (Tenika Willison)
Titans: Georgia Hale
Cowboys: Abigail Roache (Rosie Kelly - extended bench)
Sharks: Brooke Anderson, Tyla King
Best youngsters in NRLW finals
Knights: Fane Finau (Otara - likely to play for Tonga)
Sharks: Jaydika Tafua (Papanui - likely to play for Samoa)
Musical jam…
Nick’s Notebook
Aotearoa at the 2025 World Athletics Champs
Geordie Beamish – Men’s 3k Steeplechase - GOLD
Hamish Kerr – Men’s High Jump - GOLD
Sam Tanner – Men’s 1500m – 10th in Heat (DNQ)
Ethan Olivier – Men’s Triple Jump – TBD
Tom Walsh – Men’s Shot Put - 4th
Nick Palmer – Men’s Shot Put – 15th in Qualifying (DNQ)
Connor Bell – Men’s Discus – TBD
Zoe Hobbs – Women’s 100m - 5th in Semi Final (DNQ)
Olivia McTaggert – Women’s Pole Vault - 8th
Imogin Ayris – Women’s Pole Vault - 10th
Eliza McCartney – Women’s Pole Vault – No Measurement in Final
Lauren Bruce – Women’s Hammer - 19th in Qualifying (DNQ)
Tori Moorby – Women’s Javelin – TBD
Maddi Wesche – Women’s Shot Put – TBD
New Zealand hadn’t won a gold medal at the World Athletics Champs since Tom Walsh in 2017. We didn’t even get a single medal at either of the previous two events... now this time Beamish and Kerr have both gotten golds and there are a couple more events still to go (Maddi Wesche is the only serious medal chance of them, admittedly). Any kinds of medals at these games are rare for NZ, pretty sure you can guess who’s going to dominate the following list of all of them...
NZ Medals at World Athletics Championships
Beatrice Faumuina – Women’s Discus – GOLD in 1997
Valerie Adams – Women’s Shot Put – SILVER in 2005
Valerie Adams – Women’s Shot Put – GOLD in 2007
Valerie Adams – Women’s Shot Put – GOLD in 2009
Valerie Adams – Women’s Shot Put – GOLD in 2011
Valerie Adams – Women’s Shot Put – GOLD in 2013
Tom Walsh – Men’s Shot Put – GOLD in 2017
Tom Walsh – Men’s Shot Put – BRONZE in 2019
Geordie Beamish – Men’s 3k Steeplechase – GOLD in 2025
Hamish Kerr – Men’s High Jump – GOLD in 2025
An incredible stat about Hamish Kerr... his personal best at the high jump is 2.36 metres and he’s achieved that clearance in three competitive meetings:
The 2024 Olympic Final
The 2024 World Indoor Championships Final
The 2025 World Athletics Championships Final.
All three of them were for gold medals. You wanna talk about peaking for the most important occasions, nobody does it better than Hamish Kerr.
The Aussie NBL tips off this evening, with the Breakers in action against Brisbane on Friday night. The Breakers just got back from a two-game trip to Japan where they faced B-League teams Nagasaki Velca and Kumamoto Volters. They won the first game, then lost the second after injuries and illness left them with only seven available players. Doesn’t really matter. Those games were all about getting in shape for week one so obviously you’re not going to risk Parker Jackson-Cartwright or Rob Baker, et cetera.
The Breakers have also added Jack Andrew to their roster. The recent Tall Blacks debutant, coming off a superb campaign with Taranaki Airs, will occupy the development player spot vacated by Kaia Isaac. He was previously a DP for two years with the Perth Wildcats. This is yet another example of NZB using these development spots to bring in older, more experienced players who are ready to contribute immediately if the opportunity arises. Andrew gives them a little extra depth in the big man positions and a more traditional centre presence around shooters like Sam Mennenga and Rob Loe. More fantastic work expanding that kiwi depth on the roster.
Kiwis on NBL26 Rosters
Illawarra Hawks – Luca Yates (DP), Jackson Ball (DP)
Melbourne United – Shea Ili, Finn Delany
Perth Wildcats – Dontae Russo-Nance
SEM Phoenix - N/A
Sydney Kings – N/A
Adelaide 36ers – Flynn Cameron
Tasmania JackJumpers - N/A
Brisbane Bullets – Tyrell Harrison, Tohi Smith-Milner, Taine Murray
NZ Breakers – Sam Mennenga, Taylor Britt, Izayah Le’Afa, Reuben Te Rangi, Max Darling, Rob Loe, Carlin Davison, Alex McNaught (DP), Tukaha Cooper (DP), Liam Judd (DP), Jack Andrew (DP)
Cairns Taipans – Sam Waardenburg
We did get the disappointing news that Sam Waardenburg needed ankle surgery and is going to miss a good chunk of the season as a result. That sucks because he was in line to be one of the top tier kiwi players for what’ll hopefully be a much improved Taipans squad. Other guys in that top tier: Shea Ili, Finn Delany, Flynn Cameron, Tyrell Harrison, and Sam Mennenga. They’re the ones whose exploits should be popping off the box scores.
Previewing the Revamped and Revitalised New Zealand Breakers For NBL26
And while that’s going on, we’re also only a week away from the start of a new Tauihi season. There have been a couple of rule changes for 2025. They’ve gone back to having players foul out after five personal fouls, having toyed with giving them an extra one last time. The five imports thing remains (of which two must be from Asia/Australia) but it seems that it’s no longer a prerequisite, i.e. you don’t have to use all of the import spots if you don’t want. There’s still the rule about having at least one NZ player on the court at all times.
The excess of imports last season took a lot of the fun away from the competition for me, to be honest. The Men’s NBL strikes a great balance with three imports which still leaves heaps of room for the New Zealand players who, from my position as an NZ sports tracker, is what I’m most interested in... and I’m pretty sure that tracks with most fans too. Having so many imports in Tauihi doesn’t affect the best Tall Ferns who still have room to do their thing… but the role players and emerging players beneath them do get limited action. Personally, I’d drop it to four imports but whatevs.
Notable Tall Ferns in Tauihi 2025
Northern Kāhu – Tahlia Tupaea, Mary Goulding
Tauranga Whai – Tayla Dalton, Emme Shearer, Jade Kirisome
Tokomanawa Queens – Stella Beck, Penina Davidson, Josie Trousdell, Pahlyss Hokianga
Mainland Pouākai – Esra McGoldrick, McKenna Dale, Charlotte Whittaker
Southern Hoiho – Eva Langton, Rebecca Pizzey, Zoe Richards
Kiwis Playing in Australia’s WNBL Instead
Sharne Robati, Ella Tofaeono & Ashlee Strawbridge (Adelaide Lightning)
Tegan Graham (Perth Lynx)
Tera Reed (Southside Flyers)
The Wellington Phoenix completed their A-League Men’s roster with the additions of Dan Edwards and Ramy Najjarine. Edwards will compete for minutes at left wing-back while Najjarine will boost the attacking midfield stocks. Edwards is getting his big break in pro footy at 27 years of age whereras Najjarine is 25yo and has played 102 A-League games.
Three of the six players in this Nix squad with the most ALM appearances are new signings (Nikola Mileusnic, Ramy Najjarine & Carlo Armiento)… you can see how that must have been a priority alongside the academy youth and the imports. Rufer, Payne, and Retre, plus those three new guys, are the only fellas in this squad with 40+ ALM games under their belts. Marco Rojas, David Ball, and especially Kosta Barbarouses left a big hole in that regard.
Another funky fact: although Ramy Najjarine was born and raised in Australia and represented them throughout the age grades... he recently switched allegiances to Lebanon and debuted for them in a draw against Indonesia during the last FIFA window. That means the Phoenix have two Aussie-born Lebanese internationals at the club: one in the men’s team (Najjarine) and one in the women’s team (Tiana Jaber). Very cool.
Wellington Phoenix 2025-26 ALM Squad
GK: Josh Oluwayemi (I), Alby Kelly-Heald
DEF: Manjrekar James (I), Tim Payne, Carlo Armiento, Lukas Kelly-Heald, Isaac Hughes, Matt Sheridan, Corban Piper, Jayden Smith (S), Dan Edwards, Xuan Loke (S)
MID: Alex Rufer, Paolo Retre, Ramy Najjarine, Kazuki Nagasawa (I), Fin Roa Conchie
FWD: Ifeanyi Eze (I), Nikola Mileusnic, Hideki Ishige (I), Nathan Walker (S), Luke Brooke-Smith (S), Luke Supyk, Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues (S)
That’s a conservative guess as to what the first eleven might look like. If you’ve been reading my stuff (or listening to Tuesday’s podcast) then you’ll know I’m suspecting Tim Payne may drop into the back three (with Hughes swapping to the left at AKH’s expense). In that case, Xuan Loke would be challenging with the jack-of-all-trades dudes Corban Piper and Matt Sheridan for RWB minutes. Ishige and Eze might swap but this was how they lined up during the Aussie Cup. Don’t be shocked if Luke Brooke-Smith nudges Mileusnic out of the eleven either. That kid is special.
Auckland FC have also completed their squad. Four days after St Louis City announced that they’d loaned Aussie youth international Jake Girdwood-Reich to AFC, AFC finally confirmed the move from their end. This is a single-season loan (continuing the trend they set last year with Max Mata and Alex Paulsen). St Louis claims to have the option to recall him prior to January (not sure why they would since STL aren’t going to make the playoffs, thus their season will be over in a month), otherwise the move will last through to June 2026. JGR was given his pro debut by Steve Corica at Sydney FC and now they’ve been reunited.
Although the 21yo has predominantly been seen by St Louis as a defensive midfielder, he’s been signed by AFC to cover central defence with Nando Pijnaker expected to miss a chunk of time after ankle surgery and Tommy Smith having left the club. This means they won’t have to turn Hiroki Sakai into a full-time CB or lean too hard on reserves team players like Semi Nabenu or Luka Vicelich (who each still stand to benefit from the limited depth in that position). JGR has made 18 appearances in MLS over the past year and a half, although only seven of those were starts.
Auckland FC 2025-26 ALM Squad
GK: Michael Woud, Oli Sail, Joe Knowles (S)
DEF: Francis de Vries, Nando Pijnaker, Hiroki Sakai (I), Callan Elliot, Dan Hall, Jake Girdwood-Reich, Adama Coulibaly (S)
MID: Jake Brimmer, Louis Verstraete (I), Felipe Gallegos (I), Cam Howieson, Finn McKenlay (S), Oli Middleton (S)
FWD: Guillermo May (I), Logan Rogerson, Sam Cosgrove (I), Jesse Randall, Marlee Francois, Lachlan Brook, Liam Gillion (S), Jonty Bidois (S)
For obvious reasons, this group is much more settled than the Nix. Not sure which side Rogerson and Brook will line up on, they swapped around during the Aussie Cup. Girdwood-Reich is holding the fort until Nando Pijnaker returns. Woud is the number one ahead of Oli Sail.
My big question would be whether a bench unit of Brimmer, Randall, Francois, Elliot, and Howieson is capable of turning a game in the right direction. They might be... Randall was on fire during Aussie Cup and Francois did seem to be finding his feet towards the end of last term. Liam Gillion is hanging around too. But Brimmer’s the only one of those guys who feels like he’s genuinely challenging for first eleven status (unless Sakai plays CB in which case Callan Elliot is the RB).
All Whites vs Australia 2025 Soccer Ashes: The Aftermath
Musical Jam...
