The Window
Blackcaps vs Sri Lanka T20s, Flying Kiwis transfer tracker, Auckland FC, Super Smash, Breakers NBL, James Fisher-Harris & more
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Regular Programming Resumes For New Zealand's White Ferns After 2024 Rose Bowl (Cricket)
2024/25 Super Smash Scout: Max Chu, Bree Illing & Upset Wins (Cricket)
2024/25 Super Smash Scout: All Things Otago, Central Districts Youngsters (Cricket)
2024/25 Super Smash Scout: Kerr Sisters Takeover, The Legend Of Brett Hampton (Cricket)
Five Things From The Wellington Phoenix's Return To Winning Ways vs Newcastle Jets (Football)
Flying Kiwis – December 31 (Football)
2024 Women’s National League – Team of the Season (Football)
Scotty’s Word
Blackcaps have played five T20Is against Sri Lanka in the last few months and their series win in Aotearoa takes them to a 3-2 record. This series win gives Mitchell Santner a 15-10 record as T20I captain and the biggest Blackcaps storyline continues to be the emerging talent.
In this review of Blackcaps Test cricket it was highlighted that Rachin Ravindra was second for Blackcaps Test runs last year (2024) and Will O'Rourke was second for wickets. Glenn Phillips settled in as a 1st 11 trooper and there were also debuts for Ben Sears and then Nathan Smith.
Matt Henry's dominance and Will Young demanding 1st 11 selection add to the freshness of Blackcaps Test cricket. Blackcaps just won a T20I series with a fresh squad and Bevon Jacobs didn't even play - reinforcing the slow brew Blackcaps development process.
In the five T20Is vs Sri Lanka, Zak Foulkes and Mitch Hay join Daryl Mitchell as the only Blackcaps with batting strike-rates over 140.
Batting Strike-Rates
Daryl Mitchell: 155.4
Zak Foulkes: 152.7
Mitch Hay: 148.5
Michael Bracewell: 139.3
Rachin Ravindra: 136.8
Tim Robinson: 129.5
Mark Chapman: 116.9
Glenn Phillips: 101.8
Foulkes also finished tied with Jacob Duffy for wickets across these five T20Is vs Sri Lanka…
Most Wickets
Jacob Duffy: 8w @ 11.8avg/5.9rpo
Zak Foulkes: 8w @ 20.3avg/8.9rpo
Matt Henry: 5w @ 21.2avg/8.8rpo
Mitchell Santner: 5w @ 25.6avg/6.7rpo
Michael Bracewell: 4w @ 37avg/8.7rpo
Glenn Phillips: 4w @ 11avg/7.5rpo
Foulkes and Mitchell were the only batters over 150sr, plus Foulkes was tied for the most wickets. Regular readers/listeners already know all about the Darfield dawg Zak Foulkes and we start 2025 with a heavy dose of Foulkes' flexing in T20Is. Foulkes and Hay have T20I career strike-rates of 148, ranking them 7th/8th in the highest T20I batting strike-rates for all New Zealand batters.
Hay isn't scoring big runs but he's scoring any runs he gets quickly, which is A) his job and B) ideal for a youngster starting his career. Even if you don't like Hay, it's all good because Max Chu is competing for a next up spot and I love Ben Pomare's mahi so watch out for him with Northern Districts. Curtis Heaphy was wicket-keeper for Central Districts in Dane Cleaver’s absence too.
Tim Robinson is likely to keep getting the T20I opener gig and while he hasn't dominated this role yet, he continues to show signs of his potential. Robinson had 92 runs @ 18.4avg/129sr in five T20Is vs Sri Lanka, with a T20I career record of 19.4avg/132sr. Now he moves into Super Smash where he has a T20 record of 23.8avg/140sr.
I reckon Robinson is a better all-round batter than Finn Allen. A slightly better First-Class average (25.7avg vs 20.9avg) reinforces the vibe, as does Robinson hitting a FC century with seven 50+ scores in 15 games compared to Allen's no century and four 50+ scores in 20 games. Most notably, Robinson is selected to open the batting in all three formats for Wellington and Allen has never had a settled role for Auckland in Plunket Shield.
Patience is required as the youngsters roll through different conditions and opponents in the international arena. They all look comfy at this level and have shown enough to suggest that they will take Blackcaps forward without much of a dip in performance, to the point where I believe Blackcaps will only get better over the next two years.
There are some patches of out of formness in T20Is...
Mark Chapman
2024: 19.9avg/132sr
Away/Home vs SL: 13.8avg/117sr
Glenn Phillips
2024: 32avg/128sr
Away/Home vs SL: 10.8avg/102sr
Michael Bracewell
2024: 37avg/8.6rpo
Away/Home vs SL: 37avg/8.7rpo
Here's a quick whip up of an Aotearoa youngster team to play all formats including young Blackcaps...
Tim Robinson, Rhys Mariu, Rachin Ravindra, Bevon Jacobs, Mitch Hay (wk), Zak Foulkes, Nathan Smith, Adithya Ashok, Will O'Rourke, Ben Sears, Matt Fisher
Squad: Curtis Heaphy, Luke Georgeson, Max Chu, Kristian Clarke
While at it, here is a women's version with no White Ferns ...
Emma McLeod, Yasmeen Kareem, Natasha Wakelin, Anna Browning, Flora Devonshire, Holly Top (wk), Xara Jetly, Marama Downes, Ocean Bartlett, Bree Illing, Emma Black
Squad: Olivia Gain, Eve Wolland, Hannah Francis, Missy Banks
Any time you see 'most Test wickets/runs' stuff keep in mind that England, Australia and India play far more Test cricket - probably too much. Meanwhile the rest of the Test cricket world is operating at a high level when leaning more into efficiency...
New Zealand has Matt Henry & Kane Williamson as elite Test players in 2024. Rachin Ravindra & Will O'Rourke in the mix. Kamindu Mendis (Sri Lanka) was the only Test batter with 600+ runs & 70+ average. South Africa is the only nation with two bowlers taking 30+ wickets while averaging below 20 (Keshav Maharaj & Kagiso Rabada). Jayden Seales (West Indies) is in a group of 6 bowlers who took 30+ wickets while averaging below 21
Lowest Test Bowling Averages in 2024 with 30+ wickets
Josh Hazlewood: 35w @ 13.6avg
Jasprit Bumrah: 71w @ 14.92avg
Matt Henry: 48w @ 18.58avg
Keshav Maharaj: 35w @ 19.2avg
Kagiso Rabada: 34w @ 19.94avg
Highest Test Batting Averages in 2024 with 700+ runs
Kamindu Mendis: 1049 runs @ 74.92avg
Kane Williamson: 1013 runs @ 59.58avg
Joe Root: 1556 runs @ 55.57avg
Harry Brook: 1100 runs @ 55avg
Yashasvi Jaiswal: 1478 runs @ 54.74avg
Super Smash stat leaders before the Auckland vs Canterbury game day...
Women - Batting
Polly Inglis: 69 runs @ 34avg/97sr
Amelia Kerr: 67 runs @ 131sr
Shikha Pandey: 63 runs @ 63avg/131sr
Suzie Bates: 63 runs @ 21avg/95sr
Jess Kerr: 61 runs @ 156sr
Carol Agafili: 40 runs @ 40avg/143sr
Bowling
Eden Carson: 8w @ 8avg/5.4rpo
Kirstie Gordon: 6w @ 9avg/4.5rpo
Amelia Kerr: 4w @ 4.5avg/4.5rpo
Fran Jonas: 4w @ 8.5avg/5.6rpo
Hannah Rowe: 3w @ 4avg/3.2rpo
Hayley Jensen: 3w @ 19avg/4.8rpo
Emma Black: 3w @ 21avg/5.4rpo
Men - Batting
Max Chu: 86 runs @ 43avg/159sr
Joe Carter: 66 runs @ 66av/150sr
Leo Carter: 60 runs @ 30avg/109sr
Llew Johnson: 53 runs @ 26avg/177sr
Will Young: 50 runs @ 50avg/135sr
Cole McConchie: 49 runs @ 49avg/144sr
Nick Greenwood: 48 runs @ 48avg/160sr
Tom Bruce: 44 runs @ 231sr
Bowling
Dean Foxcroft: 7w @ 9avg/6.4rpo
Ben Lockrose: 4w @ 20avg/8.2rpo
Kristian Clarke: 3w @ 10.6avg/8rpo
Blair Tickner: 3w @ 12.3avg/9.2rpo
Mason Clarke: 3w @ 19.6avg/7.3rpo
Andrew Hazeldine: 3w @ 24avg/6.6rpo
There is no way to measure what James Fisher-Harris offers NZ Warriors. It's mana, championship pedigree, and leadership. His involvement can be measured and the first thing that stands out with Fisher-Harris is his seven seasons in a row playing 20+ games, which is boosted by Panthers living in finals footy each year.
Here are the basic stats for Fisher-Harris' five seasons in which Panthers made Grand Finals, with the last four being NRL championships. Fisher-Harris played 23-24 games in all five seasons which makes it easier to assess...
2020: 87% wins, 14 TB, 16 OL, 1534 PCM, 179m/game, 94.6% tackling
2021: 88% wins, 39 TB, 32 OL, 1285 PCM, 149m/game, 94.13% tackling
2022: 91% wins, 33 TB, 16 OL, 1308 PCM, 148m/game, 95.07% tackling
2023: 83% wins, 54 TB, 17 OL, 975 PCM, 130m/game, 91.99% tackling
2024: 70% wins, 37 TB, 14 OL, 990 PCM, 128m/game, 95.94% tackling
There isn't much in those stats to suggest that NZ Warriors have signed a player who can make them better, or cover the production of Addin Fonua-Blake. Fisher-Harris averages 123m/game with 92.5% tackling in his career, also averaging less than an offload per game. However, Fisher-Harris could be the most impactful signing for NZ Warriors in my lifetime and it's all about mana.
Musical jam…
Wildcard’s Notebook
Auckland FC played on Wednesday and Wellington Phoenix play tonight. It was a 0-0 draw for AFC against Melbourne Victory at Mt Smart Stadium, two of the best defences in the competition cancelling each other out. Jack Duncan had a blinder for MVC going opposite Alex Paulsen who kept him on the bench for all of last season at the Welly Nix. Good result for both teams. Keeps Auckland FC in first place for another week.
The early goals last time were cool but by far the most encouraging aspect of the last fortnight for AFC has been how they’ve regained their defensive solidity with Tommy Smith sliding in at centre-back alongside Nando Pijnaker. Those two have been in All Whites squads together for several years but they’d never actually started together except in back threes. Smith hasn’t really been starting anywhere over the last twelve months, not for the All Whites, for Macarthur, or for AFC. But he was excellent in the Melbourne Victory clean sheet and while Hiroki Sakai is an adequate CB… he’s far more effective at RB so this way he gets to stay in his best position. Still reckon they need to pick up some CB depth when the transfer window opens but for now they seem to have locked onto a back four that’ll hold until Dan Hall returns in a month or two.
Expected Goals Leaders Amongst NZers in ALM
Kosta Barbarouses (Wellington Phoenix) – 3.9 xG for 6 goals
Liam Gillion (Auckland FC) – 1.8 xG for 0 goals
Logan Rogerson (Auckland FC) – 1.5 xG for 2 goals
Nando Pijnaker (Auckland FC) – 0.8 xG for 2 goals
Nathan Walker (Wellington Phoenix) – 0.8 xG for 0 goals
Alex Rufer (Wellington Phoenix) – 0.7 xG for 0 goals
Sam Sutton (Wellington Phoenix) – 0.6 xG for 1 goal
Tim Payne (Wellington Phoenix) – 0.6 xG for 1 goal
Corban Piper (Wellington Phoenix) – 0.6 xG for 0 goals
Matthew Sheridan (Wellington Phoenix) – 0.6 xG for 0 goals
This is without counting Ben Gibson (who allegedly has kiwi eligibility) with his 3 goals from 3.0 xG nor Keegan Jelacic (who played U17s for NZ but has made it clear he wants to play for Oz) with his 1 goal from 0.6 xG. Safe to say the top performing kiwi talent in the A-League Men’s right now is mostly hovering in the defensive areas though. Alex Paulsen. Tim Payne. Alex Rufer. Nando Pijnaker. Francis De Vries. Sam Sutton. We’ll see what the Nix youngsters can muster tonight away to Melbourne City.
DOUBLE CHEESECUTTERS!
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Would you believe it, the Breakers won on New Year’s Eve! That snaps the eight-game losing streak while their vanquished opponents Cairns Taipans have now lost 15 in a row. Guts for Sam Waardenburg who had 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists for the Snakes but his team sucks. They’re terrible.
Tacko Fall had another solid box score with 21 points and 12 rebounds in only 16 minutes of action. Better than solid, in fact, he was monumental in setting an early tone... largely because the Taipans didn’t realise that all they had to do was foul him. Then when they should have taken advantage of Fall’s liabilities, they didn’t on account of continually missing open three-pointers. Cairns shot 9/32 (28%) from deep against a team that’s been allowing around 40% from beyond the arc during the losing streak. Shan’t be winning games of basketball while you’re doing that.
Matt Mooney, taking over the main ball-handling duties in the absence of Parker Jackson-Cartright, had his best game in ages: 23 points and 10 assists, able to be much more involved than the catch-and-shoot or catch-and-drive stuff he’s mostly been doing. Looks like Mooney and PJC might be yet another example of recent-era Breakers bad fit recruitment. Good to see Sam Mennenga being more efficient too: 11 points on 5/6 shooting. Plus Max Darling jumped in and hit a few important threes. Pretty confident in saying that this Breakers win was more about the Taipans being mud than it was the Breakers being particularly good but the confidence boost will help.
These are the remaining four games of PJC’s suspension:
Home vs Perth Wildcats on Sunday 5 Jan (4.30pm NZT)
Away to Brisbane Bullets on Wednesday 8 Jan (9.30pm NZT)
Away to Illawarra Hawks on Saturday 11 Jan (7.30pm NZT)
Home vs Melbourne United on Monday 13 Jan (7.30pm NZT)
Then PJC returns for a homer on Thursday 16 Jan against Tasmania JackJumpers. So good business in beating a team that’s now got a 3-16 season record but their next five games include meetings with each of the top three sides on the ladder as well as fifth and seventh. Every one of those teams has at least one New Zealander on the roster with the exception of Illawarra.
One kiwi dude who’s not quite having the season envisaged is Izayah Le’Afa. He’s in a great spot coming off the bench for a competitive Sydney Kings side, albeit one that hasn’t yet found its consistency... a spot where he’s getting good minutes coming in and playing strong defence and getting decent three-point looks. Problem is... he keeps missing those looks. He’s always been a streaky shooter and we saw that when he hit six triples against the Breakers in October but he’s also now had ten separate games going 0-for on at least two 3P attempts. Overall he’s shot 22/85 for 25.9% (and roughly 80% of his field goals have been threes). Perhaps for that reason, Sydney are 3-6 when Le’Afa takes at least four three-point attempts. But, again, he’s a streaky shooter so it could all click for him tomorrow.
Flying Kiwis Transfer Tracker
Righto, three days into the transfer window and what’s gone on so far? For starters, we’re expecting a Stipe Ukich signing in Croatia any moment now. It’s his 18th birthday today which makes him eligible to sign on pro terms overseas. With his Croatian heritage, this was always the expectation. He previously spent some time training with Lokomotiva Zagreb but they backed out due to Auckland City’s compensation demands (fair enough from ACFC, they nurtured him after all). Word is he’ll instead be linking up with NK Istra 1961. This is top division in Croatia. Not for one of the top clubs but that’s fine coz it’ll probably give him more chance of playing. A fantastic move for one of Aotearoa’s finest teenage footballers. And maybe, just maybe, Auckland City will be able to wrangle a temporary loan back for the Club World Cup.
Someone’s taking the piss with Chris Wood being linked to AC Milan, Napoli, and several unnamed Saudi Arabian clubs all of a sudden (I’ve also heard of MLS clubs being keen too, which is cute from them). His form has been special enough to justify this but, let’s be honest, it’s not a coincidence that this is happening during protracted contract negotiations with Nottingham Forest. Feels suspiciously like bargaining power. Woodsy’s in a perfect situation with NFFC, he’s settled and thriving, and frankly is more likely to qualify for Champions League with Forest than he would be at AC Milan based on how those teams are tracking. Sounds like the hold-up is around the length of his deal, with Forest hoping to give the 33yo a one-year contract whereas Wood is holding out for two or more years. He’ll be one of the club’s top earners with whatever he signs.
Norman Garbett has re-signed with Dundalk despite them getting relegated from the League of Ireland Premier Division. Hoping for a bit more game time – which will depend on him staying fit – in the second tier as Dundalk challenge for immediate promotion. Alex Greive’s Bohemians avoided relegation but they also avoided offering Greive a new contract... and considering how little he played for them that probably won’t upset AG too much. We’ll see where he ends up next but a return to the USA, where he had a strong college career, seems like a good fit. Also, remember how Moses Dyer left Canada with an offer in place from a European club? Nothing’s confirmed yet but Galway United are a club to watch.
As mentioned last time, Ollie Whyte’s contract with FC Haka has finished and this time it doesn’t seem he’ll be trialling to remain there. He was one of several players who, according to FCH in their squad update a few week ago, will “continue their careers elsewhere”.
That’s also going to be the case for Gabi Rennie who had an excellent first season as a pro with Aland United (recently voted third place for the league’s Rookie of the Year award)... but Aland Utd have apparently finished with their re-signings and Rennie wasn’t among them, with the coach stating that she’s one of a couple of AU free agents who’ve “been very clear from the start that they want to move on”. Sounds like another offer’s on the table. Jacqui Hand made the switch from Aland United to Sheffield United this time last year so we’ll see what Gabs has planned.
Tyler Bindon logged another strong ninety minutes in a 3-1 win for Reading vs Cambridge United yesterday, a result that lifts the Royals up to fifth on the ladder. Incredible how they keep winning despite everything. No updates there yet but still strongly expect him to be sold this month. Ben Waine returned to the squad for Mansfield Town though, easing thoughts of that loan deal being slashed short. Plymouth Argyle just sacked Wayne Rooney so that’ll be a contributing factor to whatever happens next.
Macey Fraser went on the Beyond The Surface podcast recently, where she spoke about a bunch of things to do with her career – including confirming that it was a coaching decision why she didn’t get any minutes at her U20 World Cup despite being in the squad (I’d assumed it was an injury but okay, doesn’t make sense yet there ya go). Fraser also made clear that she has two more years on her Utah Royals contract, with no hints of anything but a continuation of that partnership. She was back home away from the Royals squad for the end of last season but it now seems clear (as was always the likeliest option) that her leave was merely part of her injury recovery. She’d gone into the Olympics less than 100% due to an ankle issue that occurred with Utah, then she rolled her other ankle at the Olympics and hasn’t played since. Might as well recover back in NZ if she’s already ruled out for the season. So that’s what she did. No dramas there.
Nick’s Top 10 Films of 2024
I did the albums on Monday, today I do the movies. Obviously there are plenty of things I haven’t seen, some of which because they don’t release in NZ until this year, others because I simply haven’t seen them yet (Nosferatu, I’m on my way). Release dates get weird with international differences and festival previews and all them things but whatever, here’s the stuff I dug the most (in no particular order)...
The Beast (d. Bertrand Bonello)
Flow (d. Gints Zilbalodis)
Dune: Part 2 (d. Denis Villeneuve)
Conclave (d. Edward Berger)
Anora (d. Sean Baker)
The Substance (d. Coralie Fargeat)
A Different Man (d. Aaron Schimberg)
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (d. George Miller)
Rap World (d. Danny Scharar & Conner O’Malley)
Juror #2 (d. Clint Eastwood)
Yes, I’m counting Rap World. It was the funniest new thing I saw all year (except maybe for Conner’s stand-up special) and if the critics aren’t brave enough to count it then I am.
Honourable Mentions to: Longlegs (d. Osgood Perkins), Challengers (d. Luca Guadagnino), Hit Man (d. Richard Linklater), Love Lies Bleeding (d. Rose Glass), and Civil War (d. Alex Garland)… as well as whatever 2024 films I watch in the next few months and like better than those already on the list.
Musical Jam...