Canterbury's beanpole quick Kyle Jamieson rang in the New Year with a New Zealand record haul before the Super Smash headed into a five-day break. ESPNcricinfo looks back at the second week of the tournament
Jamieson towers over Auckland
Two days after his 24th birthday and on the first day of 2019, Jamieson exploited a bouncy Eden Park track to claim 6 for 7 - the best return by a New Zealand bowler and the third best overall in T20s. Jamieson's extraordinary feat had former New Zealand coach Mike Hesson gushing on Twitter: "An impressive bowler who at 6ft 8in can swing it......another one to add to the @BLACKCAPS stable."
Jamieson, who is reportedly taller than "Two-Metre Peter Fulton", used his height to extract bounce and harry Auckland.
He bounced out opener Sean Solia in his first over and meted out similar treatment to James Vince in this next over, which also included the wickets of Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman. While Jamieson swooped in on the ball from his followthrough and ran out Phillips, Mark Chapman popped a low catch to Stephen Murdoch at slip. After conceding only one run in his next over, he was pulled out of the attack. He then returned in the 18th over to snip off the tail in another triple-wicket over.
Jamieson was on a hat-trick after removing Mitchell McClenaghan and Ben Lister, but Will Somerville denied him and made 27 off 24 balls to drag Auckland past 100.
We spoke to @CanterburyCrick Kings' Kyle Jamieson on his record breaking spell of 6-7 at @edenparknz today #BKSuperSmash #acesvkings pic.twitter.com/8FhcGqApWr
— Super Smash (@SuperSmashNZ) January 1, 2019
James Vince's Super Smash debut
England international Vince's batting has always been stylish but has lacked substance. His Super Smash debut wasn't any different. He promised much when he cracked seamers Ed Nuttal and Henry Shipley through the covers, but was undone by the extra zip and bounce of Jamieson. Vince was late onto a pull and wound up top-edging a catch to Cam Fletcher, the keeper, for a run-a-ball 18. With Colin Munro and Martin Guptill both on national duty, Auckland will want bigger contributions from their England recruit.
Match of the week
Defending champions Northern Districts' scrap against Otago in Alexandra. After opting to bat on a slow, low pitch, Otago hobbled to 99 for 7 in their 20 overs, with none of their batsmen striking at over 100. Seamer Scott Kuggeleijn came away with 2 for 11, while spinners Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi had combined figures of 8-0-34-3.
The Knights, too, struggled to come to grips with the tricky track and slumped to 35 for 3 in the eighth over. But a measured 34 not out off 32 balls from captain Dean Brownlie saw them home with five wickets and 14 balls to spare.
Batsman of the week
Brownlie, again. After launching the tournament with a boundary-laden 99 in Hamilton, he knuckled down on a more difficult pitch at Molyneux Park, ushering the Knights home in a low-scoring scrap against Otago. He was the only batsman from both sides to strike at over 100 in that match.
Bowler(s) of the week
Jamieson, who else? His record six-wicket haul vaulted him to the top of the bowling charts. Pretoria-born seam-bowling allrounder Christi Viljoen has one wicket less than Jamieson but has been more economical. After picking up 4 for 23 to spark a dramatic Wellington collapse last week, Viljoen took 1 for 16 in three overs to make the Knights work hard for their victory.
A string of such performances could give him a shot at international cricket in the new year, when he becomes eligible for New Zealand selection. So, what're the odds of Viljoen doing a Neil Wagner in 2019?