While the one-day Ford Trophy is on pause, the 100th season of the four-day Plunket Shield has got underway, with six domestic teams battling for early honours. Here are the major highlights from the first round.
Glenn Phillips returns to action
Glenn Phillips wasn't originally named in Otago's XII for the first round, but after clearing a late fitness test, he returned to action from injury and had a good workout against Wellington at Basin Reserve.
Though Phillips scored only 6 in the first innings, he had a bigger role to play with the ball, bowling 37 overs across two innings and coming away with five wickets. Having proved his match fitness, Phillips could be back in contention for selection for the upcoming three-match Test series against West Indies. The allrounder has not played for New Zealand since the Champions Trophy final against India in Dubai in March earlier this year.
After Wellington were asked to follow-on, Phillips found turn with a new-ish ball and had opener Sam Mycock caught at short leg. He then had Nick Kelly nicking to slip, for 150, with the older ball and proceeded to dismiss No. 11 Liam Dudding, setting up a simple 96-run chase for Otago. He then crashed an unbeaten 28 off 20 balls to ice the chase.
After spending several months on the sidelines Phillips had an active week: he was retained by Gujarat Titans for IPL 2026 and impressed on his comeback from injury.
Triple delight for Otago
Otago's win, though, was set up by centuries from their top three: Jack Boyle, Jacob Cumming and Tom Jones. Jones, the grandson of former New Zealand captain Jeremy Coney, enjoyed a memorable debut for Otago, hitting 119 off 124 balls, including 16 fours and three sixes. He took charge after Jack and Jacob, the son of former New Zealand opener Craig, struck up a 210-run opening stand after Otago were asked to bat. Having moved from Central Districts, Boyle scored a career-best 156 in his first Plunket Shield outing for Otago. This was only the fourth instance of top-three batters scoring hundreds in a Plunket Shield innings.
Matt Boyle also posts his career-best score
Jack's younger brother, Matt, too lit up the opening round, following up his first-innings 70 with a career-best 156 not out in the fourth innings against Northern Districts in Rangiora. Matt came to the crease when Canterbury were 51 for 4 in pursuit of 370. He combined well with opener Chad Bowes (118) and wicketkeeper-batter Mitch Hay (59*) as Canterbury stormed back to chase the target and stun defending champions Norhtern Districts. This was Canterbury's highest successful chase at Mainpower Oval. In the next round, Matt will come up against his brother Jack next week in Dunedin.
Aryan Mann: a future star?
In the injury-enforced absence of Tim Seifert and Ben Pomare, Northern Districts seem to have found a future star in Aryan Mann, who turned 19 in October and could be in action for New Zealand at the Under-19 World Cup in January next year. Having made his Ford Trophy debut last week, the wicketkeeper-batter scored twin fifties on Plunket Shield debut. In the process, he went after Ish Sodhi and showed why he is rated highly in the New Zealand cricket circles. Mann was also sharp behind the stumps, effecting four dismissals. Earlier during the winter, he had travelled to Chennai to hone his game at the Super Kings Academy in Chennai.
"Aryan has come in and he's been with us for a couple of years," Northern Districts captain Jeet Raval told ESPNcricinfo in the lead-up to the red-ball season. "He's an easy-going character and doesn't get fazed by the occasion and I think he's quite comfortable in his own skin. He's worked hard to get to this level and we've seen how he operates on a daily basis. He belongs to this level and I have no doubts he will go on to achieve bigger and better things."
Stackpole, Jacobs power Auckland
Auckland kickstarted their Plunket Shield campaign with an innings win against Central Districts in Palmerston North. Dale Phillips, Glenn's brother, and captain Sean Solia, who recently played for Samoa, fell early, but Bevon Jacobs and Lachlan Stackpole propelled Auckland to 406. While Jacobs fell six short of a century, Stackpole zoomed past the landmark and finished with a career-best 148 off 112 balls, including 11 fours and nine sixes.
While Jock McKenzie and Simon Keene caused damage to Central Districts' reply and helped Auckland enforce the follow-on, offspinner Rohit Gulati triggered another Central Districts collapse with a maiden five-wicket haul in his second Plunket Shield match.