Ma'ara_Ave
Ma'ara Ave
New Zealand cricketer (born 1998)
Mea Tangi Me Ma'ara Joshua Ave (born 6 July 1998) is a New Zealand-born cricketer, who plays for the Cook Islands national cricket team.[1][2]
Ave is of Cook Islands heritage. He has an honours degree in chemical engineering with a master's degree in dairy science and technology. He works as a researcher for Fonterra.[3]
A right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper, Ave has played Hawke Cup cricket since 2014, first for Marlborough and more recently for Manawatu.[4] He made his List A debut for Central Districts in the 2018–19 Ford Trophy on 24 October 2018.[5] He made his first-class debut on 15 November 2021, for Central Districts in the 2021–22 Plunket Shield season.[6] He made his Twenty20 debut on 31 December 2021, for Central Districts in the 2021–22 Super Smash.[7]
On 11 March 2022, Ave played a match for Otago as a temporary loan player due to Otago being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He replaced wicket-keeper Max Chu.[8] Ave thus became the first player in the history of the Plunket Shield to represent two teams in the same season.[3]
He was part of Cook Islands' Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier A in Vanuatu.[9] He made his T20I debut on 9 September 2022 against Samoa.[10]