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*Unofficial* New Zealand Black Caps Thread

ataraxia

ataraxia

Hall of Fame Member
NZTailender said:
I'm sure the squad won't be too far from the squad that went to South Africa, which was a pretty good squad IMO. No Fisher of course so I guess the questions do they persist with Lister and Carter (who has had a good PS), and do they send Foulkes back for more development? Do you reward the domestic stalwart and Redpath winner Nicholls with a gig, as the experienced guiding hand and maybe captain? Or do you really give more experience to potential reserves like the aforementioned Kelly and Carter? Does someone like Clarkson become more valuable for his bowling if we take more spin options? Hay's the next in line keeper but Chu has had a better season

Carter & Kelly were the only blokes over 30...maybe Lennox had just turned 30 as well. Feels like Lennox should get another gig, and considering it Sri Lanka, Gulati as well as a reward for his PS form? 2nd best wicket taker, 27 wickets @ 28. Or Pringle over Gulati? Does O'Connor as the hot young thing leaps over some more established hands? Keene also went on that tour and is handy with the bat. We seem spoiled for choice with bowlers, keepers all-rounders, but the pure bats look a bit more of a conundrum. The top 4 run scorers this season are all 30+, so do you give a ticket to a bolter like Stackpole? Dhillips gets another run? Continue the faith with Jacobs?

I suspect they'll probably just pick the 14 who went to South Africa and pick a spinner in place of the injured Fisher.

Overall I feel like Carter and Kelly are relatively known quantities at this point. I'd prefer an Under 31 squad (so Lennox gets in).

1. Mariu
2. Heaphy
3. Jacobs
4. Abbas
5. Hay+
6. Clarkson
7. Keene
8. Lennox
9. O'Connor
10. Ashok
11. Gulati

12. Toole
13. Chu+
14. D Phillips
15. M Boyle
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This tour is not only concurrent to the IPL and PSL (sorry Jacobs) but also to the Black Caps in Bangladesh. So it will depend who gets picked for that. With McConchie playing PSL, Pringle should get to the A squad on the spin front.

Carter's an interesting one. I think NZ are pegging him as a strong player of spin, potentially in with a shot for a Handscomb role on an SC tour. Unfortunately for him, we're great at batting against spin. He's behind Young and probably Chapman for his squad position.

I say "probably" since Chapman's been horrendously managed. Despite his very good FC record, averaging 53.65 since turning 24, he's only played 46 career games and none since 2024.
 
NZTailender

NZTailender

I can't believe I ate the whole thing
ataraxia said:
This tour is not only concurrent to the IPL and PSL (sorry Jacobs) but also to the Black Caps in Bangladesh. So it will depend who gets picked for that. With McConchie playing PSL, Pringle should get to the A squad on the spin front.

Carter's an interesting one. I think NZ are pegging him as a strong player of spin, potentially in with a shot for a Handscomb role on an SC tour. Unfortunately for him, we're great at batting against spin. He's behind Young and probably Chapman for his squad position.

I say "probably" since Chapman's been horrendously managed. Despite his very good FC record, averaging 53.65 since turning 24, he's only played 46 career games and none since 2024.
Click to expand...
Totally forgot about this, probably because I don't care for the IPL, and the Bangladesh tour existing hasn't really sunk in.

Imagine the likes of the K Clarkes won't be on the A tour either as they'll probably get ODI/T20 gigs in Bangladesh.
 
ataraxia

ataraxia

Hall of Fame Member
NZTailender said:
Totally forgot about this, probably because I don't care for the IPL, and the Bangladesh tour existing hasn't really sunk in.

Imagine the likes of the K Clarkes won't be on the A tour either as they'll probably get ODI/T20 gigs in Bangladesh.
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I didn't realise the dates had been released. 5–11 Apr for the one-dayers and 16–26 Apr for the FC. The FTP says the Bangladesh LOIs are late April. Lennox and some others might to get to play the A one-dayers before heading to Bangladesh (mind, I'm not sure he makes the cut for the FC team anyway).
 
NZTailender

NZTailender

I can't believe I ate the whole thing
Is NZC waiting until the PS is finished to name to NZ A squad(s)? First game starts literally this week, you'd think the players who are going have been shoulder tapped to like, get their **** together presumably.

Edit: looking at the previous A tour, they named the squad August 22nd (?) ahead of August 30 start day...so assume there will be an announcement today.
 
Skyliner

Skyliner

International Regular
Matt Fisher, Will O’Rourke, and Blair Tickner have been named among the 15-man squads to take on Bangladesh in a white-ball series later this month.

The trio of fast bowlers are set to return to international cricket following injuries that kept them sidelined to varying degrees throughout the home summer.

O’Rourke (back) comes back into the national side for the three ODIs, Fisher (shin) returns for the T20Is, and Tickner (ankle) has been named in both squads.

BLACKCAPS Head Coach Rob Walter said it was pleasing to see the return of several players.

“Will, Blair and Matt have been working very hard over the past few months to get themselves back on the park and back in contention for selection and we’re pleased to welcome them back into the group.

“With the amount of cricket being played in the modern game, having depth in our bowling stocks is key. Having players of this quality come back is great for our side.”

Off-spinning allrounder Dean Foxcroft has earned his recall to the white-ball side since his most recent T20I cap in April 2024.

After returning to play for the Central Stags for the 2025-26 season, Foxcroft played a pivotal role in the team’s Ford Trophy final qualification, finishing as the competitions fourth-highest run scorer.

Test Captain Tom Latham will lead the side, with regular white-ball captain Mitch Santner unavailable due to his commitments with the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.

Muhammad Abbas (ODI), Adithya Ashok (ODI), Kristian Clarke (ODI and T20), and Ben Sears (ODI and T20I) will join the BLACKCAPS squad fresh off the NZ A one-day series in Sri Lanka.

Kristian Clarke and Jayden Lennox are in line to get their second taste of ODI cricket after the historic away series win against India in January.

Clarke and Lennox both enjoyed success with the ball in India, with the former taking 7 wickets across three matches (notably, Virat Kohli twice, Shreyas Iyer twice, and Rohit Sharma once) and the latter returning an impressive economy rate of just 4.20 across his 20 overs in the series.

Rob Walter will be joined by Wellington Blaze Head Coach Jonny Bassett-Graham, Canterbury Men’s Assistant Coach Brendon Donkers, and Otago Men’s Head Coach Josh Tasman-Jones for the tour.

The BLACKCAPS depart New Zealand on Monday 13 April, with the first ODI starting Friday 17 April at 8pm (NZT).
 
Skyliner

Skyliner

International Regular
Black Caps – tour of Bangladesh
Squads

ODIs: Tom Latham (c), Muhammad Abbas, Adi Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver, Dean Foxcroft, Nick Kelly, Jayden Lennox, Henry Nicholl, Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner, Will Young

T20Is: Tom Latham (c), Katene Clarke, Kristian Clarke, Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver, Matt Fisher, Dean Foxcroft, Bevon Jacobs, Nick Kelly, Jayden Lennox, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner
 
NZTailender

NZTailender

I can't believe I ate the whole thing
Glad Abbas is back! And the Fish. Interesting to see Foxcroft back too.

Kind of wish they took more of a punt with the ODI batsmen but maybe those blokes will all be in Sri Lanka (Boyle, Mariu, Heaphy et al). The four day matches there happen at the same time as the odis, which makes me wonder if Fisher will be in Sri Lanka at that point and join for the T20Is
 
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Skyliner

Skyliner

International Regular
If you say that people need to pile on the runs in domestic to bash down the selectors door, then nobody can have any qualms about Nicholls selection, and he is in the conversation to make the tests squad now.

It will be interesting to see who gets named in the A squads for Sri Lanka. You’d have to think O’Connor is in line for a call up.
 
NZTailender

NZTailender

I can't believe I ate the whole thing
Skyliner said:
If you say that people need to pile on the runs in domestic to bash down the selectors door, then nobody can have any qualms about Nicholls selection, and he is in the conversation to make the tests squad now.

It will be interesting to see who gets named in the A squads for Sri Lanka. You’d have to think O’Connor is in line for a call up.
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I'm really excited for the A tour, and this Bangla tour tbf, given we're seeing some newer names around the traps and more talent coming through the ranks. Given the amount of cricket ahead of us against the Big 3, it's somewhat of an exciting time after a bit of a damp squib summer

Fuller Pilch said:
I think they had to pick Nicholls - tbf he's had an amazing last 9 months (scored big test runs for NZ in Zim then turned into Bradman for Canterbury in domestics)
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Apart from it's always good to have an experienced hand guiding the ship, the other contenders based on Ford Trophy form was...Latham, Schmulian, Foxcroft, Young, Robinson and Blundell. Leaving out Robinson perhaps seems like a bit of a missed opportunity, but the somewhat glaring omission is Heaphy who had 363 runs @ 60 with 2 centuries. Can only hope it's because he'll be playing 4 day cricket in Sri Lanka.

Otherwise it's basically the form batsmen of the Ford Trophy, and Nick Kelly who averaged 22. I assume he's 3rd in line after Young and Nicholls as the back up bats in the NZC spreadsheet, though.
 
NZTailender

NZTailender

I can't believe I ate the whole thing
Neil Young said:
Don't think so. Maybe the dream has died. Hasn't died for Nicholls, though. Nicholls will go out on his own terms.
Click to expand...
Just struggling to think of anything happening at the same time as the IPL, unless he has an English gig and is going there to prep? Otherwise a very quiet dropping, from being stand in captain to left out of the squad.
 
Howsie

Howsie

Cricketer Of The Year
Haha well no chance they would take O’Connor over to England he can’t even make a depleted NZ A team.

There is room for the likes of Ryan Harrison though, and 55 year old Peter Younghusband 🙄
 
NZTailender

NZTailender

I can't believe I ate the whole thing
Howsie said:
Haha well no chance they would take O’Connor over to England he can’t even make a depleted NZ A team.

There is room for the likes of Ryan Harrison though, and 55 year old Peter Younghusband 🙄
Click to expand...
Have you got any links? only thing I've found is this from the ODT:


New Zealand A will tour Sri Lanka later this month.

The tour comprises three one-day matches and two four-day matches.

Eight Black Caps feature in the one-day squad: Abbas, Ashok, Clarke, Mitch Hay, Ben Lister, Rhys Mariu, Ben Sears and Tim Robinson.

Otago’ Max Chu has also been named in both the one-dayers and the first-class squads, while Volts seamer Jarrod McKay has also made the squad for the red-ball games.
Click to expand...
 
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