Black Caps experience in NZ A squad
- Dave Worsley
- 20 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Nine players with Black Caps experience will tour with the New Zealand A squad to Bangladesh in May for five matches.
The tour, will have three white-ball and two four-day matches across Sylhet and Dhaka, in an opportunity to develop New Zealand’s next level of men’s talent and follows last year’s successful home and away A tours against Australia A.
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Wellington Firebirds captain Nick Kelly, who made his Black caps debut during the ODI series against Pakistan, will lead the team in the 50-over List A matches, while Northern Districts batter Joe Carter will captain the side in the two four-day matches.
Carter excelled in New Zealand A’s last visit to the sub-continent, averaging 60 and scoring two first-class centuries, including a career-best 197 during the 2022 tour to India.
Carter and Kelly will headline a strong batting unit which includes recent New Zealand debutants Rhys Mariu and Muhammad Abbas, as well as Canterbury Player of the Year Matt Boyle, Otago Volts Player of the Year Dale Phillips, and Central Stags Ford Trophy Player of the Year, Curtis Heaphy.
Boyle, Phillips and Heaphy scored over 1,000 runs each across the domestic season. Boyle excelled in his white-ball game and finished as the top run-scorer in Super Smash with 377 runs at 37; Phillips led the way for the Otago Volts as their overall top-run scorer (1,094). Heaphy topped the Ford Trophy run-scoring chart with 502 runs at 71.
Canterbury wicketkeeper-batter Mitch Hay will embark on his third New Zealand A series, after featuring 17 times for the Black Caps since making his international debut against Sri Lanka in Dambulla in November.
The 24-year-old has proven his ability at the highest level with both bat and gloves and notched his highest international score, an unbeaten 99*, in the second ODI against Pakistan at Seddon Park earlier this month.
Auckland Aces left-arm fast bowler Ben Lister, who featured 15 times for the New Zealand across the 2023-24 season, spearheads a talented pace bowling unit which also includes recently established Zak Foulkes and up and coming Northern Districts fast bowler, Kristian Clarke.
Lister returns to the New Zealand A setup after a challenging string of injuries that kept him sidelined for majority of the 2024-25 season.
The pace bowling stock are further bolstered by allrounders Josh Clarkson, who featured for the Black Caps in the T20I series against Sri Lanka last November, and Abbas - who offers a left-arm seam option.
The spin bowling group will be led by Auckland Aces leg-spinner Adi Ashok and Central Stags left-armer Jayden Lennox, who receives his maiden New Zealand A call-up, while Otago Volts allrounder Dean Foxcroft also offers a right-arm off-spin option.
Lennox was once again influential for the Central Stags across formats last summer, finishing as the side’s leading the wicket-taking in the Plunket Shield campaign including a maiden five-wicket haul (five for 66) against the Otago Volts in Alexandra last month, while the three-capped Ashok was part of the ODI squad which beat Pakistan 3-0 earlier this month.
The squad will be coached by Bob Carter, with support from fellow NZC high performance coach Paul Wiseman, and former Otago Volts assistant coach, Ben McCord.
New Zealand A squad:
Muhammad Abbas (Wellington Firebirds)
Adi Ashok (Auckland Aces)
Matt Boyle (Canterbury)
Joe Carter (Northern Districts) – Red-ball captain
Kristian Clarke (Northern Districts)
Josh Clarkson (Central Stags)
Zak Foulkes (Canterbury)
Dean Foxcroft (Otago Volts)
Mitch Hay (Canterbury)
Curtis Heaphy (Central Stags)
Nick Kelly (Wellington Firebirds) – White-ball captain
Jayden Lennox (Central Stags)
Ben Lister (Auckland Aces)
Rhys Mariu (Canterbury)
Dale Phillips (Otago Volts)
The squad leaves Auckland on Thursday May 1, before their first 50 Over match in Sylhet on May 5.
New Zealand A tour to Bangladesh
50 Over Matches
1st 50 Over match – Monday 5 May – Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet – 3.30pm NZT
2nd 50 Over match – Wednesday 7 May - Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet – 3.30pm NZT
3rd 50 Over match – Saturday 10 May - Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet – 3.30pm NZT
4-Day Matches
1st 4-Day match – Wednesday 14-17 May - Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet – 4pm NZT
2nd 4-Day match – Wednesday 21-24 May - Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka – 4pm NZT