Black Caps pace trio Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears and Nathan Smith are set to embark on their maiden senior ICC event at next month’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan and UAE.
The trio have been selected in a 15-strong squad for the tournament and the preceding Tri-Series in Pakistan.
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Sears, who was a travelling reserve for last year’s ICC T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies, is selected after making his return to cricket in the Wellington Firebirds’ Super Smash defeat to Central Districts on Thursday.
The 26-year-old was ruled out of November’s test series in India and subsequently missed the first half of the New Zealand home international summer due to a knee injury.
The Champions Trophy, which returns to the pinnacle ICC event calendar after an eight-year hiatus, will be contested by the top-eight ODI teams, all seeking to claim the iconic Champions Trophy white jackets.
The 2025 squad will be wanting to emulate the achievements of their 2000 counterparts who lifted the title, then known as the ICC KnockOut Trophy, by defeating Sourav Ganguly’s India by four-wickets in a thrilling final in Nairobi, Kenya.
The tournament marks a special milestone for captain Mitchell Santner, who will lead New Zealand at a major event for the first time, after being named full-time white ball captain last month.
Santner has been selected as the frontline spin option, alongside all-rounders Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra, and will be supported by senior heads Kane Williamson, and Tom Latham who will take the wicketkeeping gloves for the tournament.
Santner, Williamson and Latham were all part of the the last edition of the Champions Trophy in England and Wales in 2017, while Williamson also featured at the 2013 edition.
Matt Henry will spearhead the pace bowling attack which is further bolstered by the experienced Lockie Ferguson who embarks on his fifth ICC event having played a key role in the last two ICC ODI and T20I World Cups.
Ravindra, Devon Conway and Will Young are selected as the top-order batting options, while Daryl Mitchell and Mark Chapman add depth and power to the batting department.
Pace bowler Jacob Duffy has been named as the squad’s stand-by player, to be included should Ferguson become unavailable because of ILT20 playoff commitments.
New Zealand, who have reached the semifinal or further in four out of their last five major ICC events, have been drawn in Group A of the Champions Trophy alongside hosts Pakistan, and Bangladesh and India, with only two sides able to progress.
“ICC tournaments represent the pinnacle of our game and it’s a huge honour to be picked to represent your country at them,” said head coach Gary Stead.
“I’d especially like to acknowledge Ben, Nathan and Will who will be attending their first senior ICC events and I know they’re really excited to do so.
“Although the Champions Trophy hasn’t been played for a few years, the team is well aware of the history of the tournament and the fact New Zealand were the first winners of the tournament in 2000, when it was known as the ICC KnockOut Trophy.
“The team and support staff are really looking forward to representing New Zealand and our fans on the big stage and giving it our all to make them proud.”
Stead said the squad was a talented one with good depth.
“We’re currently blessed with a lot of quality players and that certainly made for some challenging selection discussions.
“Ultimately, we’ve gone with the squad that will offer us the best options to perform well in the expected conditions in Pakistan and the UAE.
“We’re lucky to have a large chunk of the group with significant international and tournament experience to draw upon.
“The tournament format is a unique one in that you have to hit the ground running which means our preparation in the pre-leading Tri Series is really important.
“It’s going to be a great occasion opening the tournament against hosts in Pakistan in Karachi and we can’t wait to get over there and get stuck in.”
Stead will lead a support staff group featuring batting coach Luke Ronchi and bowling coach Jacob Oram, while Rangana Herath returns to provide specialist spin support having supported the team during last year’s Test tours of Sri Lanka and India.
BLACK CAPS SQUAD
Mitchell Santner (Northern Districts - captain)
Michael Bracewell (Wellington Firebirds)
Mark Chapman (Auckland Aces)
Devon Conway (Wellington Firebirds)
Lockie Ferguson (Auckland Aces)
Matt Henry (Canterbury)
Tom Latham (Canterbury)
Daryl Mitchell (Canterbury)
Will O’Rourke (Canterbury)
Glenn Phillips (Otago Volts)
Rachin Ravindra (Wellington Firebirds)
Ben Sears (Wellington Firebirds)
Nathan Smith (Wellington Firebirds)
Kane Williamson (Northern Districts)
Will Young (Central Districts)
BLACK CAPS FIXTURES
ODI Tri-Series
Saturday, February 8: vs Pakistan, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Monday, February 10: vs South Africa, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore
Friday, February 14: Tri-Series final, National Stadium, Karachi
ICC Warm-up
Sunday, February 16: vs Afghanistan, National Stadium, Karachi
ICC Champions Trophy
Wednesday, February 19: vs Pakistan, National Stadium, Karachi, 10pm NZT
Monday, February 24: vs Bangladesh, Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, 10pm NZT
Sunday, March 2: vs India, Dubai International Stadium, 10pm NZT
Tuesday, March 4: 1st semifinal, Dubai International Stadium, 10pm NZT
Wednesday, March 5 March: 2nd semifinal, Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, 10pm NZT
Sunday, March 9: final, venue TBC, time TBD