Promising Auckland Aces batter Bevon Jacobs is in line to make his BLACKCAPS debut after being included in a 15-strong squad for next month’s T20I Tri Series with South Africa and hosts, Zimbabwe.
The 23-year-old is the only uncapped player in an experienced tour party, captained by Mitch Santner and featuring the return of speedster Adam Milne.
The BLACKCAPS first-white ball tour of Zimbabwe since 2015 will see them play the hosts and South Africa in a four-match T20I tri-series at the Harare Sports Club starting July 16, with the top two teams progressing to the final on July 26.
Jacobs was first called up to the T20 side to face Sri Lanka in December, but wasn’t utilised in the three-game series and has recently returned from a stint with the Mumbai Indians at the Indian Premiere League (IPL).
Milne, who has 53 T20Is to his name, hasn’t featured for the BLACKCAPS since November last year, but has impressed for the Texas Super Kings so far in America’s Major League Cricket (MLC) claiming 9-96 across his first four matches.
Milne will bolster the pace bowling stocks alongside the ICC’s number one ranked T20I bowler Jacob Duffy, and the Canterbury trio of Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke, and Zak Foulkes.
Henry, the reigning Sir Richard Hadlee Medal winner, is set to be back in black after a shoulder injury kept him sidelined from international cricket following the ICC Champions Trophy, where he was the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, helping propel the BLACKCAPS to the final.
Pace bowlers unavailable for selection for this tour were Ben Sears (side injury), Lockie Ferguson (load management), and Kyle Jamieson - who is awaiting the birth of his first child.
Jacobs will be joined in the batting department by hard-hitting openers Finn Allen and Tim Seifert, who impressed in the home T20I series against Pakistan in March.
Allen is fresh off a T20 world-record knock for the San Francisco Unicorns (MLC), where he racked up the most amount of sixes (19) in a T20 innings, taking him to a career-best 151 (off 51 balls).
Seifert was the BLACKCAPS top-run scorer during the home series against Pakistan, amassing 249 runs at 62, including a career-best 97* off 38 balls.
Seifert will take the gloves for the series with Allen identified as the backup wicketkeeper, meaning there’s no room for Devon Conway or Mitch Hay in the 15-player squad.
Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell provide the top order specialist batting, alongside all-rounders Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips and Michael Bracewell.
Ish Sodhi, New Zealand’s second-highest T20I wicket-taker will join Santner as the other specialist spinner in the squad.
Kane Williamson wasn’t included after making himself unavailable for selection.
The tour will be incoming head coach Rob Walter’s first assignment with the BLACKCAPS and he will be joined by batting coach Luke Ronchi, bowling coach Jake Oram, and James Foster who re-joins the group as a fourth coach.
Walter said he was excited to get going.
“I think we’ve got a really strong squad for this tour and I’m looking forward to getting the team together and getting into the work,” he said.
“We’ve got some good experience in the side and it’s nice to be able to welcome back a few of the players who missed the March series against Pakistan because of the IPL.
“It should be a great T20 Tri Series with South Africa who are a very strong side and Zimbabwe who play well at home in their own conditions.”
Walter said Jacobs and Milne deserved their opportunities.
“Bevon’s been an outstanding performer in domestic cricket and has gained some experience in franchise leagues around the world, so it’ll be a good chance for him to get back into the squad and potentially play.
“Adam’s a really skilled T20 bowler, he’s particularly proficient with the ball up front and brings that extra pace and bounce.
“With the likes of Lockie Ferguson, Ben Sears and Kyle Jamieson out it’s great to be able to lean on an experienced head in Adam.”
Walter said the series played an important role in the lead up to next year’s ICC T20 World Cup.
“With the T20 World Cup around the corner, all of our upcoming series are critically important to our build up.
“This series gives us the opportunity to test the breadth of our squad, explore different players and potentially different combinations against some quality opposition.”
BLACKCAPS T20 Tri-Series squad
Mitch Santner (c) (Northern Brave)
Finn Allen (Auckland Aces)
Michael Bracewell (Wellington Firebirds)
Mark Chapman (Auckland Aces)
Jacob Duffy (Otago Volts)
Zak Foulkes (Canterbury Kings)
Matt Henry (Canterbury Kings)
Bevon Jacobs* (Auckland Aces)
Adam Milne (Wellington Firebirds)
Daryl Mitchell (Canterbury Kings)
Will O’Rourke (Canterbury Kings)
Glenn Phillips (Otago Volts)
Rachin Ravindra (Wellington Firebirds)
Tim Seifert (Northern Brave)
Ish Sodhi (Canterbury Kings)
*Uncapped
Replacement players will be named should any squad members in the MLC make the final and arrive late into Zimbabwe.
The matches will be live scored at nzc.nz and the NZC App, while broadcast options are yet to be confirmed.
