Central Districts and New Zealand “A” left-arm orthodox bowler Jayden Lennox has earned his first call-up to a BLACKCAPS squad, with both the one-day and T20 squads for the tour of India being named today.
Lennox has been named in the ODI squad, alongside the uncapped Kristian Clarke, and emerging internationals Adi Ashok, Josh Clarkson, Nick Kelly, and the recent Test debutant, Michael Rae.
BLACKCAPS Head Coach Rob Walter said he’s pleased to see Lennox’s progression through the NZC high performance system;
“Jayden has been an identified player of interest for some time and has some good New Zealand “A” experience under his belt. He's consistently been one of the top performers in white-ball cricket domestically for a number of seasons.”
Kyle Jamieson and Mitchell Santner are set to feature for the BLACKCAPS again, with Jamieson coming straight back into both the one-day and T20 sides, and Santner being named in the T20 side only, as part of his return-to-play plan as he recovers from his groin injury.
Michael Bracewell will captain the side during the one-day series in Santner’s absence, surrounded by an experienced leadership group of Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Will Young and Henry Nicholls.
Test Captain Tom Latham and front-line seam bowler Matt Henry both miss the ODI series, with the former staying in New Zealand for the birth of his third child, and the latter continuing to rehab after his recent calf tear ahead of the T20 series and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in February.
Nathan Smith (side), Blair Tickner (shoulder) and Mark Chapman (ankle) were not considered for selection for the ODI series as they continue with their respective return-to-play-plans. Chapman is on track to play in the T20 series.
Ben Sears has returned from his stint in Melbourne, but was not considered for selection in ODI cricket as he works through his return to play program. Sears is progressing well and is on track to be available for the Super Smash.
Kane Williamson is unavailable for ODI selection due to commitments in the SA20 league.
Mitch Hay will keep wicket for the ODI series, whereas Devon Conway will take the gloves for the T20Is.
Jacob Duffy and Rachin Ravindra will both sit out the ODI series to allow them to rest after being involved in all cricket since the start of the home summer.
ODI Squad for India
Michael Bracewell (c) – Wellington Firebirds
Adi Ashok – Auckland Aces
Kristian Clarke – Northern Districts
Josh Clarkson – Central Stags
Devon Conway – Wellington Firebirds
Zak Foulkes – Canterbury
Mitch Hay – Canterbury
Kyle Jamieson – Canterbury
Nick Kelly – Wellington Firebirds
Jayden Lennox – Central Stags
Daryl Mitchell – Canterbury
Henry Nicholls – Canterbury
Glenn Phillips – Otago Volts
Michael Rae – Canterbury
Will Young – Central Stags
The BLACKCAPS will play five T20Is immediately after the three ODIs in India, as part of their final preparation for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup in February and March.
The importance of the series ahead of the T20 World Cup is not lost on Head Coach Rob Walter;
“Playing in the sub-continent is obviously very different to what we’re used to in New Zealand, so any opportunity we can get to expose our guys to those conditions can only be a good thing, especially prior to a T20 World Cup in the subcontinent.”
Alongside Mitchell Santner, Mark Chapman and Matt Henry are set to return to the T20 side after recovering from ankle and calf injuries respectively.
Batters Bevon Jacobs and Tim Robinson both come back into the T20 squad after producing some impressive performances for their respective domestic sides.
Jacobs is averaging 54 across his seven most recent innings, including one century, and Robinson is averaging just over 60 across his last nine innings, including two centuries.
James Neesham and Ish Sodhi also come back into the BLACKCAPS squad, with Neesham having stints in the Nepal Premier League and ILT20 in recent weeks. Sodhi returns from domestic duties with Canterbury.
Newly IPL-contracted players Jacob Duffy and Zak Foulkes have earned the nod after impressing throughout the home summer, with Foulkes set to experience T20 cricket in India for the first time.
Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne, Finn Allen and Tim Seifert will be joining the squad in India as soon as their franchise commitments are complete. This will allow them to feature in the back end of the T20 series in India ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Unavailable due to injury: Will O’Rourke (back), Blair Tickner (shoulder), Nathan Smith (side)
The T20 World Cup Squad will be announced in mid-January.
T20 Squad v India
Mitchell Santner (c) – Northern Districts
Michael Bracewell – Wellington Firebirds
Mark Chapman – Auckland Aces
Devon Conway – Wellington Firebirds
Jacob Duffy – Otago Volts
Zak Foulkes – Canterbury
Matt Henry – Canterbury
Kyle Jamieson – Canterbury
Bevon Jacobs – Auckland Aces
Daryl Mitchell – Canterbury
James Neesham – Auckland Aces
Glenn Phillips – Otago Volts
Rachin Ravindra – Wellington Firebirds
Tim Robinson – Wellington Firebirds
Ish Sodhi – Canterbury
