The two veterans of New Zealand, opening batter Devon Conway and their former captain of the side Kane Williamson, are back as the selectors have named their 15-member squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, which will be taking place both in Pakistan and Dubai International Stadium, starting from February 19.
New Zealand has also added their young two fast bowlers, Ben Sears and Will O’Rourke, alongside the all-rounder Nathan Smith. Sear, who was a traveling reserve during last year’s T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States of America, is in line for his ODI debut after recently featuring in his first encounter in the Super Smash since April for injury.
O’Rourke has featured in six ODIs for eight scalps at an average of 31.62, but he has impressed the most in the longest format with the help of 36 scalps in 18 innings at 24.80. Smith will look to install the lower-order power and aggression with the bat besides offering some seam bowling options.
New Zealand brings back Devon Conway and Lockie Ferguson in ODIs after 14 months
The same squad for New Zealand will take part in the tri-series in Pakistan, involving South Africa, ahead of the Champions Trophy, where Jacob Duffy has been named as the standby of Lockie Ferguson, who won’t be available for those games due to being part of the International League T20 (ILT20). Both Conway and Williamson will also have a tight turnaround after the SA20.
The final in South Africa will be played on February 09, with the ILT20 decider scheduled on the following day. The Blackcaps will face the hosts on February 08 for the first game of the series, followed by South Africa two days later. They will also go through a warm-up fixture against Afghanistan on February 16.
“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 head coach of New Zealand, Gary Stead, expressed on the press conference.
Williamson missed the recent three-match ODI series at home against Sri Lanka because of his involvement with the Durban Supergiants. It was the same case with Conway, who was absent from the series due to his commitments with the Johannesburg Super Kings.
The last of the 165 games in the 50-over format for the former New Zealand captain was the semifinal of the 2023 ODI World Cup against India at Wankhede in Mumbai. This was also the same for Conway and Ferguson.
“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 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.” Gary Stead highlighted.
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The new leader of the side, left-arm spin all-rounder Mitchell Santer, will be leading New Zealand for the first time in a global event and will be targeting some experience from Williamson and Latham. Both Mark Chapman and Will Young have also earned their spots, along with Michael Bracewell.
New Zealand Squad For Champions Trophy and Pakistan Tri Series
Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson (only champions trophy), Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Jacob Duffy (only tri-series).