In the lead-up to the highly anticipated ICC big event, the ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup, New Zealand Cricket has unveiled their formidable 15-man roster. Oscar Jackson, a gifted all-round player, will take on the role of captain. Notably, the eagerly anticipated big competition kicks off in South Africa on January 19.
Regarding the team, 11 well-known individuals have been kept for the international competition. Remarkably, three of the remaining four members have some sort of cricketing heritage in their families. Tom Jones is the grandson of former captain Jeremy Coney of New Zealand. Zac Cumming, on the other hand, is the son of well-known pundit Craig Cummins, a former Kiwi player and coach. In addition, Matt Rowe, a different team member, has ties to the family as the gifted women’s pacer Hannah Rowe’s cousin.
Speaking about the Kiwi U19 team’s voyage, they were able to qualify by winning the June ICC East Asia Pacific qualifiers. There are 16 teams in all at the U19 World Cup, split into four pools. Subsequently, Benoni will host the semifinals and final of the knockout stage, which follows the Super Six phase. The Blackcaps are categorized alongside Afghanistan, Nepal, and Pakistan, in that order. On January 21, New Zealand will take the field in East London for the World Cup.
All you have to do is peruse the stellar roster of athletes that have competed for New Zealand in this tournament: Coach for NZ U19
Jonny Bassett-Graham, the coach of New Zealand U19, thought back on the significance of the international competition before leaving for the ICC Under 19 World Cup in 2024. He mentioned senior national icons like Kane Williamson, the captain of the squad, along with Southee and a few more up-and-coming talent like Rachin Ravindra, who played for the nation at the Under-19 level before becoming well-known worldwide. Thus, Bassett-Graham thinks that for New Zealand’s young, aspiring cricket players, this World Cup will be crucial.
“We hope it will be a great experience, and this tournament will be an awesome opportunity for our players to test themselves against the best in the world in their age group.” The Under-19 coach, Jonny Bassett-Graham, was quoted by ESPN Cricinfo as saying, “You only have to look at the impressive list of players who have represented New Zealand at this tournament to understand its importance – from senior Blackcaps like Kane Williamson and Tim Southee through to rising stars like Rachin Ravindra and Adi Ashok.”
New Zealand Squad :
Oscar Jackson, the captain and batsman, Mason Clarke, the pacer, Sam Clode, the wk, Zac Cumming, the spinner and batsman, Rahman Hekmat, Tom Jones, James Nelson, Snehith Reddy, the pacer, Matt Rowe, Ewald Schreuder, Lachlan Stackpole, Oliver Tewatiya, the batsman, Alex Thompson, the wk, Ryan Tsourgas, and Luke Watson,
Ben Breitmeyer, Nick Brown, Henry Christie, Robbie Foulkes, Josh Oliver, Amogh Paranjpe, and Robbie Foulkes are the reserve players.