The Black Caps’ powers are in decline and a new wave of cricketers are coming through.
Whether they can match the feat of golden generation, which delivered a World Test Championship and nearly a World Cup in 2019, remains to be seen.
But the times, and the personnel, are a-changin’.
The Black Caps have named three potential debutants in a 13-player ODI squad to face Bangladesh in a series starting in Dunedin on December 17.
Central Stags all-rounder Josh Clarkson and Canterbury seamer Will O’Rourke have earned their maiden callups, while Auckland Aces legspinner Adi Ashok has been selected in an ODI squad for the first time after making his T20I debut against the United Arab Emirates in August.
Ashok has been included for the final two games. The 21-year-old has been earmarked for great things.
For one so young, he has already made a solid impact at first-class level. His 36 wickets in 10 games point to a very bright future.
The 22-year-old O’Rourke is another highly rated young player.
The former New Zealand under-19 representative has made a splash in all three formats. But his list-A record of 27 wickets at 23.25 demands attention.
Clarkson’s inclusion will come as a surprise to some, but only those who have not seen the 26-year-old hit a cricket ball. He is a very strong young man with a good amount of domestic cricket under his belt.
It is his strike rate that separates his record from the pack, though. He basically scores at a run a ball in one-dayers and a run and a-half per ball in T20.
As a bowler, he is useful enough on his day.
The squad will be led by Tom Latham and features seven players from the World Cup squad, including breakout star Rachin Ravindra, who finished as the tournament’s fourth-top run-scorer with a New Zealand record-equalling 578 runs from 10 innings.
Otago’s Jacob Duffy gets another opportunity at international level. He has played 10 T20s and three ODIs for his country.
He will be a big loss for the Volts. He has been carrying that attack for years.
National selector Sam Wells said the series against Bangladesh represented a great opportunity to introduce some new faces to the one-day team as several senior players were either resting or nursing injuries.
There is no Kane Williamson. No Tim Southee. No Trent Boult. That trio have been the heart of the team for more than a decade.
Test players Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Glenn Phillips, and Devon Conway are also being given the series off.
"The volume and intensity of the cricket over the winter this year means we need to strike a balance with workloads for players, particularly those that play multiple formats," Wells said.
"That need for balance also creates opportunities and it’s great to be able to give some players their first callups."
Michael Bracewell (Achilles), Matt Henry (hamstring), Lockie Ferguson (Achilles), James Neesham (ankle), Ben Lister (hamstring) and Henry Shipley (back) were not considered for selection due to injury, while Boult made himself unavailable.
The squad will assemble in Dunedin on Thursday.
Black Caps
To play Bangladesh
Schedule
December 17: University Oval, Dunedin
December 20: Saxton Oval, Nelson
December 23: McLean Park, Napier
Squad
Tom Latham (captain), Adi Ashok (games 2 & 3), Finn Allen, Tom Blundell, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Rachin Ravindra, Ish Sodhi (game 1), Will Young.
