Two Otago players have made the final cut for the New Zealand squad for the ICC under-19 men’s world cup in South Africa starting next month.
Spinning all-rounder Zac Cumming, son of former Black Caps opener Craig and brother of Otago Volts batter Jacob, has been named alongside Mason Clarke, while wicketkeeper Nick Brown is a reserve.
Pace bowler Clarke, of Wakatipu High School, is just 16 so will have an opportunity to push for selection again in 2026.
Wellington batsman Oscar Jackson will captain the 15-strong New Zealand squad.
Central Districts seamer Matt Rowe is following in family footsteps as the cousin of White Ferns pace bowler Hannah Rowe, while Auckland batter Tom Jones is the grandson of former New Zealand captain Jeremy Coney.
Rowe is one of four new faces in the side, joining the other 11 squad players who helped win the East Asia Pacific qualifiers in Darwin in June to qualify for the 15th edition of the under-19 world cup.
Auckland opening batter James Nelson is another player who forced his way into the squad after leading the run charts at last week’s under-19 national tournament at Lincoln, where he scored four centuries in six innings for the title-winning side.
All-rounder Cam Paul, who was in the squad that qualified in Darwin and had already featured for Canterbury in the Ford Trophy, was ruled out with a dislocated shoulder.
The team will be coached by former Auckland player Jonny Bassett-Graham with assistance from Paul Wiseman and Graeme Aldridge.
"It’s always tough when you’ve got to leave quality players out as we have on this occasion," Bassett-Graham said.
"The loss of Cam Paul to a shoulder dislocation was a blow and also affected other selections as we tried to balance losing his genuine all-round ability.
"The batting order has good versatility and we’re confident we have the right bowling options for the different conditions we may face in South Africa."
The 16 teams at the world cup are broken into pools of four before the super six phase, semifinals and final.
New Zealand are grouped with Afghanistan, Nepal and Pakistan, with their opening match against Nepal in East London on January 21.
NZ under-19
The squad
Oscar Jackson (captain), Oliver Tewatiya, Alex Thompson, Ryan Tsourgas (all Wellington), Mason Clarke, Zac Cumming (Otago), Sam Clode, Snehith Reddy, Ewald Schreuder (ND), Rahman Hekmat, Tom Jones, James Nelson, Lachlan Stackpole, Luke Watson (Auckland), Matt Rowe (CD). Reserves: Ben Breitmeyer, Robbie Foulkes (Canterbury), Nick Brown (Otago), Henry Christie, Amogh Paranjpe (Wellington), Josh Oliver (Auckland).
