Updating The Blackcaps vs Pakistan T20 Squad Breakdown
A few tweaks have been made to the Blackcaps T20 squad who will play five games in Pakistan starting next week with Tom Blundell and Zak Foulkes stepping in for Finn Allen and Adam Milne. Injuries have hindered Allen and Milne which will weaken the Blackcaps squad, although there is still a sneaky chance that this second/third tier Blackcaps T20 crew could upset their hosts.
These selections lay out an intriguing Blackcaps development circuit currently in action around the world. Various lads are soaking up cricketing wisdom in India and as most of them aren't playing, these lads can relax without heavy workloads while continuing to learn. The Kiwi County Tour has Tom Bruce, Nathan Smith and Blair Tickner playing consistent longform cricket with Will Young joining them soon.
These lads would add to the Blackcaps T20 squad but there is also value in allowing the Kiwi County Tour lads to roll through a steady dose of longform cricket. This influences selections for the Blackcaps and with Allen out injured, plus Tom Latham taking a deserved rest after leading various T20/ODI Blackcaps teams through a busy schedule last year, Blundell comes in as wicket-keeping cover.
Blundell only played one Super Smash game last season and scored 71 runs @ 182sr. Blundell probably won't get many 1st 11 opportunities in Pakistan and he would need the stars to align in exceptional fashion to even join the line hoping to enter the Blackcaps T20 World Cup mixer. Any Blundell game time will be interesting though as he is averaging 9.8 in the World Test Championship and a lack of Test runs was balanced by a lovely Super Smash knock, plus a knock of 103 runs in the unofficial Plunket Shield final.
The selection of Foulkes is the latest example of the Sam Wells influence. This was highlighted in the initial breakdown of the Blackcaps squad and after losing a senior seamer in Milne, who will still be eager to push for T20WC selection, Foulkes is deserving of this opportunity. Averaging 15.84 in T20 cricket as well as 22.61 in List-A and 24.74 in First-Class cricket tells you all you need to know about Foulkes deserving a promotion.
Foulkes has been a staple of domestic cricket coverage at The Niche Cache so there are no excuses for not know much about him. There is alignment in the skillsets of Milne and Foulkes, with Foulkes offering a nifty batting presence down the order and his best batting format is T20 cricket. In the last Super Smash campaign, Foulkes had a batting strike-rate of 150 and a bowling strike-rate of 14.7 which were both among the best for Canterbury.
The funkiest thing here is that Foulkes has the lowest T20 bowling average of this Blackcaps T20 squad, although the other emerging seamers offer similar mahi. Ben Sears is next best on 19.6avg, then Will O'Rourke averages 23.4 and lefty Ben Lister averages 24.2. There is similar zones of T20 excellence in the hitting prowess of Tim Robinson (26.6avg/146sr) and Josh Clarkson (27.7avg/147sr) as well as Dean Foxcroft's batting average of 41.5.
These dudes aren't being selected because no one else is available. They are selected because they are youngsters on the rise who have commanded opportunities ahead of more experienced lads who previously got opportunities. Touring Pakistan with a young squad won't be easy and yet the hosts have been floating in turmoil since the ODI World Cup, plus Blackcaps are 14-13 in T20Is since the last T20WC and Pakistan are 5-10. The young kiwis will be hungry to make an impact as well and with a solid crew of veterans pushing for T20WC selection, there is a wee chance that this Blackcaps T20 squad can showcase Aotearoa's cricketing ability.
T20 Career Stats For Blackcaps Squad
Tom Blundell: 25.1avg/127sr
Zak Foulkes: 26.2avg/128sr | 15.8avg/6.9rpo
Finn Allen: 29.65avg/168sr (withdrawn)
Tim Robinson: 26.6avg/146sr
Tim Seifert: 26.1avg/129sr
Michael Bracewell: 29.7avg/134sr | 18.1avg/7.4rpo
Cole McConchie: 22.8avg/125sr | 32avg/7.5rpo
Mark Chapman: 25.9avg/132sr | 29.6avg/7.9rpo
Josh Clarkson: 27.7avg/147sr | 33.2avg/9.1rpo
Dean Foxcroft: 41.5avg/127sr | 34.1avg/7.8rpo
Jimmy Neesham: 24.1avg/142sr | 25.7avg/9rpo
Adam Milne: 23.8avg/7.8rpo (withdrawn)
Ish Sodhi: 24.4avg/7.8rpo
Jacob Duffy: 27.5avg/8.6rpo
Ben Lister: 24.2avg/7.9rpo
Ben Sears: 19.6avg/7.8rpo
Will O'Rourke: 23.4avg/7.8rpo
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