Exploring New Zealand's T20I Mixer After The Series vs Australia
New Zealand slipped to their fifth consecutive T20 loss vs Australia in home conditions and offered a fresh dose of funky wrinkles after the two losses a Bay Oval. Blackcaps have done enough winning in T20 cricket throughout 2025 (9-4) to offer some balance with the two losses vs Australia and using 21 different players in T20Is this year shows that Aotearoa is still sorting through its T20 mixer.
The sorting process only got more complicated after the series vs Australia. The two players who delivered the best individual mahi for Blackcaps were Tim Robinson and Jimmy Neesham, two cricketers who haven't been 1st 11 regulars for Aotearoa in the recent phase.
Since the start of 2024 there are 10 Blackcaps who have played more T20Is for Aotearoa than Robinson's 15 and Neesham's behind that mark on 14. This year there are eight Blackcaps who have played more T20Is than Robinson and Neesham who have both had seven games in 2025.
Robinson is part of a highly competitive batting unit that is trying to squeeze (at least) eight players into the top-five before even comtemplating Kane Williamson's involvement. In his 14 T20I innings for New Zealand, Robinson has opened in 10 of them and batted three in four. Robinson can cover all batting roles in the top-five which when combined with his production it forms a compelling case for more opportunities.
Eight batters have scored 300+ runs for Aotearoa since the start of 2024 and Robinson (36.09) has the second highest average behind Tim Seifert (37.29). Robinson's strike-rate of 137.37 in this period is at the lower end of these eight batters but notably higher than Glenn Phillips' 127.65.
Seifert is still Aotearoa's best T20 batter. He is the only batter with 600+ runs since the start of 2024 with the third highest strike-rate and Seifert is the only batter with 300+ runs this year, with the second highest strike-rate.
Tim Seifert
2024 onwards: 634 runs @ 37.2avg/151.6sr
2025: 497 runs @ 49.7avg/165.6sr
T20I: 29.3avg/142.1sr
T20: 28.4avg/134.4sr
While Robinson elevated in the series vs Australia and continued his rise towards a 1st 11 role, Conway keeps sliding with one run off four balls in the series vs Australia. There is a general perception that Conway and Kane Williamson are elite T20 batters for New Zealand but that simply isn't true. The consistency of Seifert with the rise of Rachin Ravindra in T20s and Robinson as a international batter are making those selection assumptions far more complex than they seem.
That gets extra complicated with Mark Chapman struggling for form. Chapman scored four runs off six balls against Australia and he is trending in the wrong direction with his 14.8avg/146sr this year part of a 17.6avg/137sr record since the start of 2024. Prior to 2024, Chapman averaged 20+ in five consecutive years of T20I and this peaked with 30+ averages in 2022 and 2023, before dropping below 20avg in his last two years of T20I batting.
Chapman and Conway were the only Blackcaps who scored less than 10 runs in their two innings against Australia. Bevon Jacobs couldn't showcase his ability in the first game vs Australia (20 runs @ 95sr) but at least he scored four times as many runs as Chapman and Conway combined in their two innings each.
Neesham's experience makes him more reliable slugging boundaries than Jacobs right now and he offered an example of his value in the third game with 25 runs @ 139sr, then 4w @ 6.5rpo. Neesham has been a non-factor with the bat for New Zealand recently with his 10avg/104sr since the start of 2024 dropping to 7.2avg/100sr in 2025 - even after his knock vs Australia.
That is balanced by highly efficient T20 bowling from Neesham. Since the start of 2024, Neesham has a 12.4avg/7.7rpo record and this includes his 10.5avg/7.4rpo in 2025. Neesham is the only Blackcaps bowler with a bowling strike-rate below 10 (2+ wickets) since the start of 2024 and his 8.5 bowling strike-rate this year is the lowest for Blackcaps.
Here are the lowest bowling strike-rates since the start of 2020 for Blackcaps currently in the mix...
Daryl Mitchell: 4w @ 13
Jacob Duffy: 41w @ 14.1
Matt Henry: 32w @ 14.5
Lockie Ferguson: 50w @ 14.6
Jimmy Neesham: 38w @ 15.4
Neesham is in the lower pocket of the middle order along with Jacobs and Michael Bracewell. Seifert is the best wicket-keeper/batter by a hefty margin and his role at the top of the order allows more room in the middle for all-rounders. Neesham took his opportunity against Australia and this is especially funky when packaged alongside Bracewell's struggles with the ball.
Perhaps Bracewell should be viewed more as a batter than an all-rounder and this could be useful when adding Mitchell Santner to the mix. Bracewell was solid with the bat against Australia (33 runs @ 127sr) and has a 2025 record of 31.4avg/154sr. Bracewell the bowler is far less effective though with two years of fabulous T20I bowling followed by a couple stinkers...
2022: 9.8avg/5.2rpo
2023: 13avg/5.7rpo
2024: 37avg/8.6rpo
2025: 65avg/9.2rpo
Bracewell's excellent career record of 21.7avg/7.3rpo has increased in recent years thanks to his 45.4avg/8.9rpo since the start of 2024. This could all change if Santner comes back as captain because Bracewell averaged 16.2 when he isn't skipper and 73 when he is captain. Against Australia, Bracewell bowled 4 overs @ 9rpo and while he can still earn 1st 11 selection as a powerful batter, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that he is slipping out of the spin department.
One other notable takeaway from the two games against Australia was Duffy maintaining his freaky T20 bowling form. Duffy took 3w @ 24avg/9.1rpo against Australia and is the only Blackcaps bowler with 15+ wickets this year. Duffy is well above that mark on 23w @ 13.8avg/7.1rpo and it's the same when adjusting to the 2024 onwards cycle as he is the only bowler with 25+ wickets and he's cruising along on 31w @ 15.1avg/7rpo.
All of which is aligned with Duffy's T20I career mahi. After 29 T20I innings, Duffy has a record of 16.9avg/7.1rpo and this means that Duffy has the lowest T20I bowling average for New Zealanders with 20+ wickets. Here are the Blackcaps bowlers who have T20I averages below 20 with 20+ wickets...
Jacob Duffy: 41w @ 16.92avg
Lockie Ferguson: 64w @ 17avg
Daniel Vettori: 38w @ 19.68avg
Duffy is the only Blackcap who has bowled in 10+ innings this year. He has bowled in 19 innings since the start of 2024 and the spin twins of Santner/Sodhi (21) are the ony Blackcaps who have bowled in more innings. This flows into the number of overs Duffy has bowled as he is the only seamer who has bowled 60+ overs since the start of 2024 (66.4) and he is the only bowler overall who has churned out 30+ overs in 2025 (44.4).
Duffy is now the most important T20 seamer for Aotearoa and with Santner averaging 29 since the start of 2024 with 34.8avg in 2025, there is case to be made that Duffy is New Zealand's best T20I bowler at the moment. Like Ravindra blossoming in T20I batting to become Aotearoa's best all-format batter, Duffy has quietly been a dominant force and he has a nifty ODI record of 24.8avg/6.1rpo after 14 games as well.
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Peace and love.