A New Zealand cricket showcase is about to begin with Blackcaps playing five T20Is vs Pakistan as part of a double-header extravaganza with White Ferns. This frames the selections for Blackcaps as they will roll out their best available T20 group to play in front of crowds that were already nearing sold out status a month ago.

Don't overlook the fact that youngsters have crept into all Blackcaps squads over the past few years. Tim Robinson, Mitch Hay and Zak Foulkes are all 24-years-old or younger and they have played at least five T20Is each. Robinson and Hay are selected for all five T20Is, while Foulkes will step in for another youngster Will O'Rourke who will only be available for the first three games.

O'Rourke was in the 1st 11 throughout the Champions Trophy, along with Matt Henry who will rest up before coming into the squad for the last two games. Kyle Jamieson is selected for the first three games and will swap out for Henry. Michael Bracewell and Daryl Mitchell were 1st 11 lads at the Champions Trophy and they are selected for all five T20I, while Mark Chapman and Jacob Duffy were in the Champions Trophy squad but didn't play and are locked in to play vs Pakistan.

The seaming workload has been managed while other lads from the Champions Trophy probably had the choice to rest. This leads into a key theme of Aotearoa cricket as players from the Champions Trophy squad and lads who have shifted to the T20 circuit, want to play for New Zealand as much as possible.

Don't stress about Finn Allen, Jimmy Neesham and Tim Seifert not having Blackcaps contracts because that doesn't impact selection at all. All three are high quality T20 cricketers who went straight back into Ford Trophy cricket after finishing their T20 gigs and have consistently played domestic cricket when available.

Seifert played six Ford Trophy games and the most recent Plunket Shield game for Northern Districts. Allen played seven Ford Trophy games and captained Auckland in the final, while Neesham churned out nine Ford Trophy games including the final. These lads may have had to play domestic cricket to put themselves in the Blackcaps mixer but as they don't have a Blackcaps or domestic contract, they probably weren't contractually obliged to show up.

Yet they always do, even without Blackcaps selection on the radar. Along with Blackcaps who were keen to back up their adventures through Pakistan for the tri-series and Champions Trophy, players on the T20 circuit are always keen to play domestic cricket whenever possible and are still fizzing to represent Aotearoa.

Seifert hit two centuries in his six innings of Ford Trophy with 240 runs @ 123sr and in his last outing of Plunket Shield batting, he smacked 83 runs @ 130sr. Allen was solid in Ford Trophy, doing what he does best in whacking boundaries to spark up the innings. He only averaged 24 but he had a 50+ score, as well as a few 40-odds with typically destructive strike-rates (131sr overall) for an Auckland team that made the final.

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Neesham has shown that he is still one of the best cricketers in New Zealand with exceptional mahi in Ford Trophy. Averaging 42 with a a strike-rate of 129, none of the sixteen batters who scored more runs than Neesham had a higher strike-rate.

Neesham also led Auckland for wickets, finished tied for fourth on 16 wickets overall and had one of the lowest bowling averages in Ford Trophy. This improves to having the lowest bowling average and being the only bowler who conceded less than 5rpo in the group of nine bowlers who took 14+ wickets.

Hay and Foulkes played for Canterbury throughout their Ford Trophy championship, as well as featuring in the Super Smash final. Robinson returned from T20I duty vs Sri Lanka with three 50+ scores in five Super Smash games. These three youngsters have been quietly playing all three formats in domestic cricket while the spotlight was on Blackcaps at Champions Trophy, as well as carrying runs and wickets into this T20I series.

Ben Sears dipped out of the Champions Trophy squad due to injury and hasn't played since. Ish Sodhi returns to the Blackcaps mix after missing the ODI/T20I series vs Sri Lanka and he has been a consistent presence for Canterbury throughout their Super Smash final run, then their Ford Trophy championship.

After patches of few wickets, Sodhi has taken a wicket in seven consecutive innings, with 2+ wickets in five of them. The only bloke who has bowled more than Sodhi in T20Is for Blackcaps since the start of 2024 is Mitchell Santner, plus Sodhi has had five consecutive years averaging below 30 in T20Is after going above 30avg in 2018 and 2019.

Blackcaps are 11-10 in T20Is since the start of 2024 and a more senior squad struggled during the T20 World Cup last year. Since then they have only played against Sri Lanka with a loss then a win in Sri Lanka featuring a younger touring squad, followed by two wins and a loss vs Sri Lanka in Aotearoa earlier this summer.

The best players in the home series vs Sri Lanka who are selected vs Pakistan…