Last Updated on 3 months ago by Charbel Coorey
New Zealand Squad
Michael Bracewell (capt), Adithya Ashok, Kristian Clarke, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway, Zak Foulkes, Mitch Hay (wk), Kyle Jamieson, Nick Kelly, Jayden Lennox, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Michael Rae, Will Young
New Zealand in ODIs since 2023 World Cup
- Matches played: 26
- Matches won: 19
- Matches lost: 6
- No result: 1
- RPO: 5.88
Top Performers
Most runs since 2023 World Cup
- Daryl Mitchell (RHB): 761 runs in 16 innings, AVG: 54.35, SR: 86.18
- Will Young (RHB): 670 runs in 24 innings, AVG: 30.45, SR: 85.89
- Rachin Ravindra (LHB): 657 runs in 17 innings, AVG: 38.64, SR: 107.35
- Tom Latham (LHB): 512 runs in 8 innings, AVG: 32, SR: 87.07
- Mark Chapman (LHB): 468 runs in 10 innings, AVG: 52, SR: 104
- Kane Williamson (RHB): 446 runs in 10 innings, AVG: 49.55, SR: 84.95
Most wickets since 2023 World Cup
- Matt Henry (RAP): 31 wickets in 13 innings, AVG: 18.58, ECO: 5.16
- Jacob Duffy (RAP): 28 wickets in 16 innings, AVG: 23.03, ECO: 5.51
- Mitchell Santner (left-arm spin): 26 wickets in 19 innings, AVG: 29.11, ECO: 4.54
- Michael Bracewell (right-arm off-spin): 22 wickets in 17 innings, AVG: 29.59, ECO: 4.68
- Will O’Rourke (RAP): 22 wickets in 17 innings, AVG: 36.27, ECO: 5.67
Squad Overview and Key Changes
Left-arm fingerspinner Jayden Lennox has earned a maiden call-up to New Zealand’s white-ball squads for the India tour this month. “Jayden has been an identified player of interest for some time and has some good New Zealand “A” experience under his belt,” New Zealand head coach Rob Walter said of Lennox, who has picked up eight wickets in five Ford Trophy outings for Central Districts this season, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. “He’s consistently been one of the top performers in white-ball cricket domestically for a number of seasons.”
He features in the ODI squad alongside uncapped bowling-allrounder Kristian Clarke, legspinning-allrounder Adithya Ashok, seam-bowling allrounder Josh Clarkson and fast bowler Michael Rae, who made his Test debut late last year against West Indies.
Michael Bracewell will captain the 15-member ODI squad in the absence of Mitchell Santner, whose groin injury is being managed. Santner will return to lead the T20I squad.
Matt Henry will miss the ODIs to continue his rehabilitation from a calf tear in a bid to return for the T20Is and the subsequent men’s T20 World Cup. Kane Williamson is unavailable for the ODIs because of his commitments in the SA20.
Nathan Smith, William O’Rourke and Blair Tickner were not considered because of their side, back and shoulder injuries respectively, while Tom Latham will skip the ODIs for the birth of his third child.
Fast bowler Kyle Jamieson and Zak Foulkes are part of both the white-ball squads while Rachin Ravindra and quick Jacob Duffy have been rested from the ODIs following a busy home summer.
Recent Form and Information: Lesser-Known Players in the New Zealand ODI Squad
Adithya Ashok (23y, RHB / legspin all-rounder)
Ford Trophy 2025-26
| Runs: 74 | AVG: 37.00 | SR: 139.62 Highlight: Scored 61(38) vs Canterbury while batting at No. 10 in Christchurch. Wickets: 8 | ECO: 5.20 | SR: 26.00 |
A legspinner who can get his stock ball to turn sharply and wrong’un to skid quicker, Adithya Ashok was born in Vellore in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu before his family moved to New Zealand when he was four. Given that Ish Sodhi is at the fag end of his career, New Zealand might be steadily grooming Adithya as his potential replacement in white-ball cricket.
Kristian Clarke (24y, RHB / RFM all-rounder)
Ford Trophy 2025-26
| Runs: 178 | AVG: 89.00 | SR: 89.90 Highlight: Scored 100(107) vs Central Stags while batting at No. 7 in New Plymouth. Wickets: 3 | ECO: 6.42 | SR: 57.00 All three wickets came in the same game in which he also scored a century against Central Stags. |
Watch: Kristian Clarke’s 3/57 against Central Stags
Looks like another bowler who primarily bowls into the pitch and hits the deck hard. He hasn’t played a single international match so far; however, chances are high that he might get an ODI debut cap in the upcoming series against India. Kristian Clarke has had an impactful List-A career, taking 52 wickets in just 32 innings.
Josh Clarkson (28y, RHB / RFM all-rounder)
Ford Trophy 2025-26
| Runs: 156 | AVG: 31.20 | SR: 107.59 Highlight: Scored 100(83) vs Canterbury while batting at No. 6 in Rangiora. Wickets: 16 | ECO: 3.87 | SR: 17.00 Consistency: One five-wicket haul and two four-fors in 5 innings. |
Watch: Josh Clarkson’s 16 wickets and a century to start the Ford Trophy summer
Glenn Pocknall, the former Central Districts coach who also had a stint with New Zealand, likens his power-hitting to Finn Allen’s. Standing at 6’3″, Clarkson is tall enough to trouble batters, especially on slightly seam-friendly decks.
Jayden Lennox (31y, left-arm spin)
Ford Trophy 2025-26
| Wickets: 8 | ECO: 5.06 | SR: 33.00 |
With a high-arm release, Lennox has been effective in his brief List-A career, taking 69 wickets in just 54 matches. More importantly, his economy rate of 4.86 highlights his ability to control the flow of runs.
Watch: Jayden Lennox’s 3/20 against Wellington Firebirds
In the Global Super League 2025 in the West Indies, he thrived on slow, low surfaces, picking up four wickets at an economy rate of just 5.07.
Mitchell Hay (25y, RHB / WK)
Ford Trophy 2025-26
| Runs: 28 | AVG: 14.00 | SR: 77.78 |
Hay has played some match-winning innings in 50-over cricket. In the Ford Trophy final (2nd March 2025), he struck a career-best 86* off 76 balls – including six sixes – to guide Canterbury to a six-wicket win over Auckland. That late-innings blitz (54 runs in the last 4 overs) was critical in defending Canterbury’s title
Perhaps the most significant performance of Mitchell Hay’s career to date occurred on April 2, 2025, during the second ODI of the series against Pakistan in Hamilton. Entering the crease with New Zealand reeling at 132/5 in the 27th over, Hay faced a situation that required both technical defensive skill and mental resilience.
The climax of his innings occurred in the 50th over, bowled by Mohammad Wasim. In a remarkable display of clean hitting, Hay struck 22 runs in the final six balls, including two fours and two sixes, to finish on 99* off just 78 deliveries.
Watch: Mitchell Hay’s big-hitting against Pakistan
In July 2024, Hay was one of only three New Zealand players (alongside Tim Robinson and Dean Foxcroft) selected for an intensive training camp at the Chennai Super Kings Academy. This camp was specifically designed to prepare potential international players for subcontinental conditions, highlighting New Zealand Cricket’s long-term investment in Hay’s development.
Nick Kelly (32y, LHB)
Ford Trophy 2025-26
| Runs: 72 | AVG: 14.40 | SR: 100.00 |
He opened the batting for the BLACKCAPS in three ODIs against Pakistan at the end of the 2024/25 season, though he managed only 49 runs across the three innings.
Michael Rae (30y, RFM)
Ford Trophy 2025-26
| Wickets: 8 | ECO: 5.27 | SR: 36.00 |
At 6 feet 6 inches, Rae — like his Canterbury teammate Kyle Jamieson — has an extremely high release point. And like Jamieson, he’s also capable of bowling fuller lengths and moving the new ball.
Along with Jamieson, Henry Shipley and Zak Foulkes, Rae has been part of a tall, funky Canterbury attack. “It’s got to be one of the tallest bowling attacks in the world,” Paul Wiseman, current Black Caps talent manager and former spinner, told ESPNcricinfo last year.
He recently made his Test debut for New Zealand, taking eight wickets across four innings against West Indies.
Predicted Starting XI
- Will Young
- Devon Conway
- Henry Nicholls
- Daryl Mitchell
- Glenn Phillips
- Mitch Hay (wk)
- Michael Bracewell (C)
- Josh Clarkson
- Kyle Jamieson
- Jayden Lennox
- Zak Foulkes
Team Notes: Strengths and Weaknesses
- A left–right opening combination with prior experience playing in India.
ODI Record in India:
| Batter | Innings | Runs | AVG | SR | 50s | 100s |
| Devon Conway | 13 | 527 | 43.91 | 105.82 | – | 2 |
| Will Young | 6 | 206 | 34.33 | 83.73 | 2 | – |
Devon Conway’s recent form also appears promising. He has scored 111 runs at an average of 37 and a strike rate of 173.44 in the SA20 league so far. Prior to this, in the home Tests against West Indies, Conway amassed 452 runs at an average of 90.40, including a double century at Mount Maunganui.
Will Young, however, has been struggling for form. He managed just 37 runs in two innings in the Tests against West Indies and 14 runs across three ODIs against the same opposition. Even in the three ODIs against England in October-November, he scored only six runs. He will, however, have happy memories of touring India, having been named Player of the Series in New Zealand’s historic 3-0 Test whitewash in late 2024.
- Both openers are relatively stronger against left-arm pace in the Powerplay compared to right-arm pace.
New Zealand Openers’ ODI Powerplay Record vs Left- and Right-Arm Pace:
| Batter | Bowling Type | AVG | SR |
| Will Young | LAP | 59.8 | 80.5 |
| RAP | 23.2 | 67.8 | |
| Devon Conway | LAP | 86.0 | 77.5 |
| RAP | 35.9 | 78.5 |
- Conservative top order, with no one in the top three striking at even 80 in the Powerplay.
| Batter | ODI Strike Rate (Overs 1-10) |
| Devon Conway | 78.3 |
| Will Young | 73.0 |
| Henry Nicholls | 62.6 |
The top order’s matchup against Mohammed Siraj will be fascinating to watch.
ODI Batting Performance vs Mohammed Siraj:
| Batter | Runs | Balls | Dismissals | Dot Balls | Dot Ball % | SR | AVG |
| Devon Conway | 11 | 21 | 2 | 16 | 76.2% | 52.4 | 5.5 |
| Will Young | 7 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 71.4% | 50.0 | – |
| Henry Nicholls | 10 | 27 | 1 | 23 | 85.2% | 37.0 | 10.0 |
- Henry Nicholls is a terrific accumulator against spin, but he is eerily slow, and even in that matchup, left-arm wrist spin remains his kryptonite.
Henry Nicholls — ODI Middle-Overs Performance (Overs 11-40) vs Spin:
| Bowling Type | Runs | Dismissals | AVG | SR | Dot Ball % |
| Right-arm off-spin | 344 | 6 | 57.3 | 79.4 | 47.8% |
| Right-arm leg-spin | 218 | 3 | 72.7 | 73.9 | 41.4% |
| Left-arm orthodox | 126 | 1 | 126.0 | 64.3 | 46.4% |
| Left-arm wrist-spin | 48 | 4 | 12.0 | 78.7 | 45.9% |
3 out of Nicholls’ 4 dismissals against left-arm wrist-spin have come against Kuldeep Yadav. Dot-ball pressure is consistently high across spin.
- The world’s No. 3 ranked ICC ODI batter, Daryl Mitchell, is the backbone of New Zealand’s batting lineup. He has no apparent weaknesses in this format and averages 40+ against every bowling type in his career so far.
He is among the best in the game at using his reach and height against spin.
Daryl Mitchell — ODI Middle-Overs Performance vs Spin (Overs 11-40):
| Bowling Type | Runs | AVG | SR |
| Left-arm wrist-spin | 92 | 46.0 | 100.0 |
| Left-arm spin | 328 | 65.6 | 87.0 |
| Right-arm leg-spin | 360 | 60.0 | 94.5 |
| Right-arm off-spin | 202 | 67.3 | 92.7 |
| Overall (vs Spin) | 982 | 61.4 | 91.9 |
In the 2020s, Daryl Mitchell has scored 2,041 ODI runs batting in the middle order (No. 4-7), the fourth-highest tally in the world, behind only Charith Asalanka, Mohammad Rizwan, and KL Rahul.
Daryl Mitchell also has a terrific ODI record in India, scoring 586 runs at an average of 53.27 and a SR of 107.91.
- Of the 36 ODI innings Glenn Phillips has played, 33 have come at No. 6 or No. 7, with only three at No. 5. In this series, however, he may be required to step up to the No. 5 role unless captain Michael Bracewell opts to promote himself as a floater.
Glenn Phillips — ODI Batting Record by Position:
| Position | Innings | Runs | Dismissals | AVG | SR | 50s | 100s |
| No. 5 | 3 | 40 | 2 | 20.0 | 95.2 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 6 | 31 | 1,000 | 25 | 40.0 | 100.4 | 4 | 1 |
| No. 7 | 2 | 72 | 1 | 72.0 | 135.8 | 1 | 0 |
Phillips has a much stronger record against pace than spin and can particularly get bogged down by good-length, stump-line spin bowling, which makes the step up to No. 5 a challenge — especially against spin of India’s quality.
Glenn Phillips — ODI Batting Performance vs Pace and Spin:
| Bowling Type | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | Dot Ball % |
| Pace | 646 | 43.1 | 115.4 | 45.2% |
| Spin | 466 | 35.8 | 87.8 | 51.4% |
Even against spin, his struggles are most pronounced against right-arm leg-spin.
| Bowling Type | Runs | AVG | SR |
| Left-arm wrist-spin | 50 | 50.0 | 86.2 |
| Left-arm orthodox | 114 | 57.0 | 82.0 |
| Right-arm leg-spin | 147 | 24.5 | 87.0 |
| Right-arm off-spin | 155 | 38.8 | 93.9 |
Bracewell floating himself up the order would also help in breaking the run of right-handers from No. 4 to No. 6.
- New Zealand possess exceptional depth in both departments, with several players capable of contributing in each.
In fact, everyone in the bottom five can bat a bit. Zak Foulkes, who may play at No. 10 or 11, opened the batting on his first-class debut and is regarded as a handy lower-order batter in New Zealand’s domestic circuit today.
There are also as many as six to seven bowling options at captain Bracewell’s disposal, a valuable luxury — especially with such an inexperienced ODI squad.
- Michael Bracewell has an excellent record in the slog overs against pace, averaging 46.5 at a phenomenal strike rate of 173.3 (19 sixes and 16 fours). He can be an unexpectedly dangerous hitter — particularly in dewy second-innings conditions, and even more so with India missing Jasprit Bumrah this series.
In fact, while chasing 350 in Hyderabad in 2023, Bracewell’s lower-order hitting gave India a real scare, as he smashed 140 off just 78 balls and took New Zealand to the brink of a miracle victory, falling short by just 12 runs.
Watch: Ball-by-ball highlights of Michael Bracewell’s 140 against India in 2023
Josh Clarkson – regarded as a powerful finisher in New Zealand’s domestic circuit – along with Mitchell Hay could accompany Bracewell in the lower order. Glenn Pocknall, the former Central Districts coach who has also worked with New Zealand, likens Clarkson’s power-hitting to that of Finn Allen.
- Wicket-taking in the middle overs could be a concern for the Kiwis, as they lack a wrist-spinner unless they opt to field Adithya Ashok in place of the left-arm spinner, Lennox. Even Phillips, the part-timer, bowls off-spin, and with India’s batting stacked with right-handers, he — and to an extent even Bracewell — could prove ineffective on flat Indian wickets.
Bracewell, in any case, has never been a wicket-taking option. He is primarily a defensive bowler, as reflected in his ODI career economy rate of 4.90 and strike rate of 42.4. The story is similar in List A cricket, where he has an identical strike rate of 42.4 and only a marginally higher economy of 4.98. However, on Indian pitches against a high-quality, right-hand-dominant Indian batting unit — particularly in the second innings — he may struggle even to contain.
- All of New Zealand’s pacers have a high release point, and if conditions offer any assistance, they are fine exponents of whatever movement is on offer.
| Jamieson stands at 6’8″, his Canterbury teammate Michael Rae is 6’6″, Josh Clarkson measures 6’3″, while Zak Foulkes is around six feet tall. Kristian Clarke is another option who consistently hits the deck hard and extracts extra bounce. |
Under lights, with the new-ball in the second innings, they may fancy their chances of making early inroads into the Indian batting lineup.
- Once the new-ball movement dies down, the bowling attack could struggle collectively, and if early wickets don’t come, Indian batters may well be in for a field day.
