Dubai [UAE], February 18 (ANI): The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 has approved Kyle Jamieson as a replacement for Lockie Ferguson in the New Zealand squad, according to International Cricket Council (ICC).
Thirty-year-old Jamieson, who has played 13 ODIs, was named as a replacement after Ferguson was ruled out due to an injury to his right foot, the ICC said.
The replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the player can be officially added to the squad.
The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 consists of Wasim Khan (ICC General Manager – Cricket), Sarah Edgar (ICC Senior Manager – Events), Usman Wahla (PCB Director – International Cricket Operations), Shaun Pollock (Independent Representative).
New Zealand will kickstart their campaign against Pakistan in Karachi on February 19. It will be followed by matches against Bangladesh (February 24 at Rawalpindi) and against India (March 2 at Dubai). This time around, Kiwis are heading into the tournament with a healthy mix of youth and experience, under the leadership of new white-ball skipper, Mitchell Santner.
Heading into the tournament, Kiwis have participated in four bilateral/tri-nation events, winning three of them. A 2-0 loss to Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka is the only blot on their resume. Otherwise, Kiwis have played some impressive cricket to place themselves in good stead ahead of the tournament.
In a total of 11 ODIs since the end of the 2023 World Cup, NZ has won seven and lost four.
Kiwis have plenty of winning momentum heading into the tournament, having won seven of their 11 ODIs and having lost only four. They also secured a competitive tri-nation series in host nation Pakistan just days back, which will keep them motivated and confident about their brand of cricket.
Just days before the tournament, New Zealand have gained plenty of experience of playing in Pakistan, having played three ODIs in the tri-series and winning them all. This has given them a head start over other teams in their group, Pakistan (tri-series finalists), India and Bangladesh.
The ex-New Zealand captain is in form of his life as far as ODIs are concerned. Since the 2019 World Cup, Kane Williamson has missed plenty of ODIs but has made his presence count. In 19 ODIs after the 2019 WC, Williamson has scored 903 runs in 18 matches at an average of 64.50, with a strike rate of 80.26, a century and seven fifties in 18 innings. His best score is 133*.
Kiwis are extremely lucky to have plenty of young talent which can change the game within no time. Be it the left-handed batting prodigy Rachin Ravindra, who has enjoyed a fine run in ODIs following the 2023 World Cup, the ‘complete package’ Glenn Phillips who can bat, bowl useful spin, keep wickets and turn around matches with his Superman-like catches and run-outs or the young 23-year-old pacer Will O’Rourke, Kiwis have youngsters who can become household names in years to come and drastically affect outcomes in the Champions Trophy.
For Kiwis, this will be the first ICC tournament in a long while without their veteran pacers Trent Boult and Tim Southee. While the former has chosen the T20 league money and family time after years of excellent service, Southee has retired from international cricket. In their absence, the pace attack will be spearheaded by Matt Henry (155 wickets in 87 ODIs), but he will miss having experienced campaigners on his side as O’Rourke (14 wickets in nine ODIs), Jacob Duffy (19 wickets in 11 ODIs), Nathan Smith (six wickets in six ODIs) have very little experience.
Also, pacer Ben Sears is out of the competition due to a hamstring tear. Their absence has weakened the Kiwi pace attack. Lockie’s experience and ability to deliver express pace will be missed as he is ruled out.
New Zealand squad: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young, Jacob Duffy. (ANI)
