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NZ Herald
28-04-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Black Caps: Ben Sears bucks Twenty20 trend with English County Cricket stint
'To be honest, I've just always wanted to play some county cricket and experience what it was like,' Sears told the Herald. 'I didn't get to play red ball for New Zealand or the Plunket Shield. I do enjoy red ball, so it was good to get over here. 'Yorkshire's a pretty awesome county. I jumped at the opportunity when it was there. It's a chance to come over here, get better at bowling and get stuck in.' That improvement will be aided by Yorkshire's star roster. Aside from any County Championship opponents, Sears will be bowling to the likes of England internationals Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan and Adam Lyth in the nets. Having not played a red ball game for over a year, Sears got through 16 overs on Yorkshire debut, a weather-affected draw away to Durham. That place on the county circuit comes at an intriguing time for New Zealand's fast bowling stocks. For the first time since 2008, the Black Caps will be without Tim Southee, Trent Boult or Neil Wagner. The trio, who acted as the fulcrum of New Zealand's World Test Championship victory in 2021, have either retired, or are unavailable to play internationally due to franchise commitments. Fortunately, the next generation has already emerged. As well as Sears and O'Rourke, the likes of Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy and Nathan Smith are all pushing for first XI spots across all formats. Only Matt Henry is effectively guaranteed a spot among New Zealand's pace battery. What's more, a healthy core of Kiwis will join Sears in county cricket. Aside from Sears, Smith (Surrey), Duffy (Worcestershire), and Blair Tickner (Derbyshire) are also spending their off-season in England. And with his compatriots nearby, Sears looks forward to the challenge of bettering his rivals for a Black Caps place. 'I certainly talk all the time with them. I'm really good mates with Nathan and Jacob Duffy, Wor [O'Rourke] is coming over to Yorkshire afterwards. 'We're always talking, they're a great group of guys. It's great fun playing with and against them. It'll be good to see some of them over here. '[Competition is] part of it, it's why you play cricket, it's almost the best part — competing with your mates and pushing each other forward, trying to get the best out of each other.' On the batting front, test captain Tom Latham (Warwickshire), Henry Nicholls (Worcestershire), and Williamson (Middlesex) have also taken up contracts and will have to take guard against their fellow Black Caps. Sears, though, at the very least has form in the bank. After an injury-hit summer that saw him miss the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and Dubai, the fast bowler finished the home season in style. Against Pakistan in Hamilton, he took 5/59 in an 84-run victory, and then backed it up with another 5/34 at Mt Maunganui one game later as the Black Caps sealed a series whitewash by 43 runs. In the history of ODI cricket, no other New Zealander has achieved that feat. 'It was a cool way for it to go, sometimes the stats just fall your way, to be honest. 'I didn't get a lot of bowling in during the year, so it was nice to have some results swing your way. 'But it's not all linear. Coming over here is more just about the opportunity to get bowling and loads, I just want to string some rhythm together and time on my feet. 'It's a chance to improve, so [I take] a little bit of confidence, but it's just about getting better at bowling.' Despite his white ball success, Sears has his sights on the longest format. So far, he's played just one test, coming in New Zealand's three-wicket defeat to Australia in Christchurch at the end of the 2024 home summer, and took 5/161, including 4/90 in the second innings. Express fast bowlers have been hard to come by for the Black Caps in test cricket. Ferguson managed just 11 overs on his debut away in Perth before suffering a calf strain. Adam Milne has never played a test and is unlikely to earn a cap given his lack of a New Zealand Cricket central contract. And even though he won't outright set his sights on a test return, yet, Sears knows what he wants. 'It was an awesome experience. Looking back, it was a privilege to be part of. 'Test cricket is the pinnacle. It would be awesome to be part of it. I haven't seen the benefit in setting goals or getting back or whatever. It's just how the game goes. 'If you improve your bowling standards and improve your skill set, maybe you get a go. It was just awesome to be involved.' That's why this county stint is so important. The chance to build up his bowling workload, with a run of four-day matches, will give Sears the ability to adapt to the rigours of test cricket. And while chasing the T20 circuit would be a boost for his back pocket, nothing replicates the intensity of red ball cricket better than playing it. Furthermore, his run of white ball success will be a tantalising prospect for whoever takes on the mantle as New Zealand's new short-form coach. And at a time when New Zealand's playing stocks are so healthy, the prospect of being an all-format player is one Sears has his sights on. 'I like bowling. Obviously, you get to bowl more in red ball games. It would be something I'd love to be able to do. 'I am realistic, I've gotten injured a lot. But at the same time, it's [about] building loads. Hopefully I can stay on the park. I'm getting to an age now where you'd hope to be more durable. 'But there are a lot of good bowlers in the country. There are all different skill sets. Maybe you get that opportunity, maybe you don't. 'It's a privilege to play for New Zealand. I'd love to do it if I could.'
BBC News
30-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Hants sign Kiwi Hampton to replace injured Edwards
Hampshire have drafted in New Zealander Brett Hampton for the first two months of the County Championship season after all-rounder Jack Edwards was ruled out through Edwards had been signed as one of the county's overseas players, but sustained a knee injury playing for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield and faces a minimum recovery period of six will be replaced by 33-year-old Hampton, a right-handed batter and medium-fast seamer who has played first-class cricket for Northern Districts for the past this season's Plunket Shield, Hampton has scored 581 runs and taken 23 wickets, with his overall first-class averages standing at 30.66 and 27.70 respectively with bat and ball."I'm excited to come and play in the County Championship," Hampton told Hampshire's website, external."The team had a great campaign last year so hopefully I can help the club push for the title. I look forward to joining up with the rest of the squad in a few days' time."Hampshire, who were runners-up in Division One last season, begin their new red-ball campaign at home to Yorkshire on Friday.
BBC News
27-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Latham's Bears arrival delayed by hand injury
Warwickshire have been hit by a pre-season injury issue that will delay main overseas signing Tom Latham's arrival at Latham, 32, has suffered a broken finger while practising in the nets with his domestic club side Canterbury before this week's Plunket Shield game in New Zealand Test captain was, in any case, already scheduled to miss the Bears' opening game against Sussex, starting at Edgbaston next Friday (5 April).But he may now be sidelined for a few more games on top of that."Tom was always missing the first game," Bears captain Alex Davies told BBC Sport. "But he's now done a bit of damage to his hand, so his arrival is put back a few weeks."It was always going to be me and Rob Yates opening, with Tom fitting in at three. Rob's established himself at the top of the order now and has had England Lions recognition on the back of it."As to who will keep wicket in the Championship for the Bears this summer, following the premature retirement of Michael Burgess over the winter, Davies admits he, Latham and highly-rated 20-year-old Kai Smith, yet to make his Bears first team debut, are all in the frame."We haven't yet made that call," said Davies. "Obviously I did it for years with Lancashire, but Tom [Latham] is also an option, when he's fit."And we've got Kai Smith, who's going be an absolute superstar. He just needs an opportunity to show what he can do." Davies 'desperate' to win title with Bears Heading into his second season as county captain with Warwickshire, Davies cannot hide the hunger he feels at wanting to lead the Bears to the was on Lancashire's books when they ended their long title drought in 2011, the year before the Bears won it in 2012 - with a side that included new first-team coach Ian Westwood, the replacement when Mark Robinson was sacked on 13 February - before their most recent success four summers ago under the now departed Will Rhodes."I was only an academy player in 2011 but I was there around it, feeling the buzz," said Davies. "And Warwickshire have won two since then. There's a lot of guys in this dressing room, Westy being one of them, who know what it takes to win one."There's only been seven Warwickshire captains who have lifted the trophy and I'm desperate to be number eight. I've only got 'X' years left and I won't quite feel fulfilled if I haven't won a Championship by the time I pack in." Warwickshire were the last side to win the title, in the first post-Covid season of 2021, before Surrey's three-season reign of dominance Davies admits that a lot of hard work needs to be done after a 2024 summer in which the Bears won only once in 14 matches."Last season was a middling year," he said. "We played some really good cricket at times, but there were also days when we weren't quite good enough."It's all about being consistent and eradicating those really bad days. We had too many injuries and weren't able to take 20 wickets and we have to put that right."The lads are still hungry, we've made some good overseas signings and the Championship is still the pinnacle. But you can only do it by building day on day and not having any days off. There were days last year when we let ourselves down."
Reuters
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Bruce hits 345 for third-highest score in NZ first-class game
March 6 (Reuters) - Big-hitting batsman Tom Bruce recorded the third-highest score in New Zealand first-class cricket on Thursday with a superb 345 for Central Stags against Auckland Aces. Only Bert Sutcliffe has made higher scores in a single first-class innings in New Zealand, notching 355 during the 1949-50 season and a national record 385 during the 1952-53 season for Otago. Bruce, who has played 17 Twenty20 International matches for New Zealand, resumed his knock on 212 on day two of the Plunket Shield contest in Auckland and brought up the triple century with a tight single off his 379th delivery. The 33-year-old finally fell after facing 401 balls after nearly 9-1/2 hours at the crease, having hit 36 boundaries and six sixes. The record for the highest score in first-class cricket belongs to West Indies great Brian Lara, who scored an unbeaten 501 for Warwickshire against Durham in 1994.
