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RNZ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RNZ News
Black Cap Jacob Duffy to make his Test debut
New Zealand's Jacob Duffy Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Otago bowler Jacob Duffy will finally achieve a dream when he takes to the field for the second Test against Zimbabwe on Thursday. Duffy will make his Test debut after being confirmed in the Black Caps eleven. With a couple of injuries in the squad Duffy was tapped on the shoulder by coach Rob Walter, confirming he would play in Bulawayo. "It's been a while coming; I'm not a spring chicken anymore," 31-year-old Duffy said on the eve of the Test. "There are certain points in your career when you wonder if it's ever going to happen." The quick bowler has played 27 T20 internationals and 14 ODIs since making his international debut in 2020 and while he has been a part of a Test squad he has never played the longest form of the game. Duffy said he has always loved his time in the Black Caps squad, however, some moments have been tough. "When you're the guy sitting there without a cap all those times it can be pretty tough to swallow. "That Indian Test series (at the end of 2024) when we won 3-0 over there was one of my favourite tours I've ever been on and I didn't even play. "So to get that black cap is a dream come true and I feel like I really belong." He admits it is also going to be emotional when he takes the field at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. "Hopefully we win the toss and I get a bowl. I'd love to get into it straight away and team up with my good mate Matt Henry at the other end with the new ball. "Just do what I do, if I'm not ready now I'm never going to be." Captain Mitchell Santner confirmed Duffy would play and indicated there could be other debutants. With quick bowlers Nathan Smith and Will O'Rourke ruled out with injury from the first Test lineup, Ben Lister, Zak Foulkes and Matt Fisher come into contention. Black Caps bowler Jacob Duffy celebrates with team mates after dismissing Sri Lanka batter Kusal Mendis during the recent one day series between the two sides. Photo: Photosport Batting allrounder Michael Bracewell, who played the first Test is now in England so Ajaz Patel is a spinning option. However, Santner will probably take the lead with that role and adding Patel does lengthen the tail. So two other quicks could be selected with Foulkes likely because of his batting skills. The top order is likely to remain unchanged despite Bevon Jacobs being called in as cover. That could result in Santner moving up to seven in the batting order with two of Foulkes, Lister and Fisher playing. Meanwhile, Brendan Taylor returns to the Zimbabwe side following his suspension. Taylor was suspended for three and a half years for breaching the ICC anti-corruption code. The 39 year old is just 62 runs away from becoming the third Zimbabwean to scored 10,000 international runs. New Zealand won the first Test by nine wickets.
CNA
3 days ago
- Sport
- CNA
Injured NZ skipper Latham to miss second test against Zimbabwe
New Zealand captain Tom Latham has been ruled out of the second test against Zimbabwe after failing to recover from a shoulder injury, New Zealand Cricket said on Wednesday. Latham missed the opening test last week, with Mitch Santner stepping in to lead the side to a nine-wicket victory. Santner will continue to skipper the team after Latham failed a fitness test ahead of the second match of the two-test series starting on Thursday in Bulawayo. "It's hugely disappointing to lose Tom again," coach Rob Walter said in a statement. "He's been working hard and had been tracking well towards the second test but unfortunately today he couldn't pass his fitness tests. He's extremely gutted he won't be able to take the park and we're really feeling for him."
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Proteas have massive chance to impress on tough away tours
The Proteas will hope to shine in the shorter formats ahead of next year's T20 World Cup and the 50-over World Cup in 2027. The Proteas have an incredible opportunity to impress on three very tough away tours over the rest of the year, with the national team going up against the 'big three' of Australia, England and India. It will be the ultimate test for the Proteas as they face off against the three cricket powerhouses on their home turf, across the shorter formats of the game. Unfortunately the current World Test Championship title holders will only be able to test their long format status against India at the end of the year when they play a two-Test series against the hosts in the sub-continent. But it is in the shorter formats that the Proteas will hope to impress the most, especially ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka early next year, and their hosting of the 50-over World Cup in 2027. Outside of the major tournaments, the Proteas have largely struggled in the shorter formats, suffering some chastening defeats against teams ranked lower than them. But that was also down to a strange trend, especially over the past year, where they chose to rest the majority of their best players during various white ball series, which left makeshift teams to battle it out, with little success. In their past three major short form tournaments, however, the Proteas have done well, reaching the Champions Trophy semis earlier this year, the T20I World Cup final in 2024 and the 2023 50-over World Cup semifinals. Upcoming major tournaments Leading up to the next two major white ball tournaments, it would probably do the Proteas well to build a winning culture and good momentum, as they did on the Test front to great success, ultimately triumphing in the grand finale against Australia at Lords in June. Strong performances against the 'big three' on their home turf will also do wonders for the confidence of a number of young up-and-coming stars that could be key to the success of the Proteas in the coming years. This will also be the second white-ball series in charge of the Proteas for coach Shukri Conrad, who has taken over all three format teams, after the sudden resignation of former white ball head coach Rob Walter earlier this year. First up is the Aussies Down Under, with three T20Is and three ODIs set to be battled out later this month, and with exciting rising talents like Dewald Brevis, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Nqaba Peter named in the squad, it will be a baptism of fire for the relative newbies. Next is the English in the UK in September, which will also see three ODIs and three T20Is played between the two teams, followed by a one-off T20I for the Proteas against Namibia in October, which will likely see a fringe side backed to play. In November the two Tests against India will take centre stage, while the first of three ODIs will start at the end of that month, followed by a five-match T20I series deep into December.
Times of Oman
29-07-2025
- Sport
- Times of Oman
Santner named New Zealand Test skipper for Zimbabwe Series
Auckland: Mitchell Santner becomes the 32nd player to lead New Zealand's men's side in Test cricket as regular Blackcaps captain Tom Latham was ruled out of the first Test against Zimbabwe due to a shoulder injury, as per the official website of the ICC. Latham sufferd the injury while fielding in a domestic T20 game in England, and hasn't been deemed fit enough to feature in the playing XI. But the left-handed top-order batter will continue to remain with the squad, with the hope that he regains full fitness ahead of the second Test match against the Chevrons. Santner, who has 1066 runs and 74 wickets from his 30 Tests, assumes the role fresh off a T20I Tri-Series victory in Harare where the Black Caps remained undefeated in the group stage into the finals. Rob Walter, New Zealand head coach, expressed his disappointment for Latham but backed Santner to do well. "It's never great when you lose your captain (Tom Latham), who's a world-class opening batter and a great team man, but that said we're going to work really hard to have him available for the second Test," he said. "We'll continue to assess and see whether a replacement player is necessary, but at this stage we are hopeful that he'll recover in time," he noted. "Mitch (Santner) did a wonderful job with the T20 squad in this recent series. Whilst the format is different, he certainly has the respect of the players and will be supported by some highly experienced Test cricketers, so I trust that he's going to do a great job," Walter said. New Zealand squad for the 1st Test: Mitchell Santner (c), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Fisher, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O'Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Michael Bracewell, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Will Young.
RNZ News
28-07-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
New Black Caps coach expects more from Zimbabwe in Test series
New Zealand's Tim Seifert during the Blackcaps v Pakistan 3rd T20I at Eden Park Friday, 21 March Photo: Andrew Cornaga/ Black Caps coach Rob Walter believes the team's adaptability is paving the way for their success in Zimbabwe. New Zealand went through the T20 Tri-Series unbeaten, scoring a three-run win over South Africa in the final in Harare on Sunday. Walter, who is on his first tour in charge, said the players adapted well to the local conditions. "Played on three different pitches through the series and all three of them played differently," Walter told RNZ. "The way the guys were able to adapt to the conditions and the opposition was excellent, both with bat and ball." Walter used 18 different players during the Tri-Series. Tim Seifert, Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway were the top three run scorers in the tournament, while Matt Henry grabbed 10 wickets. Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi had the best bowling economy rate of 5.75, with Zak Foulkes just behind him on 6.31. Conway wasn't originally named in the squad for the Tri-Series, but was called up to replace the injured Finn Allen. He made the most of his opportunity, averaging 45 over four games. "Dev is a quality player and sometimes form can be a bit wanting, but ultimately these guys will shine at some point," Walter said. "It was good to see him expressing himself and playing with some nice freedom New Zealand's Matt Henry (L) and Mitchell Santner. Photo: photosport The Black Caps now prepare for a two-Test series against Zimbabwe starting in Bulawayo on Wednesday. Zimbabwe have played seven Tests so far this year. Their most recent was a 2-0 loss at home to South Africa. They lost the first Test by 328 runs and the second by an innings and 236 runs. "They'll certainly be a better team in this series, they've got a couple of players coming back that will definitely strengthen what they look like. "We'll be paying attention to our standards so we're looking to deliver a really good performance across the two Test matches." Test series, Queen Sports Club, Bulawayo First Test: 30 July- 3 August Second Test: 7-11 August Black Caps test squad Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Fisher, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O'Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Michael Bracewell (first Test only), Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Nathan Smith, Will Young.
