Aotearoa U19 World Cup Squad Announced For Cricket World Cup in South Africa

Aotearoa U19 World Cup Squad Announced For Cricket World Cup in South Africa

New Zealand’s strong 15-man squad for the U19 Cricket World Cup has been announced. 

Wellington batter Oscar Jackson will lead the side in South Africa. 

Otago all-rounder Zac Cumming is the son of Craig Cumming and brother of Jacob Cumming who plays for the Otago Volts. Central seamer Matt Rowe is the cousin of White Ferns and Central Hinds player Hannah Rowe. Auckland batter Tom Jones is the grandson of former Test captain Jeremy Coney. 

Three players in the side, Mason Clarke (16), Jones (17) and Snehith Reddy (17) will all be young enough to be selected for the next U19 World Cup in 2026. 

11 members in the side featured in the East Asia Pacific (EAP) qualifiers in Darwin whilst there are four new faces in the side including Rowe and Auckland batter James Nelson. 

At the NZC U19 Men’s national tournament, Nelson top scored the run charts and made four centuries across the six matches for the side that won the title. 

One player who has dropped out of the side who played in the EAP qualifiers is Canterbury all-rounder Cam Paul who has made his domestic debut for Canterbury in the Ford Trophy but was ruled out with a dislocated shoulder.

There are four spin options in the side, five seamers including a seam bowling all-rounder, and two wicket-keepers. 

Six reserve players have also been selected. 

The team will be coached by Jonny Bassett-Graham, with assistance from Paul Wiseman and Graeme Aldridge.

Commenting on the tournament, Bassett-Graham stated: 

“This tournament will be an awesome opportunity for our players to test themselves against the best in the world in their age group, and we hope it will be a great experience.”

He also commented on some of the past players who have gone on to represent Aotearoa: 

“You only have to look at the impressive list of players who have represented New Zealand at this tournament to understand its importance - from senior Blackcaps like Kane Williamson and Tim Southee to rising stars like Rachin Ravindra and Adi Ashok.”

Finally, he commented on some of the squad selections:

“The batting order has good versatility and we’re confident we have the right bowling options for the conditions we may face in South Africa.”

NZ Squad for ICC U19 Cricket World Cup

Oscar Jackson (c) - (bat) 

Mason Clarke - (pace) 

Sam Clode - ND - (wk) 

Zac Cumming - (spin/bat) 

Rahman Hekmat - (spin) 

Tom Jones - (bat) 

James Nelson - (bat) 

Snehith Reddy - (bat/spin) 

Matt Rowe - (pace) 

Ewald Schreuder - (pace) 

Lachlan Stackpole - (bat) 

Oliver Tewatiya - (bat/spin) 

Alex Thompson - (wk) 

Ryan Tsourgas - (pace) 

Luke Watson - (bat) 

Reserves

Ben Breitmeyer - (pace) 

Nick Brown - (wk) 

Henry Christie - (bat) 

Robbie Foulkes - (bat) 

Josh Oliver - (pace/bat) 

Amogh Paranjpe - (pace) 

New Zealand U19 Fixtures

Sun Jan 21 – v Nepal, Buffalo Park, East London

Tues Jan 23 – v Afghanistan, Buffalo Park, East London

Sat Jan 27 – v Pakistan, Buffalo Park, East London

Group A: Bangladesh, India, Ireland, USA

Group B: England, Scotland, South Africa, West Indies

Group C: Australia, Namibia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe

Group D: Afghanistan, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan