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Five New Zealanders will feature in the English domestic cricket action this season. Some will play in all three formats for their county’s whilst a couple are playing in just one or two formats. We look through and preview each of the five players with their domestic stats from the 2023/24 season shown for the correlating formats that they are playing in.
Nathan Smith - Worcestershire
2023/24 NZ Domestic Stats:
Plunket Shield: 245 runs @22.50 | HS 75*
Ford Trophy: 122 runs @17.43 | HS 37
Super Smash: 111 runs @18.50 | HS 26
Plunket Shield: 33 wickets @17.18 | BB 6/36
Ford Trophy: 11 wickets @29.00 | BB 3/32
Super Smash: 13 wickets @19.15 | BB 4/5
The Wellingtonian played a major role in their Plunket Shield title victory this season, and heads to Worcestershire for his first season of English domestic cricket. The 25-year-old was the leading wicket-taker for Wellington and also showed his skill in the lower order with the bat. He will prove a crucial ally to fellow lower-order international Jason Holder. Smith has demonstrated over the last few seasons that he is close to a New Zealand call-up and a strong season in all three formats for Worcestershire could see him even closer to breaking into the New Zealand side. Coming off a strong New Zealand domestic summer, Smith will surely be looking to continue his fine form to keep the Pears up in Division One (in the County Championship) following their promotion from Division Two after a second-place finish last season.
Blair Tickner - Derbyshire
2023/24 NZ Domestic Stats:
Plunket Shield: 182 runs @45.50 | HS 46*
Super Smash: 23 runs @23.00 | HS 22
Plunket Shield: 25 wickets @32.88 | BB 4/62
Super Smash: 6 wickets @46.33 | BB 2/33
The 30-year-old Napier-born bowler didn’t have the most successive season in the Super Smash with the ball, only taking six wickets across the competition. His Plunket Shield season did go better with his 25 wickets being the second most for the Stags, behind Ajaz Patel’s 26. Tickner has represented his country in three tests, 13 ODIs, and 18 T20Is since the 2018/19 season. It will be his first season of English domestic cricket and he’ll be looking to make his mark as he tries to storm back into the New Zealand test side next summer. Whilst he did have a central contract for the last season he didn’t feature in a single New Zealand side. Tickner has five first-class five-wicket bags and one T20 five-wicket bag. He’ll be joining the Division Two side of Derbyshire, a side that has struggled in past seasons but a strong performance with the new ball by the pacer could see them get off to a good start. Tickner will play nine County Championship fixtures and eight Vitality Blast matches.
Will Young - Nottinghamshire
2023/24 NZ Domestic Stats:
Plunket Shield: 113 runs @37.67 | HS 90
Super Smash: 166 runs @33.20 | HS 101*
The Central Stags' opening batter didn’t get much action for his side during the New Zealand home summer as he often spent most of it with the Blackcaps test, ODI, and T20I sides. Young did show his talent in the Blackcaps jersey and took a memorable catch against Bangladesh in Dunedin last year. He played in series against Australia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, South Africa and also for the Blackcaps at the ODI World Cup. His knock of 70 against the Netherlands at the World Cup was a highlight of last summer along with his 105 against Bangladesh and his second T20 ton for Central against the Otago Volts at Napier’s McLean Park. His form in test matches isn’t the best, but he did score 60* to carry New Zealand to victory in Hamilton. Young will be playing for Nottinghamshire in seven County Championship games and the entirety of the Outlaws’ Vitality Blast campaign. He did feature for Nottinghamshire in last season's red ball season, playing three games and scoring 299 runs with a high score of 145 on his debut against Surrey.
Tom Bruce - Lancashire
2023/24 NZ Domestic Stats:
Plunket Shield: 399 runs @49.88 | HS 105*
Ford Trophy: Did not play in 2023/24
Super Smash: 168 runs @28.00 | HS 63
Plunket Shield: Did not bowl in 2023/24
Ford Trophy: Did not play in 2023/24
Super Smash: 3 wickets @17.33 | BB 2/14
Bruce has regularly dominated domestic cricket in New Zealand, especially the Plunket Shield format with 858 runs in 2021/22, 705 runs in 2022/23, and 399 runs in nine innings this past season. He has shown great leadership having led the Stags in all three formats on different occasions. Having played 17 T20Is for New Zealand he brings international experience, but also past Vitality Blast action having featured ten times for Sussex in 2018. Bruce did play in the Bangladesh Premier League during the 2023/24 season with 278 runs for the Chattogram Challengers across nine games. Leading New Zealand A on tours as well shows that he has plenty of leadership experience and will be vital to helping the Lancashire side in all three formats this season.
Ben Lister - Nottinghamshire
2023/24 NZ Domestic Stats:
Super Smash: 16 runs @n/a | HS 16*
Super Smash: 14 wickets @13.93 | BB 4/26
Lister was strong in the Super Smash for Auckland, being one of their key bowlers (second top wicket-taker for the Aces) in their 2023/24 title-winning side. He’s played ten T20Is for New Zealand and three ODIs, taking 10 T20I wickets and four ODI wickets. Lister is looking to try and remake his way back into the New Zealand top side and has been included on the T20I tour to Pakistan later this month. The left-arm pace bowler will be a good addition to Nottinghamshire alongside fellow New Zealander Will Young. Lister will feature in Nottinghamshire’s first eight games in the Vitality Blast.
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