Nick Kelly and and Joe Carter to lead NZ A in South Africa with the team set to play three one-dayers and two four-day matches.
Nick Kelly and Joe Carter will command a young New Zealand A squad touring South Africa this month, with the team expected to play three one-dayers and two four-day matches.
With an average age of only 25, the team consists of 15 players, led by Kelly, who will lead the white-ball team, and Carter, who will be the star in the red-ball matches. There are eleven New Zealand internationals in the team.
Those who have made an impression on the global scene in the last six months include Muhammad Abbas, Zak Foulkes, Mitch Hay, Bevon Jacobs, and Rhys Mariu.
Taking a record-breaking 9 for 75, the best figures by a New Zealander on debut, Foulkes was the star of his Test debut in Zimbabwe. Abbas smashed one in 26 balls against Pakistan in March, setting a record for the fastest half-century in his ODI debut.
Hay, a wicketkeeper-batter, was a mainstay in New Zealand’s white-ball teams last summer. He saved the country with an undefeated 99 in an ODI against Pakistan in Hamilton and set a T20I world record with six dismissals in one innings.
In their few international games, Jacobs and Mariu have both made an impression. Mariu scored an ODI fifty in just his second game, while Jacobs produced an undefeated 44 in his T20I debut.
Northern Districts assistant coach Daniel Flynn, who is taking on the position of head coach for the first time, will coach the team. NZC high-performance coaches Graeme Aldridge and Bob Carter will help him.
As a former international himself, Flynn is loving the chance to captain a team full of both up-and-coming and seasoned players.
“It’s an exciting blend,” Flynn said. “We have guys who’ve already had a taste of international cricket, and experienced domestic cricketers who are trying to push their case for that next level. “