That shift in experience is a natural part of any team's life cycle.
Fifteen months ago, when New Zealand last contested in an ICC 50-over tournament (2023 ODI WC), the pace unit included two veterans who had each made more than a century of appearances.
Fast forward to January 2025, sans Tim Southee and Trent Boult, the NZ squad challenging for the Champions Trophy 2025 will feature a mostly raw pace attack.
Notably, Boult announced his retirement last year after NZ’s disappointing T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, where they failed to progress beyond the group stages. On the other hand, Southee played his last international game during the home Test series against England in December.
That shift in experience is a natural part of any team’s life cycle but for three of the five pacers named, they will play their first global tournament and have a combined 11 caps in the format.
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While the Kiwis picked five pacers in their 15-man squad, they have a provision for three in the playing XI with an option of playing a four-seamer line-up if needed.
Let’s introduce the Kiwi pace battery for the upcoming ICC event.
Matt Henry will be the undisputed leader of the Kiwi pace attack and is one of the better seamers currently in business. With Boult not around, Henry has been equally good with the new ball.
The 33-year-old has taken 68 wickets during the first 10 overs while maintaining a tight economy of 4.29. He is also arguably one of the best at using the wobble-seam delivery and can use it to perfection to eke out wickets.
Apart from Henry, Lockie Ferguson will be the only other experienced speedster in the lineup in what is otherwise a fresh group. His addition will add extra pace to the arsenal. Ferguson will be playing his fifth ICC event, having played a key role in the last two ODI and T20I World Cups. Interestingly, he has been named despite not having an NZC Central Contract for the current season.
Will O’Rourke looks the most secure of the less-experienced triad comprising himself alongside Ben Sears and Nathan Smith. He should be the third seamer in the side with his pace, bounce and ability to hit the deck. Will’s skillset will be preferred as valuable qualities on what portend to be mostly flatter pitches in the subcontinent.
Ben Sears is New Zealand’s wild card pick for CT2025, having just made his return to action following knee surgery. Although he has yet to play an ODI game, much like Will O’Rourke, Sears bowls with a burst of pace and is good at extracting bounce.
Sears, who was a travelling reserve for last year’s T20 World Cup, might struggle to adjust to the conditions in Pakistan and Dubai but has the potential to become a genuine wicket-taker if given enough chance.
Fast-bowling all-rounder Nathan Smith got his maiden ICC tournament call-up after playing just five ODIs so far. He has looked in good form recently with the ball, picking up four wickets in the three-match Sri Lanka ODI series.
The 26-year-old could turn out to be a useful seam-bowling option, which would allow NZ to field four pacers in their lineup. He is also a handy customer with the bat down the order.
30-year-old Jacob Duffy has been named as a reserve player. However, he could also feature in the squad in case of any injuries or should Lockie Ferguson become unavailable because of franchise cricket commitments.
Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young
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