While the Black Caps have just three tests for the upcoming home summer, new coach Rob Walter faces a key challenge in building his depth in red ball cricket. While sparse in 2025, next year’s calendar is huge for New Zealand in test cricket, with tours to England and Australia
Black Caps depth chart: How do New Zealand’s test stocks stack up before home summer?
Analysis by
Alex Powell is a Sports Journalist for the NZ Herald.
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And while the runs haven’t exactly flowed in the last few years – seeing his batting average dip below 40 – Latham’s place in this test side is as secure as any.
Devon Conway
Status: Question marks
Devon Conway bursting on to the scene in the summer of 2020 feels like a long time ago. From the days of dominating bowling attacks, Conway has struggled of late in red-ball cricket, but did end a century drought with a well-made 153 in his last outing, admittedly against Zimbabwe.
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However, his place in the test ranks is as much about his availability as it is about form. Conway is one of five current players on a casual contract with New Zealand Cricket, giving him leeway to miss series if they clash with franchise commitments.
Contenders:
It’s now a case of when and not if Rhys Mariu steps into the whites for New Zealand. The 23-year-old has already played one-day international (ODI) cricket for the Black Caps, but it’s against a red ball where Mariu has done his best work. Scored a career-best 249 for New Zealand A against South Africa A in September, bettering the 240 he made against Central Districts at the end of 2024. Mariu’s game appears made for test cricket and will undoubtedly already be on selectors’ radars.
Along the same lines, Curtis Heaphy of Central Districts has also stood out in the Plunket Shield and NZ A series. At 22, Heaphy has put wicketkeeping aspirations behind him to bat at the top of the order for the Stags, even if he did have a lean season – by his own standards – last year. A first-class batting average of 42.37 at the top of the order shows a player of clear potential, backed up by numbers of 50.52 in List A cricket. Like Mariu, Heaphy is coming off a career-best knock for NZ A, making 190 in Benoni. He might not be elevated as soon as Mariu, but will definitely feature for the Black Caps if all goes to plan.
No 3
Kane Williamson
Status: Locked in on paper/question marks
The best New Zealand will ever produce.
Like Conway, though, his casual contract leaves questions over just when he will don the whites. Earlier this year, Kane Williamson skipped New Zealand’s test tour of Zimbabwe to play franchise cricket in England. Williamson is closing in on the historic mark of 10,000 test runs and would be the first Kiwi to reach that milestone.
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What’s more, given where cricket stands in 2025, it’s highly likely no other New Zealander will ever get close to the tally he finishes on. The only question is, for a man who has never cared for milestones, does he want to reach it?
Contenders:
While most of his test opportunities have come at the top of the order, Will Young is best suited to No 3 if Williamson is unavailable. An average of 32.72 from his 22 tests might not necessarily make for convincing reading, but Young is a better player than that, evidenced by his man-of-the-series display in the Black Caps’ 3-0 series win over India last year.
From the uncapped ranks, Dale Phillips stands out as a clear contender for No 3. An opener by trade, Phillips has also spent time in the middle order for Otago. The skillsets of openers and No 3s are largely transferable. A first-class batting average of just under 37 might not leap off the page, thanks largely to 427 runs at 28.46 last season. That, though, came after a competition-best 686 at 49 the year previous.
Middle order
Rachin Ravindra
Status: Locked in
Rachin Ravindra has become the lynchpin of New Zealand’s white-ball batting unit in Williamson’s absence, and is on his way to doing the same in tests. Has more than made Ross Taylor’s No 4 spot his own, evidenced by a brutal 165 not out at better than a run a ball in his last knock against Zimbabwe. At 25, and with his numbers getting better every year, Ravindra will continue to flourish the more test cricket he plays.
Daryl Mitchell
Status: Locked in
Had to wait a long time to become a test regular, but is making up for it now. Continues to be a middle-order leader for the Black Caps, as well as being a lock at first slip, and an occasional option with the ball.
Glenn Phillips
Status: Locked in
Given the lack of a genuine allrounder, Phillips is probably the closest the Black Caps come to having a bowling option in the top six. Has admirably turned himself from a wicketkeeper into a part-time spinner, if not a batting allrounder. Chuck in his ability to take sublime catches – even if he drops the occasional dolly – and Phillips will be key to the Black Caps’ test plans as he matures as a cricketer.
Contenders:
Even after losing his place in the first XI, Henry Nicholls remains on the periphery of the test side. Deputised at No 3 with no Williamson in Zimbabwe, after a Latham injury forced Young to move up the order, and made an unbeaten 150. There are few countries that see a player with 10 test centuries warming the bench, but Nicholls ensures that the Black Caps are one of them.
In terms of uncapped batters, Bevon Jacobs and Muhammad Abbas have both been identified as ones to watch. Jacobs has caught the eye in the shorter formats, but former chief selector Sam Wells indicated it was his red-ball form – admittedly just five appearances for Auckland in the Plunket Shield – that first turned their heads. Abbas meanwhile would tick a huge box, if he continues on his current trajectory. A classy-looking batter and handy left-arm seamer, Abbas averages just under 34 with the bat and just over 31 with the ball in first-class cricket. Those numbers will need to improve, but selection for NZ A show he’s doing the right things so far.
Wicketkeeper
Tom Blundell
Status: Shaky
Probably the player who needs to be the most concerned about his place. At his best, Blundell slotted seamlessly into the Black Caps after BJ Watling’s retirement. However, barring a last-gasp 115 against England at the Basin Reserve, Blundell has passed three figures just once more in his last 20 tests. While it’s harsh to judge wicketkeepers on runs, Blundell batting at No 6 in the order does mean he needs to contribute with the bat as well. Throw in the fact that the Zimbabwe series alone saw him concede 15 byes: in 2022, he went the entire calendar year without conceding one. The big issue for the Black Caps, though, is that Blundell is 35. If he’s dropped now, that’s the end of his career. It would be a very harsh call to make for a player who’s given so much.
Contenders:
Mitch Hay has already been capped by the Black Caps in short-form cricket, but against the red ball is where his best form has come for Canterbury. Averages 48.16 from his 26 matches, but appears to have a problem converting half-centuries into three-figure scores, with just one after passing 50 on 17 occasions.
By every account, Otago’s Max Chu is the best glovesman at domestic level and is starting to score heavily with the bat. Made 378 runs at 47.25 last season, with one century and three fifties. Is yet to be called up for NZ A, but has played for New Zealand at Under-19 level. Otherwise, could the Black Caps also look to move Curtis Heaphy from the top of the order and turn him into a keeper, the same way they did with Watling?
Spinner
Mitchell Santner
Status: Conditions dependent
As always with spinners, conditions will have the largest say in determining just how big of a role they play. Mitchell Santner’s standing in New Zealand cricket is only increasing and he has now added the tag of test captaincy to his CV, after filling in for Latham in Zimbabwe. The trope with allrounders is that they take twice as long to develop to their full potential, because their time is halved across both skills. Man-of-the-match performances against India in Pune and England in Hamilton show that Santner has come to understand his game. Now, he just needs pitches – in New Zealand at least – that let him prove it.
Contenders:
If test cricket is played outside of New Zealand in spinning conditions, Ajaz Patel is as close to a walk-up starter as anyone. The 36-year-old’s 85 test wickets have all come on foreign soil, including his last display, a man-of-the-match 11/160 in Mumbai to seal the Black Caps’ 3-0 win over India. If the Black Caps want to look forward, though, Auckland’s Adithya Ashok is the clear standout. At 23, the leg-spinner has played just 19 games at first-class level. And while he averages 32.70 with the ball – respectable for a spinner - he has taken 70 wickets with five five-fors, mostly in Kiwi conditions. All that really matters from here is if he wants to turn himself into a frontline white-ball bowler, and put test aspirations on the backburner, in the same way Ish Sodhi did.
Bowlers
Matt Henry
Status: Locked in
The leader of the Kiwi attack in all formats. Has only gone from strength to strength since becoming a permanent fixture in the test side in 2022, and is nigh on unstoppable when conditions are in his favour. Tours to England and Australia should have Matt Henry licking his lips.
Kyle Jamieson
Status: Fitness depending
Zero questions over his ability. Averages an incredible 19.73 with the ball, for 80 wickets. The only problem is staying injury-free. Since his debut at the start of 2020 – before Covid – Kyle Jamieson has played just 19 tests. He hasn’t donned the whites for New Zealand since the start of 2024, after a stress fracture in his back meant surgery and remodelling his action. Now fit again, though, Jamieson says he feels as good as he ever has, but has not gone through the rigours of a red-ball match at any level since February 2024. If fit, though, he shares the new ball with Henry.
Will O’Rourke
Status: Fitness depending
Ironically, it was Jamieson’s injury woes that opened the door for Will O’Rourke to debut in test cricket, before the 24-year-old also suffered a stress fracture in his back. At his best, though, O’Rourke could be the best of the lot. His pace in combination with his huge frame leaves O’Rourke’s best deliveries as unplayable, akin to South African great Morne Morkel. Now looking like he’ll miss most of, if not all of the Kiwi summer, fans will be left wondering what could be, with Jamieson and O’Rourke bowling in tandem.
Contenders:
The nature of fast bowling has led to New Zealand being able to create good depth over the last couple of years.
Nathan Smith was first cab off the rank at the end of 2024 and kept his place heading to Zimbabwe. Bowled well, before being hit by a series of bouncers that yielded a rib injury. Will be back in the whites when fit though, given his all-round abilities make him a shoe-in for No 8 in the batting order.
After that, we’re into a series of one-cap wonders, for now.
Zak Foulkes finished with the best figures on debut for a New Zealander, 9/75, in Zimbabwe earlier this year and is also no mug with the bat, albeit not as capable as Smith. His ability to move the ball away from the left-hander makes up for what Foulkes lacks in height, as a handy all-round package. Matt Fisher also debuted in the same test as Foulkes, but with less success than his teammate to pick up one wicket in each innings. Picked for his express pace, but no speed gun in Bulawayo made that hard to assess. Jacob Duffy was the final debutant over the New Zealand winter and also snared two wickets, to go with an impressive 36 as nightwatchman. His place in the white-ball teams is unquestioned, but whether Duffy adds another test cap will largely remain on players in front of him falling over.
If express pace is the wish of selectors, though, Ben Sears will surely be itching to add to the lone test cap he earned at the start of 2024. A second-innings haul of 4/90 nearly led the Black Caps to victory at Hagley Oval, before ultimately running out of runs. Spent the New Zealand winter in England playing county cricket, and told the Herald he wanted to get better with a red ball rather than chase T20 cash.
Auckland’s Ben Lister has already debuted for the Black Caps in ODIs and Twenty20s, but his red-ball record, 82 wickets at just over 26, makes for more impressive reading. What’s more, having a left-armer in the bowling attack is desperately needed after the retirements of Trent Boult and Neil Wagner.
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.