Black Caps: Twenty20 freelancers commit in Rob Walter’s first squad, uncapped Bevon Jacobs eyes debut

Rob Walter has named a strong maiden squad as Black Caps head coach for next month’s Twenty20 tri-series against Zimbabwe and South Africa.

As New Zealand build towards next year’s Twenty20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, Walter’s first squad after replacing Gary Stead earlier this month has seen a number of uncontracted players remain committed to the Black Caps.

Finn Allen, Adam Milne and Tim Seifert have all made themselves available for the white ball leg of the tour, despite having opted out of central contracts with New Zealand Cricket.

All three are currently plying their trade in American Major League Cricket, where Allen and Milne in particular have caught the eye.

Playing for the San Francisco Unicorns, Allen plundered a world-record 19 sixes en route to scoring 151 off just 51 balls against the Washington Freedom. At the time of selection, Allen tops the run-scoring charts with 298 from five matches at an average of just under 60.

Milne, meanwhile, has taken nine wickets for Texas Super Kings at an average of 10.66, and returns to the Black Caps for the first time since November 2024.

Seifert’s inclusion, though, comes at the expense of fellow gloveman Mitch Hay – who was handed his maiden central contract earlier this month – and Devon Conway, who has not been selected.

However, currently playing in England with Middlesex and the London Spirit, Kane Williamson continues to be unavailable for the T20 leg of the tour, and is understood to have communicated that he will likely miss the test series against Zimbabwe that follows.

Auckland’s Bevon Jacobs is the only uncapped player in the 15-man squad and is in line to debut after being made to wait during the New Zealand summer.

The 23-year-old was called up to the Black Caps’ squad to face Sri Lanka over the new year period, but wasn’t selected in New Zealand’s 2-1 victory. Since then, though, Jacobs was part of the Mumbai Indians’ squad in this year’s Indian Premier League.

In the bowling ranks, Matt Henry returns after missing the end of the New Zealand summer with the shoulder injury sustained in the Champions Trophy, but having returned to fitness with a stint in English county cricket with Somerset.

Henry will be backed up in the seam bowling department by Jacob Duffy, Will O’Rourke and Zak Foulkes, as well as Milne.

Also uncontracted, Lockie Ferguson has not been selected due to load management, while Kyle Jamieson will also remain in New Zealand for the birth of his first child.

Despite also missing out on a central contract, Ish Sodhi has been selected as a second spinner, and will provide cover for captain Mitchell Santner.

“I think we’ve got a really strong squad for this tour and I’m looking forward to getting the team together and getting into the work,” said Walter.

“We’ve got some good experience in the side and it’s nice to be able to welcome back a few of the players who missed the March series against Pakistan because of the IPL.

“It should be a great T20 tri-series with South Africa who are a very strong side and Zimbabwe who play well at home in their own conditions.”

Black Caps squad: Mitchell Santner (captain), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi

Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.