Bevon Jacobs’ career statistics might not show a record of a player ready to take international cricket by the scruff of the neck, but Black Caps selectors have seen enough to take a punt on the South African-born batter.
After a handful of professional matches, 22-year-old Jacobs was the only uncapped player in New Zealand’s 13-man squad to face Sri Lanka in three T20 Internationals over the coming festive break.
The right-hander is quickly earning a reputation as one of the hardest hitters currently playing within New Zealand, but whether or not that translates to international cricket is a question the Black Caps are willing to try and answer now.
However, traditionalists might worry Jacobs’ selection has come too early.
All up, Jacobs has played just 25 professional matches across all three formats – four in first-class cricket, 12 List A 50-over matches, and nine T20s.
In all of those, Jacobs has never scored a century, and passed 50 just three times, all coming in red-ball cricket.
Yet, in the modern game, selectors have seen enough to gamble on Jacobs. That’s not uncommon either – England’s 2-1 test series win over the Black Caps this month saw 21-year-old Jacob Bethell bat at No 3 for the visiting side, despite also never registering a professional hundred.
And for Black Caps selection manager Sam Wells, Jacobs has already displayed attributes that warrant testing him at a higher level.
“There’s certainly an element of betting on his potential,” said Wells. “But, I think, the power he’s displayed in his short career is something that’s really difficult to duplicate.
“Players either have it, or they don’t. There’s no doubt, if you talk to players around the circuit or domestic coaches, that Bevon has an incredible amount of power.
“That’s the one skill set that’s really stood out. He’s not that experienced, he hasn’t played a whole lot of top-level cricket.
“How he develops over the next few years is a little bit of a guess. But from what we’ve seen, we think he’s got all the skill sets to go well.”
Wells isn’t alone in rating Jacobs, either.
Last month, Jacobs was a surprise purchase for the Mumbai Indians at the Indian Premier League auction, who picked up the Kiwi for a shrewd 30 lakh ($61,000).
That came after senior Black Caps batters Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell went unsold.
However, Wells insists that Jacobs was not only already being watched by New Zealand selectors, but his performances against the red ball showed he was worth picking to face Sri Lanka.
Jacobs made his first-class debut in November this year, and has scored three half-centuries in four matches for an average of 41, and a high score of 80.
“He was certainly on the radar,” he said. “His performances, somewhat oddly, in the Plunket Shield helped more than any IPL deal.
“We knew he had power, and he’d shown that, but he showed really good craft in the innings that he’d played combined with his power that gave us confidence that there’s a really good batsman underneath, not just a hitter.
“Those attributes should hold him in good stead. But certainly, he’s on radars all around the world due to the power he’s shown.”
What’s more, in an era where players are constantly having to pick between being either red- or white-ball specialists, Wells believes Jacobs has the potential to be a rare all-format player for New Zealand in the years to come.
“He’s so young, I’d never close the door on anything. I think he does have the potential to be a three-format player.
“But that’s going to be up to how he develops, and where we focus his energies. But he’s shown in the Plunket Shield that he can play proper innings.”
The Alternative Commentary Collective is covering every home Black Caps test this summer. Listen to live commentary here.
Alex Powell is an Online Sports Editor for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016, and previously worked for both Newshub and 1News.