After a runners up finish in the 2021 T20 World Cup the Kiwi's will look to regain their form in the shortest format after a somewhat lowly 4th place finish in 2022. New Zealand have been so consistent on the global stage for sometime now. Will 2024 be the year it all clicks and they lift the trophy? The Kiwi's have named a very strong team on the plane over to the world cup. Get the inside scoop on New Zealand's Cricket Squad for the upcoming GameDay Squad Fantasy Cricket competition with an in-depth analysis and preview. Find out who to watch out for!
Squad
Average is based on all T20 Internationals in the last 12 months.
Trent Boult – Bowler (AVG 15 points)
Mark Chapman – All-Rounder (AVG 27 points)
Devon Conway – Wicket-Keeper (AVG 22 points)
Lockie Ferguson – Bowler (AVG 45 points)
Matt Henry – Bowler (AVG 37 points)
Finn Allen – Wicket Keeper (AVG 49 points)
Daryl Mitchell - Batter (AVG 32 points)
Jimmy Neesham – All-rounder (AVG 46 points)
Glenn Phillips – All-rounder (AVG 43 points)
Rachin Ravindra - All-rounder (AVG 33 points)
Mitchell Santner - All-rounder (AVG 46 points)
Ish Sodhi – Bowler (AVG 34 points)
Tim Southee – Bowler (AVG 54 points)
Kane Williamson – Batter (AVG 67 points)
Ben Sears - Bowler (AVG 38 points) Michael Bracewell - All-Rounder (AVG 41 points)
Batters
After looking at the recent form for all the New Zealand players with a batter position designation, only Daryl Mitchell shows any form from a fantasy perspective. We know that Kane Williamson is one of the worlds best... in the longer formats... and he'll be a popular pick because of this but Mitchell is the only batsman jumping off the page for me here.
Daryl Mitchell
Kane Williamson
To this point in the IND Cricket season, Daryl Mitchell has played a very important role for powerhouse team, the Chennai Super Kings, ranking third amongst the team for runs per innings and third for total runs scored. Mitchell has shown how damaging he can be on the world stage in recent times as well! He lead all New Zealanders for runs per inning with an eye-watering 69.00 runs per innings at the One Day World Cup just last year! Daryl Mitchell should be one of the first names selected in your GameDay Squad whenever New Zealand are playing!
Bowlers
New Zealand go into the tournament with six players with a bowler position designation in GDS. New Zealand’s bowling attack at international level has been world class for some time now and you can make a serious case for any of the fast bowlers especially when it comes selection time for your GameDay Squad. The one bowler who leads the pack however is…
Trent Boult
Lockie Ferguson
Matt Henry
Ish Sodhi
Tim Southee
Ben Sears
Trent Boult who has been one of the worlds best ever since he stepped onto the biggest stage in 2011! The 34-year-old hasn’t really skipped a beat since then and has most recently enjoyed a fantastic start to the IND Cricket season, starring for the Rajasthan Royals. Boult has continued to be so incredibly devastating, especially in the power play which will prove so valuable to New Zealand in this 2024 World Cup. It’s worth noting the Boult hasn’t lost his touch in the field either, remaining one of the worlds best as he enters his mid 30’s. Lean on Boult in your GameDay Squad, particularly in the early stages of the tournament.
All-rounders
Six players come into the tournament that have the all-rounder position designation in GDS. Jimmy Neesham is the sole seam bowling all-rounder. Their spin bowling all-rounders are Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Rachin Ravindra, Michael Bracewell and Mark Chapman.
Jimmy Neesham
Glenn Phillips
Rachin Ravindra
Mitchell Santner Michael Bracewell Mark Chapman
Another star of the One Day World Cup in 2023 was Glenn Phillips who ranked 14th amongst all players at the World Cup for sixes hit (14), and finished the tournament with a batting average of 40.71, incredible numbers from Phillips who was coming in at 6 or later throughout. It’s not just about what Phillips can do with the bat however, he’s got the ability to impact the game in all three facets, batting, bowling and fielding! In fact outside of maybe Ravi Jadeja, you can make a case for Phillips being the best fielder in world cricket right now!
White ball mainstay Mitchell Santner will look to continue doing his thing through the 2024 T20 World Cup. Like the aforementioned Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips, Santner enjoyed an incredible One Day World Cup in 2023. Santner finished the tournament as New Zealand’s leading wicket-taker with 16 wickets, and also finished the tournament with the best economy (4.84 Econ) team wide! Santner has been such an incredible cricket player whenever he dons the New Zealand jersey and look for him to repeat his stellar performances again.
Wicket Keeper
Two players with Wicket-Keeper status for the T20 World Cup, Devon Conway and Finn Allen!
Devon Conway Finn Allen I for one am super excited by the prospects of Finn Allen in this 2024 T20 World Cup. The 25-year-old out of Auckland has been knocking on the door for some time, and he looks like he’s on the precipice of a major breakout! Owning a solid T20I average of 25.72 runs, Allen will be unique in a sense as he’ll be one of the few opening wicket-keepers available one GameDay Squad which adds even more value to his stock! To add even further, if Devon Conway misses any time due to injury, Allen will receive an even further bump as he’ll be the next man in to take the gloves!
Predicted Starting XI
1. Devon Conway
2. Finn Allen
3. Kane Williamson
4. Daryl Mitchell
5. Mark Chapman
6. Glenn Phillips
7. Mitchell Santner
8. Tim Southee
9. Ish Sodhi
10. Lockie Ferguson
11. Trent Boult
