Northern Districts fast bowler Kristian Clarke has received his maiden call-up to the New Zealand senior team for the third and final ODI of the ongoing home series against England. The 24-year-old comes
in as a replacement for Matt Henry, who has been ruled out with a calf strain that also kept him out of the second ODI in Hamilton on Wednesday, October 29.
Henry will return home to Christchurch from Hamilton instead of travelling with the squad to Wellington, where the final ODI will be played on Saturday, November 1. Clarke joins the squad in impressive all-round form. On Thursday, he struck his maiden representative century, scoring an unbeaten 100 off 107 balls, and followed it up with figures of 3 for 57 as Northern Districts defeated Central Districts by 113 runs (DLS method) in a Ford Trophy fixture in New Plymouth.
Since making his domestic debut in 2022, Clarke has accumulated 332 runs at an average of 22.13 and taken 52 wickets at 26.55 in 31 List-A matches. He has also featured in 25 first-class and 19 T20 games, and was part of the New Zealand A squad that toured Bangladesh earlier this year. Clarke first came to prominence during the 2020 ICC Under-19 World Cup in South Africa, where he scored 62 runs and finished as BlackCaps' leading wicket-taker with seven wickets in three innings.
New Zealand have already sealed the ongoing ODI series 2–0 against England, following victories in Mount Maunganui and Hamilton. In the first ODI, England were bowled out for 223, with Harry Brook scoring 135, while Zak Foulkes claimed 4/41. New Zealand chased the target in 36.4 overs, led by Daryl Mitchell’s unbeaten 78 and Michael Bracewell’s 51, with Brydon Carse taking 3/45 for England.
In the second ODI, the Englishmen were dismissed for 175, as Blair Tickner took 4/34, and Mitchell’s unbeaten 54 guided the hosts to another comfortable win. Meanwhile, Jofra Archer impressed with 3/23 for England. Following the third ODI, the Kiwis are set to host West Indies in a home series starting November 5.
