Tour Debrief: New Zealand A In Bangladesh
Wrapping up the good, the bad, and the so-so of a successful tour.
I began writing a recap of the second and final unofficial Test between New Zealand A (NZA) and Bangladesh A, which culminated on Saturday, but, with rain and bad light ensuring the game petered out to a dull, predictable draw, I found myself without much worthwhile to say. All up, only 239.1 overs were possible—the equivalent of just over two and a half days—and with NZA still batting in their first innings after lunch on day four, there was rarely any jeopardy.
To summarise the match briefly, Bangladesh A won the toss and elected to bat, racking up 357 in 90 overs with five players scoring between 48 and 82 and Lister and Lennox taking three wickets apiece. However, it took until after Tea on day two to bowl those 90 overs. In reply, NZA scored 379 in 125 overs, with Nick Kelly’s second consecutive ton (103) being the highlight, alongside fifties from Heaphy (71), Carter (62), and Boyle (58). Bangladesh scored a perfunctory 2/87 in the final innings, before the captains shook hands and agreed to a draw at the start of the final hour, with no result possible. Rain was a factor every day, while bad light also curtailed day three, ensuring a 1-0 series victory for NZA.
In lieu of a match recap, I’ve decided to wrap my thoughts on this game into a full debrief of a surprisingly successful tour.
The Good
Nick Kelly
Tour Stats
List A: 33 runs from three innings at 11, strike rate 55.9.
First-class: 245 runs from three innings at 81.6 (two hundreds).
After struggling mightily in the List A series with scores of 0, 14, and 19, Nick Kelly enjoyed a fantastic first-class series featuring back-to-back hundreds (122 and 103) to continue advancing his case for Test selection.
In my tour preview, I said: “Realistically, I don’t think Kelly has a genuine chance to crack the Test side, despite his recent form. While you should never say never, Kelly will be 32 by the time New Zealand next plays a Test and has a middling first-class record.” While Kelly’s age remains a concern, there’s nothing more he can do than pile on runs, and New Zealand has had success from picking older, in-form batters in their primes in recent years (e.g. Mitchell, Blundell, and Conway). Looking across the ditch, Kelly has a remarkably similar record to Beau Webster, who is also 31 with an FC average of 38 and 12 FC hundreds (Kelly is 31 with an FC average of 39 and 11 FC hundreds) and recently took to Test cricket like a duck to water.
Over the past two first-class seasons, including both Plunket Shield and NZA appearances, Kelly has accumulated 1,728 runs at 52.3 from 19 matches (33 innings), scoring seven of his 11 hundreds in this time, plus five fifties. Expand that to the start of the 2020/21 season, and Kelly has scored 3,452 runs at 46 from 43 matches (75 innings). This season alone, Kelly has scored six first-class hundreds, more than half of his career tally (11). Kelly’s overall average is dragged down by a difficult start to his career; however, over the past five seasons, he’s been remarkably consistent, finishing in the top four Plunket Shield run-scorers four times out of five, including:
374 runs at 53.4 from four appearances for New Zealand A.
749 runs at 57.6 in the 24/25 Plunket Shield (highest run-scorer).
605 runs at 46.5 in the 23/24 Plunket Shield (fourth-highest run-scorer).
470 runs at 29.3 in the 22/23 Plunket Shield (11th-highest run-scorer).
675 runs at 51.9 in the 21/22 Plunket Shield (second-highest run-scorer).
579 runs at 44.5 in the 20/21 Plunket Shield (third-highest run-scorer).
With his 32nd birthday rapidly approaching, the only question is whether Kelly is the next Tom Bruce: has he left his run too late to crack into a competitive Test batting lineup? However, consecutive hundreds in spinning, Asian conditions against Test-standard bowling attacks will surely have caught the selectors' eyes. With Williamson skipping the upcoming Zimbabwe series with County duties and Conway’s status also unclear due to his casual contract, could Kelly fill a role as a makeshift opener alongside Tom Latham, with Will Young batting at three? I wonder if the selectors had an eye on that scenario when Kelly was asked to open during the ODI series against Pakistan in April.
Despite his sparkling form, opening is probably Kelly’s only path to the Test side, with Williamson, Ravindra, and Mitchell unlikely to be dislodged from the middle order, Young the next cab off the rank, and Chapman arguably also ahead of Kelly in the pecking order, too. Nice problems to have, as the cliche goes.
Mitchell Hay
Tour Stats
List A: 42 runs in two innings at 21, strike rate 69; one run-out.
First-class: 102 runs in three innings at 34; seven catches and one stumping.
While Kelly had the best tour for NZA, arguably no one did more to advance their case for international selection than Mitch Hay. Though his raw stats don’t jump off the page, Hay ticked many boxes with the bat and behind the stumps. In the List A series, Hay struggled to 4 (17) first up, though he can be excused, having entered the crease at 5/48 in the 15th over. He looked much better for his 38 (44) in the second match, though again, he was batting with the game lost, entering the crease at 5/119 in the 20th over chasing 357.
Hay’s standout performance came in the first unofficial Test, where he scored a crucial 81, along with six dismissals with the gloves. If the selectors decide to bite the bullet and transition from Blundell to Hay in the Test side, this may have been the game that cemented the decision. Hay again entered the crease with the side in serious trouble at 5/84, which soon became 6/101, but formed vital partnerships first with Foxcroft and then Clarke to see the team to a respectable first-innings total of 256, and himself to 81 (132). Had he received more support from the other end, he was odds-on to score a hundred. While Kelly and Ashok’s second innings heroics ultimately saw NZA to victory, they would never have been in a position to win the match if not for Hay’s rescue job.
Hay only added 3 in the second unofficial Test, but didn’t come to the crease until just before drinks on the first session of the final day. He was dismissed selflessly—stumped off Nayeem Hassan chasing quick runs for a potential declaration (at least, so I thought, until Foxcroft and Lennox put on an odd partnership of 36 [100] for the ninth wicket, seemingly batting for a draw in the first innings).
With the gloves, Hay was consistently tidy, claiming seven catches plus a stumping and a runout, and conceding just one bye on the first-class leg of the tour and four in the List A fixtures (which were harsh, and should have been five wides). At 24, it’s increasingly a question of ‘when’ Hay becomes New Zealand’s next Test wicket-keeper: do we make the transition immediately, or when Blundell (34) retires of his own accord?
Jayden Lennox
Tour Stats
List A: Two wickets at 58, econ 4.14; 10 runs at 5 (23 balls faced).
First-class: Seven wickets in four innings at 27.7, econ 2.5; 23 runs at 23 (84 balls faced).
Jayden Lennox was, by far, NZA’s most controlled bowler on tour, returning the most economical figures in six of seven bowling innings. The first innings of the second unofficial Test was the only exception, where Lennox went at 3.44, which was bested by Lister’s economy of 3.3.
Overall, Lennox was the second most economical bowler in the List A series (4.14, beaten by Shoriful Islam’s 4), and the most economical bowler (min. 10 overs) in the first-class series, going at 2.46. While Lennox struggled to pick up wickets in the List A games, he was solid in the unofficial Tests, getting seven wickets at 27.7 in helpful conditions. To be harsh, three of those seven wickets were to dismiss Bangladesh A’s numbers 8-11, who put up very little resistance, though he also dismissed Bangladesh A’s captain and form batter, Nurul Hasan, twice.
A late bloomer, Lennox has now taken 42 first-class wickets, with 31 (73%) coming this season, having taken 24 wickets at 23.4 in this year’s Plunket Shield. Unfortunately, Lennox will face a few barriers to earning higher honours, namely:
New Zealand’s reticence to play a spinner at home.
Santner, Patel, and Sodhi (at least) are ahead of him in the Test pecking order, with Bracewell, Phillips, and Ravindra offering part-time options in white ball cricket.
When the above options age out, Ashok is younger and more exciting than Lennox.
Even so, if Lennox continues in this vein, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him earn a few caps as a second or third spinner on a tour of Asia. He’s 30, but that should be no barrier, with Ajaz Patel debuting at the same age. Adding to his case, Lennox showed he was no bunny with the bat, as his FC average of 16 would suggest, scoring 20 (63) in the second unofficial Test.
Adi Ashok
Tour Stats
List A: Four wickets in two innings at 22.5, econ 4.94.
First-class: Six wickets in two innings at 18.16, econ 4.03.
Adi Ashok's match-winning 5/54 in the second innings of the first unofficial Test was the standout individual performance of the tour. Although Ashok was inconsistent at times, he showed enough to have NZ fans very, very excited for the future.
After missing selection in the first List A game, Ashok’s tour got off to an awful start, delivering three full tosses from his first three balls. He’s a young leg-spinner, after all. However, Ashok’s fourth ball was a peach, which pitched on a sixth stump line to the left-hander and spun viciously back through the gate, unlucky to miss the stumps, while his seventh ball got a wicket, caught at long off.
That was the story of Ashok’s tour, juxtaposing vicious wrong’uns and unplayable legspinners with disgusting drag-downs and frequent full tosses. An economy of 4 but an average of 18 from his lone first-class appearance tells the story. Again, he’s a young leg-spinner. The consistency will come with repetition and maturity, but Ashok showcased all the raw tools to be a consistent wicket-taking threat in international cricket.
It wasn’t just Ashok’s 5/54, including a triple-wicket maiden, which secured NZA victory in the final session in fading light. He also impressed with 3/44 in the final List A game, ripping out Bangladesh A’s numbers 5, 6, and 7, and was unlucky to miss out on MOTM honours.
I found it odd that Ashok didn’t get a chance to continue his momentum in the second unofficial Test over Lennox, though perhaps the selectors had seen enough by that point. You’ll get half-trackers, full tosses, and half volleys from Ashok, sometimes all in the same over, but you’ll also get plenty of wicket-taking deliveries. It’s going to be a hell of a ride.
Dean Foxcroft
Tour Stats
List A: 108 runs in two innings at 108, strike rate 100.9; three wickets in 12 overs at 19.3, econ 4.83.
First-class: 95 runs in three innings at 31.6; one wicket in 25 overs at 124, econ 4.96.
Without reaching the same highs as Kelly, Foxcroft was NZA’s most consistent performer, contributing in almost every innings. Foxcroft got starts whenever he batted for scores of 72, 36*, 47, 21, 27, and was unlucky to find himself batting out of position at eight, often running out of partners and having to hit out in search of quick runs.
Foxcroft and Mariu were the only batters to show up in the opening match, with Foxcroft scoring 72 of NZA’s 147, building on that with a crucial 36* to guide NZA to victory in the third game, having fallen to 6/166 in a nervy chase of 227. With the ball, Foxcroft also proved handy overs, taking three wickets at a solid economy of 4.8.
In the first-class fixtures, Foxcroft scored a critical 47 alongside Mitch Hay in the opening match, while his 21 in the third innings was NZA’s third-top score, helping set up a testing chase. In the second match, Foxcroft struggled more to make an impression. He was targeted by the Bangladeshi batters with the ball, conceding 1/87 off 13 overs, while he added 27 (56) with the bat, but by the time he came to the crease at drinks in the first session of the final day, there was no hope of a result.
Foxcroft has played a handful of white ball games for New Zealand already, and he made a strong case to add to his tally on this tour. His only issue will be that New Zealand has a glut of players who fill a similar role (lower-middle order batter offering spin overs), like Phillips, Ravindra, Bracewell, Santner, et al. At 27, time is on Foxcroft’s side, and by batting him at eight all tour, I wonder if the selectors are trying to groom him as Santner’s long-term replacement in the white ball teams? It also suggests they could be looking at batting, say, Phillips at seven and Foxcroft at eight at home in Tests, with the theory that two part-timers equal one full-time spinner, giving the side significant batting depth.
Over the past two Plunket Shield seasons, Foxcroft has taken 40 wickets at 31.2 with his offspin, while his overall first-class bowling record of 62 wickets at 28.1 is nothing to sneeze at in New Zealand conditions. Given our proclivity for selecting part-time spinners over specialists at home, I wouldn’t rule that option out.
The So-So
Joe Carter
Tour Stats
List A: 46 runs from two innings at 23, strike rate 76.6.
First-class: 137 runs at 45.6, strike rate 50.7.
Carter is the unluckiest player to find himself in this category, rather than good, with the skipper for the red ball portion of the tour contributing a pair of crucial fifties. Carter’s inability to convert one of those scores into a hundred, unlike Kelly, held him back, but he still enjoyed a good tour overall.
Carter didn’t leave much of a mark on the List A leg, missing out on selection in the first game, before adding 13 in the second match, and an assured 33 in the third.
Carter shone in the first-class matches, however, growing an extra leg with the captain’s armband to score 58 in a crucial partnership with Kelly in the first match, adding a classy 62 in the second outing. Overall, Carter has forged a very respectable record for New Zealand A, compiling 551 runs in eight appearances at 45.9 with two hundreds and two fifties.
At 32 (and with Kelly having the more impressive tour), Carter remains long odds to ever make the main team, but he should be proud of his efforts on this tour. Captaining the side to a 1-0 win in the unofficial Test series is a just reward.
Curtis Heaphy
Tour Stats
List A: 15 runs from two innings at 7.5, strike rate 35.7.
First-class: 71 runs from one innings at 71; strike rate 34.9.
Fans didn’t have much chance to see Heaphy on the List A leg of the tour, missing out on selection in the first game and adding just five and 10 in the following matches. Heaphy again missed selection for the first unofficial Test, but saved his best for last, scoring 71 (203) at the top of the order in the second match.
It was a classy innings from Heaphy, seeing off the new ball against a Test-standard attack and showing good judgement outside off stump. Notably, Heaphy heavily favoured scoring square of the wicket, with just eight of his runs coming in the V, and none through mid off.
The only concern was that Heaphy got suck at times, barely scoring for chunks near the ned of his innings. Overall, he scored at a glacial rate of 35.7 in the List A games and 34.9 for his 71. I called out in my preview that Heaphy’s modest domestic strike rates (37 in FC, 69 in List A, and 109 in T20) could be an issue, and he will want to improve on these as he continues to develop and expand his game.
There’s nothing wrong with Heaphy taking his time and being watchful in FC cricket—in fact, it’s encouraged—but striking at 35 is very slow, even by those standards. As a point of comparison, Mark Richardson struck at 37.6 in Test cricket, while Dom Sibley struck at 34.2. BJ Watling struck at 44 in first-class cricket, which would be a solid, attainable goal for Heaphy.
New Zealand are always looking for Test openers, so scoring 71 away from home against a Test-standard attack at just 21 ticks a lot of boxes. Expect to hear much more of Heaphy (likely, opening the innings with this next player) in the years ahead.
Rhys Mariu
Tour Stats
List A: 75 runs from two innings at 37.5, strike rate 89.2.
First-class: 33 runs from three innings at 11, strike rate 51.6.
It was a slightly frustrating tour for Mariu, getting starts and facing at least 15 balls in all innings except one, but lacking the one big score he’d have wanted.
Mariu made handy contributions in both List A matches with scores of 42 and a run-a-ball 33. His 42 was particularly composed and impressive (well, until he danced down the pitch, played a rash shot, and it wasn’t), scored as NZA fell to pieces at the other end, reduced to 3/6 and then 4/13 inside seven overs. His run-a-ball 33 was also important, relying heavily on sweeps and reverse sweeps, as he did frequently, to ensure NZA got off to a fast start in a tricky chase.
In the first-class fixtures, Mariu saw off the new ball in both first innings, but will be disappointed not to have converted his starts. Mariu scored 13 (39) in the first game. While the scoreboard won’t show it, it could be the sort of innings that proves to be the making of Mariu if he goes on to have a successful career as a Test opener, seeing off incredibly testing, fiery opening spells from Khaled Ahmed and Ebadot Hussein, before losing his off-stump to a ball that jagged back from Anamul Haque.
Mariu again got a start in the second unofficial Test, surviving the first six overs and scoring 14 (19) before edging behind to the keeper off Khaled Ahmad. Aside from playing a rash shot to get stumped in the first List A game, Mariu didn’t do a lot wrong with his other dismissals, falling to good balls, which he’ll face plenty of as an international opener. Sometimes, you have to tuck your bat under your arm, turn to the pavilion, and say ‘well bowled.’
In my preview, I theorised that Mariu could play Test cricket as soon as the upcoming Zimbabwe series, and while that now looks like a stretch, this series did nothing to make me think Test cricket won’t play a significant role in Mariu’s future.
Dale Phillips
Tour Stats
List A: 113 runs at 37.6, strike rate 104.6; three overs 0/23.
First-class: Zero runs from one innings; six overs 0/26.
Unfortunately, there’s little to say about Phillips’ red ball series. He missed out on selection in the first match and got a golden duck thanks to a ripper from Khaled Ahmed in the second. It happens. With the ball, he delivered six uneventful overs, 0/26. In some ways, it was a fitting bookend to Phillips’ tour, as he also started with an eight-ball duck.
Still, Phillips' quiet FC series was a great shame after a strong List A series, finishing as NZA’s top run-scorer with 113 at better than a run-a-ball. After scoring a duck in the opening match, Phillips hit back with a brutal, entertaining 79 (54) in the second, adding 34 in the final game.
As much as I desperately want to see both Phillips’ brothers in tandem, realistically, it’s hard to see how Dale would fit into the senior team. They used him as an opener in the List A series and could perhaps try him in a similar, Finn Allen-esque role in the white ball teams, though career strike rates of 84 in List A and 124 in T20 suggest otherwise.
Zak Foulkes
Tour Stats
List A: 39 runs from two innings at 39; two wickets at 54, econ 5.8.
First-class: 14 runs from one innings at 14; 3 wickets at 35, econ 3.6.
Featuring in only three of the five games, Foulkes didn’t have as many chances to impress as Lennox or Kelly, who played in every game.
When he did get on the field, Foulkes showed flashes of his talent without producing anything outstanding. Foulkes went around the park in the second List A game, conceding 1/74, with his only wicket coming at the death as the set batters hit out in search of quick runs. However, he bounced back strongly in the final game, delivering an economical spell of 1/34 from nine overs, starting the innings on the right note by dismissing Naim with the final ball of the first over. He also showed some batting talent, sticking around with Foxcroft to score 28* and to see NZA over the line, after entering the crease at 6/166 in pursuit of 227.
In the unofficial Tests, Foulkes was tidy without standing out in the second match, after missing out on the XI for the first. He bowled 23 overs, 2/78 in the first innings, dismissing the Bangladeshi numbers two and three, before adding a consolation wicket in the final innings when the match was drifting to an inevitable draw.
My lasting impression of Foulkes from this series is that he really likes a bouncer and knows when to use it. He’s a shorter, skiddier fast bowler, broadly in the Steyn/Marshall mould, who seems to deliver a slippery bouncer that hits the bat harder than you think, and is ‘on’ you faster than you’d think. If he continues to develop like this, I could see him playing a Wagner-esque role in the Test side, complementing our Giants in O’Rourke and Jamieson.
Kristian Clarke
Tour Stats
List A: 39 runs from two innings at 39; 4 wickets at 25.2, econ 6.7.
First-class: 29 runs from two innings at 14.5, 4 wickets at 32, econ 4.7.
While Clarke showed flashes of potential, his biggest issue was his economy rate and control. During the List A series, no bowler (min. seven overs) was more expensive than Clarke, who went at 6.73, with Ben Lister the only other bowler to concede more than a run a ball. That carried over into the first-class fixtures, where only Foxcroft (4.96) and Anamul Haque (4.86) were more expensive than Clarke (4.74). Clarke’s overall career economy rates of 5.7 in List A and 3.5 in first-class cricket do little to quell these fears.
Clarke did show decent wicket-taking ability, particularly with the new ball, claiming more wickets than the other NZ seamers. However, he struggled as soon as the ball stopped moving and he had to return for second and third spells. With no speed gun, it was hard to gauge, but Clarke appeared to be slower than Foulkes or Lister, seeming to lack that extra yard of pace required for international cricket.
Clarke showed he knew what he was doing with the bat with a 39* in the second List A game and 28 in the first unofficial Test. He demonstrated the technique and temperament to be a handy number eight going forward, with the potential to be a genuine all-rounder if his batting really develops.
Ben Lister
Tour Stats
List A: Two wickets in two innings at 44.5, econ 6.3.
First-class: Four wickets in two innings at 15, econ 3.5.
Like Clarke, Lister struggled badly with his economy. He and Clarke were the only two bowlers to concede more than a run a ball in the List A series, while Lister couldn’t even make up for it by taking wickets, claiming just two.
He fared significantly better in his sole first-class appearance and was likely NZA’s best bowler in the first innings of the second match, returning figures of 13 overs, 3/43. Bangladesh A were well on top at 5/318 before Lister reignited the game by taking three wickets in five balls in an inspired spell with the second new ball. He then padded his stats with a consolation wicket in the second innings when the game was petering out to a draw.
It’s easy to see the appeal of Lister: his left arm angle and ability to swing the new ball form a pretty compelling package, particularly in the post-Boult era. As a result, I imagine he’ll continue to get opportunities on the fringes of the white ball side, but I’d love to see him add more control and consistency to take his game to the next level.
The Bad
Muhammad Abbas
Tour Stats
List A: 19 runs in two innings at 9.5, strike rate 59.3; 0/45 from 7 overs, 7 econ.
First-class: Seven runs in two innings at 3.5; one wicket at 42, econ 5.25.
Unfortunately, after hyping Abbas up following his remarkable ODI debut and suggesting he might be in line for a Test debut against Zimbabwe, he had a shocking tour; not only struggling to score runs, but getting out in strange, ugly ways.
From four innings on tour, Abbas made it to double digits once, scoring 19 (30) in the final List A game. Otherwise, Abbas managed scores of 0, 5, and 2. While Abbas was unlucky to get a peach second ball in his first outing (the kind of ball you only avoid edging if you’re in form), he’ll be very disappointed by his dismissals in the first unofficial Test. As I described in my match recap: “...Abbas was caught behind chasing a wide one on a ninth stump line, which he should have left safely through to the keeper. Think Virat Kohli at his worst outside off, and you’re halfway to Abbas’ dismissal. His second innings dismissal was even worse, as he danced down the track to Murad, who was on his way to a five-for, and missed the ball by a mile to be comfortably stumped.”
Abbas struggled to find a rhythm and control the swing when he got a chance with the new ball, going at 7 an over from his seven overs in the List A series without threatening, and conceding over 5 an over in his first-class outing. His sole wicket came from a well-aimed bouncer and a spectacular Clarkson catch at fine leg.
These poor returns were nowhere near enough to shake my confidence that Abbas has a long, bright future ahead of him for the Black Caps. There are far better things to come for Abbas, but this is a tour he’ll want to forget.
Josh Clarkson
Tour Stats
List A: 41 runs from two innings at 21, strike rate 73.2; 0/76 from nine overs.
First-class: 21 runs from 2 innings at 10.5; 5 wickets at 13.6, econ 2.8.
It may be harsh to put Clarkson among the bad category, instead of so-so, given his 4/44 in the first unofficial Test. However, you need to see those wickets to get an idea of their quality, while in three of his four disciplines (List A batting, First-class batting, List A bowling), Clarkson did have a poor tour.
Clarkson never got going with the bat, scoring 7, 38, 16, and 5. The 38, scored in the second List A match with the game already lost, was his only innings of note. Otherwise, the Bangladeshi bowlers appeared to work Clarkson over relatively easily. With the ball, Clarkson got taken apart in his sole opportunity in the List A games, returning figures of 0/76 from nine overs.
Clarkson’s tour highlight, therefore, came via his 4/44 in the first innings of the first unofficial Test. Realistically, it was more a case of the Bangladeshi batters throwing their wickets away than Clarkson being outstanding, as I noted in my recap: “...the Bangladeshi batters were more than happy to hand [Clarkson] their wickets, with one coming from a top edge, another from a lazy drive to a wide delivery, and the worst of all, Ankon’s dismissal, being lobbed to point like catching practice. Clarkson will take them, however they come.” As useful as his 4/44 was to securing victory, it’s hard to see how Clarkson’s bowling would translate to the Test level in anything but the most helpful of conditions, while he showed nothing with the bat.
Matt Boyle
Tour Stats
List A: Two runs in two innings at 0.5.
First-class: 74 runs in three innings at 24.6; one wicket in seven overs at 21.
It’s never a good sign when you’re measuring a player's average in fractions, rather than whole numbers, as was the case with Boyle’s batting average of 0.5 on the List A leg of the tour.
Boyle never got going until the final match, with scores of 0 and 1 in the List A games and 2 and 14 in the first unofficial Test. Unfortunately, a few of Boyle’s dismissals were quite ugly, marred by a technical deficiency where his bat comes down at an odd angle. As I explained in a recap, “That’s the second time this tour that Boyle has been dismissed and I’ve been unsure what shot he was playing (a cover drive, I think?) due to his bat coming down on an awkward angle…he plays around the ball with his bat face slightly closed off, and will want to iron out this technical deficiency as he develops.”
Thankfully, Boyle saved his best for last, showing glimpses of his talent and natural ball-striking ability in the final match on his way to 58 (99). Boyle was looking set to go on to bigger things before bizarrely running himself out after hitting the ball straight to mid off and calling for a single. Notably, 52 of Boyle’s 58 runs were scored in front of square—he scored four boundaries on the on side, but all just in front of square leg, while his off-side boundaries came through the covers and long off. Boyle also showed some bowling talent, delivering seven overs of part-time leg spin and even picking up his second first-class wicket to dismiss Zakir Hasan.
I considered elevating Boyle to the middling category thanks to his last-gasp 50, but his List A tour was so disastrous, and he showed enough technical work-ons to justify his place here. At 22 and with fewer than 20 first-class appearances to his name, Boyle still has a bright future and will have taken several lessons from this tour, his first senior opportunity overseas.
Final Thoughts
If you’d offered me a record of two wins, two losses, and a draw before the tour kicked off, I’d have bitten your hand off for it, particularly if you specified NZA would win the first-class series 1-0. Pre-tour, I feared this young side might struggle in foreign, spinning conditions against a Bangladesh A team packed with Test-capped players. Those fears came to fruition in the opening match, as the team quickly fell to 4/13 and ultimately 147 all out. However, from there, NZA progressively grew into the tour, improving in every outing, with several players leaving with enhanced reputations.
NZA have another tour scheduled later this year, visiting South Africa for three List A matches and two unofficial Tests in August and September, marking the first time New Zealand has played in South Africa since 2016. That tour kicks off two weeks after New Zealand’s Test series against Zimbabwe concludes, so, presumably, much of this squad, along with some fringe Test players, will get further opportunities to impress. I’ll be covering that series, plus plenty more in the interim, so see you then!