Reinforcements Arrive as Ford Trophy Begins

Adam Milne, Logan van Beek, and Ollie Newton make their Firebirds returns as the squad travels to Canterbury to open their Ford Trophy campaign.

After starting the summer strongly under interim Head Coach Lance Dry with two wins and two draws, Shane Jurgensen arrives and takes over responsibilities in all three formats.

“There’s a lot of excitement around white ball [cricket]”, said Jurgensen. “The guys have had a good start with the Plunket Shield – you’ve got a batting group in good form and an exciting bowling group heading into this game”.

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The three bowling additions will give captain Nick Kelly a plethora of options to pick from, adding three quality pacers to the squad.

Adam Milne returns to the squad for his first action an injury in early September sidelined him from the BLACKCAPS white ball tour of England. Milne’s progression has been promising as he gears up for a big home summer of cricket.

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Logan van Beek is feeling fresh from a banner year of cricket, headlined by him spearheading the Netherlands’ World Cup Qualification which saw them take part in the 10-team tournament in India.

“It was a privilege to be there; running in to bowl, facing the bowlers, or even just being at the grounds”, said van Beek. “I was grateful to be in amongst it”.

“From afar I’ve seen how hard these guys have been working, […] and now with Shane Jurgensen with his fizz and his positivity, it’s awesome”, said van Beek.

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Ollie Newton is included in the squad after he opted to not take a domestic contract for 2023/24 due to personal reasons. Newton has made himself available for selection in white ball formats for Wellington, where his 150+ wickets at domestic level will see valuable experience added to the squad.

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A couple of Plunket Shield regulars are unavailable this week, with Nathan Smith having a managed rest period after being the second-top wicket taker in the country over the first half-season of four-day cricket.

Muhammad Abbas is unavailable for selection this weekend due to a hand injury which is expected to be short-term.

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The Firebirds will take on Canterbury at Hagley Oval on Saturday, with the first delivery of their white ball campaign scheduled for 10:30am on Saturday 25th November 2023.

Live scoring and streaming will be available on the NZC website.

WELLINGTON FIREBIRDS | FORD TROPHY ROUND 1 vs CANTERBURY | Hagley Park, Christchurch | 25 November 2023

Nick Kelly (C)

Nick Greenwood

Troy Johnson

Callum McLachlan

Adam Milne

Ollie Newton

Tim Robinson

Ben Sears

Gareth Severin

Jesse Taskhoff

Logan Van Beek

Peter Younghusband

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