A stranger to neither the West Indies nor a World Cup, CENTRAL HINDS Head Coach and CENTRAL STAGS alumnus JACOB ORAM is off the Caribbean as the specialist bowling coach for the BLACKCAPS at the forthcoming 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Oram's appointment - announced today alongside the BLACKCAPS' squad for the tournament, will come as little surprise, following on from his stint as the bowling coach on the BLACKCAPS' 2023 Test tour of Bangladesh and other roles over the latest season.

That included serving as the New Zealand A Women's Head Coach for last month's T20 Series against England A Women.

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The ninth T20 Men's World Cup will unfold in the USA and Caribbean from early June until the 30 June Final (local time), with the BLACKCAPS looking to improve on their Semi-Final placing two years ago, when they dipped out in a close playoff against Pakistan.

England heads to this year's World Cup as the defending champion while the BLACKCAPS will get underway on 8 June against Afghanistan in Guyana, followed by the West Indies (13 June), Uganda (15 June), and Papua New Guinea (18 June), all at the same venue in Trinidad & Tobago.

The top placed teams across the pools then proceed to the Super Eight stage.

Oram will be flying the CD flag solo, with no Central Stags named in this year's squad - which includes Wellingtonian Ben Sears as a travelling reserve to cover pace department breakdowns. Contracted Stags BLACKCAPS WILL YOUNG and BLAIR TICKNER will meanwhile be continuing their off-season County stints for Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire respectively, with Young fresh off his new first-class career best score of 174 not out in a record-shattering Nottinghamshire partnership.

Oram assisted the BLACKCAPS in between

Hinds engagements this summer

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Kane Williamson captains the BLACKCAPS' 15-strong team, the fourth time Williamson has led New Zealand into a World Cup in this format and his sixth tournament overall, while Tim Southee has made his seventh T20 World Cup.

Former Central Stag ADAM MILNE was ruled out of contention by surgery to repair an ankle injury, while Canterbury's Kyle Jamieson is also unavailable for selection as he continues to rehabilitate from his back injury.

BLACKCAPS coach Gary Stead said naming a squad for a pinnacle event was always an exciting time.

“I'd like to congratulate everyone named today. It’s a special time representing your country at a world tournament.

Oram played 36 BLACKCAPS T20 games

between 2005/06 & 2012/13

“We expect the venues in the West Indies to offer quite varied conditions, and feel we’ve selected a squad with the scope to adapt to those conditions.”

Stead said he was delighted to name two players heading to their first ICC T20 World Cup in Matt Henry and Rachin Ravindra.

“Matt has worked exceptionally hard on his skills across the phases of a T20 game to come back into selection consideration,“ he said.

“Rachin has made every post a winner in the past 12 months, and it was exciting to see him continue that trajectory over the summer in the T20 format against Australia.”

Oram celebrates the wicket of a future Central Stag,

Mahela Jayawardena, at the 2012 T20 World Cup

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At 45, Oram is developing into a versatile coach at both the Domestic and international level in both the men's and women's game.

He has previously assisted the WHITE FERNS and of course led the Central Hinds to the Dream11 Super Smash Grand Final this past season, in his first summer as the team's new Head Coach.

His own BLACKCAPS international career took him to the West Indies the last time the T20 world event was held there, in May 2010; and he was also part of the WHITE FERNS' coaching group the last time the women’s version was held in the Caribbean.

Image | MBUTCHER

Alongside Oram and Head Coach Stead, former Central Stags assistant coach LUKE RONCHI (above) has been appointed as the specialist batting coach while former England and Northern Knights (as they were called at the time) wicketkeeper-batter James Foster continues on from the tour of Pakistan as the fielding coach.

The New Zealand-based members of the squad and support staff leave for the tournament on May 23.

BLACKCAPS SQUAD

Kane Williamson - captain - Northern Brave

Finn Allen - Auckland Aces

Trent Boult - Northern Brave

Michael Bracewell - Wellington Firebirds

Mark Chapman - Auckland Aces

Devon Conway - Wellington Firebirds

Lockie Ferguson - Auckland Aces

Matt Henry - Canterbury Kings

Daryl Mitchell - Canterbury Kings

Jimmy Neesham - Auckland Aces

Glenn Phillips - Otago Volts

Rachin Ravindra - Wellington Firebirds

Mitchell Santner - Northern Brave

Ish Sodhi - Canterbury Kings

Tim Southee - Northern Brave

________________________

Ben Sears - travelling reserve, Wellington Firebirds

FULL BLACKCAPS SCHEDULE

Open all year round.

 

Article added: Monday 29 April 2024

Author: Margot Butcher

All images: Photosport | Published under licence