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New Zealand announced their squad for next month's ICC U19 Men's Cricket World Cup 2024 in South Africa, with the grandson of a former Kiwi skipper featuring in the mix.
The young Blackcaps will travel to South Africa for the Under-19 tournament full of confidence following their unbeaten run at the East Asia-Pacific qualifier in Darwin earlier this year. They received a further boost from a trio of squad members with links to New Zealand's former stars and the current talented players. Spin all-rounder Zac Cumming is the son of former opening batter Craig Cumming, speedster Matt Rowe is the cousin of current White Ferns seamer Hannah Rowe and Tom Jones is the grandson of ex-Test skipper and New Zealand icon Jeremy Coney. During the 1970s, Coney was an accomplished all-rounder who played 140 international matches for the Kiwis. His grandson will be looking to follow in his grandfather's footsteps by leaving a strong mark in South Africa. The Kiwis are placed in Group D alongside Afghanistan, Nepal and Pakistan. They will be led by Wellington all-rounder Oscar Jackson as captain and coached by Jonny Bassett-Graham. Jonny talked about the upcoming tournament and said, "First, I'd like to congratulate the players selected for what will be a first ICC Cricket World Cup for the entire squad. It's a hugely exciting time for them and their families and I know a lot of hard work and sacrifice has got them to where they are today." "This tournament will be an awesome opportunity for our players to test themselves against the best in the world in their age group, and we hope it will be a great experience. You only have to look at the impressive list of players who have represented New Zealand at this tournament to understand it's importance - from senior Black Caps like Kane Williamson and Tim Southee through to rising stars like Rachin Ravindra and Adi Ashok," Jonny added. New Zealand will play their first match at the Under-19 World Cup against Nepal at Buffalo Park in East London on Sunday, January 21. New Zealand squad: Oscar Jackson (c), Mason Clarke, Sam Clode, Zac Cumming, Rahman Hekmat, Tom Jones, James Nelson, Snehith Reddy, Matt Rowe, Ewald Schreuder, Lachlan Stackpole, Oliver Tewatiya, Alex Thompson, Ryan Tsourgas, Luke Watson. Reserves: Ben Breitmeyer, Nick Brown, Henry Christie, Robbie Foulkes, Josh Oliver, Amogh Paranjpe. (ANI)
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