BLACKCAPS pace trio Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears and Nathan Smith are set to embark on their maiden senior ICC event at next month’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan and UAE.

The trio have been selected in a 15-strong squad for the tournament and the preceding Tri-Series in Pakistan, announced on Sunday at a special event at the Pullman Hotel in Auckland.

Sears, who was a travelling reserve for last year’s ICC T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies, is selected after making his return to cricket in the Wellington Firebirds’ Super Smash defeat to the Central Stags on Thursday.

The 26-year-old was ruled out of November’s Test series in India and subsequently missed the first half of the New Zealand home international summer due to a knee injury.

The selections of O’Rourke and Smith caps off a breakthrough period for the pair who have become regular contributors to the BLACKCAPS across formats in recent seasons.

The Champions Trophy, which returns to the pinnacle ICC event calendar after an eight-year hiatus, will be contested by the top eight men’s ODI teams, all seeking to claim the iconic Champions Trophy white jackets.

The 2025 BLACKCAPS squad is tasked with emulating the achievements of their 2000 counterparts who lifted the title, then known as the ICC KnockOut Trophy, by defeating Sourav Ganguly’s India by four-wickets in a thrilling final in Nairobi, Kenya.

The tournament marks a special milestone for captain Mitchell Santner, who will lead New Zealand at a major event for the first time, after being named full-time white ball captain last month.

Santner is selected as the frontline spin option, alongside all-rounders Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra, and will be supported by senior heads Kane Williamson, and Tom Latham who will take the wicketkeeping gloves for the tournament.

Santner, Williamson and Latham were all part of the BLACKCAPS squad for the last edition of the Champions Trophy in England and Wales in 2017, while Williamson also featured at the 2013 edition.

Matt Henry will spearhead the pace bowling attack which is further bolstered by the experienced Lockie Ferguson who embarks on his fifth ICC event having played a key role in the last two ICC ODI and T20I World Cups.

Ravindra, Devon Conway and Will Young are selected as the top-order batting options, while Daryl Mitchell and Mark Chapman add depth and power to the batting department.

Pace bowler Jacob Duffy has been named as the squad’s stand-by player, to be included should Lockie Ferguson become unavailable because of ILT20 play-off commitments.

The BLACKCAPS, who have reached the semi-final or further in four out of their last five major ICC events, have been drawn in Group A of the Champions Trophy alongside hosts Pakistan, and Bangladesh and India, with only two sides able to progress.

BLACKCAPS squad – ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Mitchell Santner (c) (Northern Districts)

Michael Bracewell (Wellington Firebirds)

Mark Chapman (Auckland Aces)

Devon Conway (Wellington Firebirds)

Lockie Ferguson (Auckland Aces)

Matt Henry (Canterbury)

Tom Latham (Canterbury)

Daryl Mitchell (Canterbury)

Will O’Rourke (Canterbury)

Glenn Phillips (Otago Volts)

Rachin Ravindra (Wellington Firebirds)

Ben Sears (Wellington Firebirds)

Nathan Smith (Wellington Firebirds)

Kane Williamson (Northern Districts)

Will Young (Central Stags)

BLACKCAPS head coach Gary Stead congratulated the 15 players selected for the tournament.

“ICC tournaments represent the pinnacle of our game and it’s a huge honour to be picked to represent your country at them,” he said.

“I’d especially like to acknowledge Ben, Nathan and Will who will be attending their first senior ICC events and I know they’re really excited to do so.

“Although the Champions Trophy hasn’t been played for a few years, the team is well aware of the history of the tournament and the fact New Zealand were the first winners of the tournament in 2000, when it was known as the ICC KnockOut Trophy.

“The team and support staff are really looking forward to representing New Zealand and our fans on the big stage and giving it our all to make them proud.”

Stead said the squad was a talented one with good depth.

“We’re currently blessed with a lot of quality players and that certainly made for some challenging selection discussions.

“Ultimately, we’ve gone with the squad that will offer us the best options to perform well in the expected conditions in Pakistan and the UAE.

“We’re lucky to have a large chunk of the group with significant international and tournament experience to draw upon.

“The tournament format is a unique one in that you have to hit the ground running which means our preparation in the pre-leading Tri Series is really important.

“It’s going to be a great occasion opening the tournament against hosts in Pakistan in Karachi and we can’t wait to get over there and get stuck in.”

Stead will lead a support staff group featuring batting coach Luke Ronchi and bowling coach Jacob Oram, while Rangana Herath returns to provide specialist spin support having supported the team during last year’s Test tours of Sri Lanka and India.

The BLACKCAPS begin their preparations for the Champions Trophy with a warm-up Tri-Series against Pakistan and South Africa in Karachi and Lahore, before an ICC warm-up match against Afghanistan in Karachi. 

The Champions Trophy campaign gets underway with the opening match of the tournament against Pakistan in Karachi on February 19.

The squad will depart for Pakistan on February 3.

ODI Tri-Series fixtures

 Saturday 8 February – Pakistan v BLACKCAPS – Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Monday 10 February – BLACKCAPS v South Africa – Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Friday 14 February – Tri-Series Final – National Stadium, Karachi

ICC Warm-up Fixture

Sunday 16 February – BLACKCAPS v Afghanistan – National Stadium, Karachi

ICC Champions Trophy fixtures

Wednesday 19 February, 10:00pm NZT – BLACKCAPS v Pakistan – National Stadium Karachi

Monday 24 February, 10:00pm NZT – Bangladesh v BLACKCAPS – Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium

Sunday 2 March, 10:00pm NZT – BLACKCAPS v India – Dubai International Stadium

Tuesday 4 March, 10:00pm NZT – 1st Semi-Final – Dubai International Stadium

Wednesday 5 March, 10:00pm NZT – 2nd Semi-Final – Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Sunday 9 March, 10:00pm NZT – Final – TBC