A month after being picked by Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction, New Zealand’s Bevon Jacobs has earned his maiden international call-up for the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka.
“It’s obviously an exciting time for Bevon and his family,” New Zealand Cricket (NZC) selector Sam Wells said.
“He’s a promising player with a lot of talent and we’re looking forward to exposing him to international cricket.
“He’s clearly got a lot of power with the bat, but he’s also shown in the longer formats that he has a decent technique and temperament.”
Who is Bevon Jacobs?
The 22-year-old was born in Pretoria in South Africa before his family emigrated to New Zealand when he was about three years old.
He is an explosive middle-order batter who was one of the breakout stars of the 2023-24 Super Smash. He slotted in as a finisher for Canterbury Kings, hitting 134 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 188.73 – the second best after Doug Bracewell (202.02) among batters who had faced at least 50 balls in the tournament.
The dream run
The youngster revealed that he missed the call from the selectors.
“I actually missed his first call, funnily enough, because it wasn’t a known number,” he told the reporters.
“And then I picked up and I was happy that I did. He brought the news to me and I was pretty shocked at the moment.
“But, you know, it’s obviously news you want to hear. So I was pretty chuffed with it. It’s always something you dream of as a kid.
“And especially for me, you know, it’s always something I’ve tried to aim for. And, you know, it came a little bit quicker than I anticipated. But, you know, he grabbed the opportunity and I’m just going to be happy to be in that environment and try and learn heaps.”
Jacobs admits the last four weeks has been a quite amazing for him and his family.
“I don’t think they could exactly believe it,” said Jacobs when asked about his family’s reaction.
“I called my dad first and he shed some tears over the phone. So that’s, you know, that’s pretty special.
“Something that we’ve been working hard together for many years. So he’s put a lot of sacrifice and effort into it and same with the rest of the family. So, yeah, he was pretty happy and pretty proud”
IPL or national call-up
When asked about what was most surprising for him the IPL auction or the New Zealand call-up, the youngster said: “You know, if you told me this would happen a month ago, I probably wouldn’t believe it.”
“It’s, cliche, but it’s something you dream about. It’s something, you know, I grew up watching and being able to share the field with some of these players I think is going to be pretty special.
“And I’m just going to try, you know, absorb as much as I can. Learn from them and, you know, and hopefully be able to put some runs on the board as well.”
On the IPL, he said: “It’s a tough one. They were both pretty big surprises. I think the Blackcaps one was probably.”
“IPL feels like such a slim chance, but Black Caps is something that, you know, I’ve dreamed about since a kid. I think IPL was kind of a focus or like a goal maybe set a little bit later. Black Caps has always been the dream, you know, so I think that’s probably the one that hit me the hardest.
“But obviously both really special and just, you know, glad to have the opportunity.”
New Zealand T20I squad
Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Mitch Hay, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Nathan Smith
New Zealand ODI Squad
Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Mitch Hay, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Will Young
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka T20I schedule
1st T20I – Saturday 28 December, – Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
2nd T20I – Monday 30 December, – Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
3rd T20I – Thursday 2 January, – Saxton Oval, Nelson
New Zealand v Sri Lanka ODI Series schedule
1st ODI – Sunday 5 January – Cello Basin Reserve, Wellington
2nd ODI – Wednesday 8 January, – Seddon Park, Hamilton
3rd ODI – Saturday 11 January, – Eden Park, Auckland
I’m Manas Ranjan Sahoo: Founder of “Webtirety Software”. I’m a Full-time Software Professional and an aspiring entrepreneur, dedicated to growing this platform as large as possible. I love to Write Blogs on Software, Mobile applications, Web Technology, eCommerce, SEO, and about My experience with Life.
