Maiden New Zealand call-up for Kristian Clarke after Matt Henry is ruled out
Matt Henry has a calf strain, which kept him out of the second ODI against England
ESPNcricinfo staff
31-Oct-2025 • 11 hrs ago
Kristian Clarke comes in with good all-round form behind him • Getty Images
Kristian Clarke, the 24-year-old Northern Districts fast bowler, has earned a maiden New Zealand call-up for the third and final ODI of the ongoing home series against England.
He is the replacement for Matt Henry, who has a calf strain, which ruled him out of the second ODI against England on Wednesday. Henry will return home to Christchurch from Hamilton, where the second ODI was played, instead of travelling with the team to Wellington, where the third game will be played on Saturday.
Clarke came into the squad with good all-round form behind him. On Thursday, he first scored an unbeaten 107-ball 100 not out, his first century in representative cricket, and then returned 3 for 57 as Northern Districts trounced Central Districts by 113 runs (DLS method) in a Ford Trophy match in New Plymouth.
Overall, in a domestic career that started in 2022, Clarke has 332 runs at an average of 22.13 and 52 wickets at an average of 26.55 in 31 List A games. He has also played 25 first-class games and 19 T20s and was also part of the New Zealand A team that toured Bangladesh earlier this year/
He came into prominence at the 2020 Under-19 World Cup in South Africa, where he scored 62 runs in three innings and was New Zealand's most successful bowler, picking up seven wickets in three innings.
New Zealand have already pocketed the ODI series against England, having won the first two ODIs, in Mount Maunganui and in Hamilton. Their next engagement is the T20I series at home against West Indies from November 5.