A month after being picked by Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction, New Zealand’s Bevon Jacobs has received his first international call-up for the upcoming T20I series against Sri Lanka.
“This is certainly an exciting time for Bevon and his family,” New Zealand Cricket (NZC) selector Sam Wells said.
“He is a promising player with a lot of talent and we look forward to exposing him to international cricket.
“He’s got a lot of power with the bat, but he’s also shown in the longer format that he has good technique and flair.”
Who is Bevon Jacobs?
The 22-year-old was born in Pretoria, South Africa when his family moved to New Zealand when he was three.
He is an explosive middle-order batsman who was one of the breakout stars of the 2023-24 Super Smash. He played as a finisher for the Canterbury Kings, scoring 134 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 188.73 – second best behind Doug Bracewell (202.02) among batsmen who faced at least 50 balls in the tournament.
The dream ran
The youngster revealed that he missed the selectors’ call.
“I actually missed his first call, funnily enough, because it wasn’t a known number,” he told reporters.
“And then I picked up and I’m glad I did. He brought me the news and I was so shocked at the time.
“But, you know, it’s obviously the news you want to hear. So I was very surprised by it. It’s always something you dream about as a kid.
“And for me in particular, you know, it’s always been something that I’ve tried to aim for. And, you know, it came a little faster than I thought it would. But, you know, he took advantage of the opportunity and I I will be happy to be in that environment and try to learn.”
Jacobs admits that the last four weeks have been very surprising for him and his family.
“I don’t think they could quite believe it,” Jacobs said when asked about his family’s reaction.
“I called my dad first and he shed some tears on the phone. So that’s, you know, that’s pretty special.
“Something that we’ve been working hard on for many years together. So he’s put a lot of sacrifice and effort into it and so has the rest of the family. So, yeah, he was very happy and very proud.”
IPL or National Call-up
Asked whether the IPL auction or the New Zealand call-up was more surprising to him, the youngster said: “You know, if you had told me this would happen a month ago, I probably wouldn’t have believed it.”
“It’s cliché, 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 will be very special.
“And I’m going to try to, 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.
About the IPL, he said: “It’s difficult. They were both very big surprises. I think the Blackcaps can be the one.”
“The IPL seems like such a small chance, but the Black Caps is something that you know, I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid. I think the IPL was kind of a focus or something like a goal to set after. The Black Caps Always had a dream, you know, so I think that’s probably what made it the hardest for me.
“But obviously both really special and just, you know, happy to have the opportunity.”
New Zealand T20I Team
Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zach Fowlkes, Mitch Hay, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Nathan Smith
New Zealand ODI Team
Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Mitch Hay, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will Ourake, 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 vs Sri Lanka ODI Series Schedule
1st ODI – Sunday 5th January – Sello Basin Reserve, Wellington
2nd ODI – Wednesday 8th January – Seddon Park, Hamilton
3rd ODI – Saturday 11th January – Eden Park, Auckland
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