New Zealand announce Kristian Clarke's replacement for Bangladesh tour

Left-arm fast bowler Ben Lister has been added to New Zealand’s limited-overs squads for their upcoming tour of Bangladesh after all-rounder Kristian Clarke was ruled out due to injury.

Clarke, who is currently touring Sri Lanka with the New Zealand A side, sustained a split webbing in his right hand while attempting a catch during the second one-day match against Sri Lanka A earlier this week. The injury has ruled him out of contention for the Bangladesh series.

The 23-year-old had recently broken into New Zealand’s white-ball setup, featuring in three ODIs and a T20I during their tour of India earlier this year.

Lister, who has three ODI caps and 12 T20I appearances, is also part of the New Zealand A squad in Sri Lanka. He last represented New Zealand in 2024 during their tour of Pakistan, having also been called into the Test squad on the Zimbabwe tour last year.

Meanwhile, fast bowler Ben Sears will miss the ODI leg of the Bangladesh tour after being signed as an overseas replacement by PSL side RawalPindiz.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) confirmed that Sears will not be replaced in the ODI squad but is expected to join the T20I leg of the series.

He is likely to be available from the second T20I, with RawalPindiz currently struggling to reach the playoffs after losing their opening four matches.

The tour will also see the return of pace bowlers Matthew Fisher, Will O'Rourke and Blair Tickner, all of whom are back from injury layoffs. Both the ODI and T20I squads will be led by captain Tom Latham.

In a scheduling adjustment, match start times have been brought forward to support Bangladesh’s energy-saving initiatives amid the ongoing global fuel crisis. The ODI series is set to begin in Dhaka on April 17.

Updated Squads:

ODI: Tom Latham (c), Muhammad Abbas, Adi Ashok, Ben Lister, Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver, Dean Foxcroft, Nick Kelly, Jayden Lennox, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Blair Tickner and Will Young.

T20I: Tom Latham (c), Katene Clarke, Ben Lister, Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver, Matt Fisher, Dean Foxcroft, Bevin Jacobs, Nick Kelly, Jayden Lennox, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi and Blair Tickner.