New Zealand has been compelled into an eleventh-hour squad shuffle with Ben Lister replacing the injured Kristian Clarke for their white-ball tour of Bangladesh
beginning on Friday, April 17.Lister, who has not played for the Black Caps in over two years, finally gets a chance to don the black jersey as Clarke makes way. He suffered a cut to the webbing on his right hand while attempting a catch for New Zealand’s A side in their tour match against Sri Lanka A earlier in the week.
Lister, also present on the Sri Lanka tour, will travel to Bangladesh on Sunday ahead of the ODI series which begins next Friday, with the New Zealand-based team members departing for Bangladesh on Monday morning.
The first two games of the ODI series will take place in Mirpur, with the last match to be played in Chattogram. The caravan then rolls on to the T20I series, with the first two matches taking place in Chattogram on April 27 and 29. The final game of the series is scheduled in Dhaka on May 2.
The Black Caps finished as the runners-up of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, before going down to South Africa 3–2 in a home T20I series. Despite strong performances across formats, success has often eluded the side at key moments on the biggest stages. In parallel, attention among fans has increasingly expanded beyond the field, with online entertainment platforms in New Zealand including options such as online casino NZ becoming part of the broader digital leisure landscape.
Batting first in the decider, South Africa got off to a flier through Tony de Zorzi and Wiaan Mulder before Zakary Foulkes struck, removing the southpaw in the fourth over. Rubin Hermann and Mulder then stitched together a 55-run stand for the second wicket to make sure the momentum didn’t disappear. However, Josh Clarkson broke the partnership eventually.
Connor Esterhuizen swung the scale in South Africa’s favour with an explosive innings. He added 49 runs with Hermann for the third wicket and followed it up with a 61-run partnership alongside Dian Forrester. Esterhuizen smoked 75 off just 33 balls, including six maximums and five fours, before perishing in the final over. While South Africa posted a strong 187/4, Ben Sears picked up two wickets, while Clarkson and Foulkes claimed one apiece.
In reply, New Zealand’s chase of 188 got off to a bumpy start as Katene Clarke fell cheaply to Mulder. Dane Cleaver and Tim Robinson put on 35 runs for the second wicket, later Nick Kelly contributed 14 before being dismissed by skipper Keshav Maharaj.
Bevon Jacobs breathed some life with a quickfire 36 off 19 balls, hitting two fours and three sixes. He also shared a 52-run partnership with James Neesham, but the target proved beyond reach. South Africa’s disciplined bowling kept the hosts in firm check, sealing a comfortable 33-run victory.
