Tom Bruce, the top-order New Zealand batter, has shifted his base to Scotland and will feature in the Cricket World Cup League 2 matches in the Canada leg, starting from August 27, for the new side. Having represented the development side of the country in 2016, he got the qualification to play due to his Edinburgh-born father.

Bruce later played domestic cricket for Central Districts in New Zealand since 2014 and represented the national side in 17 T20Is between 2017 and 2020, as his most recent appearance came at the Global Super League in Guyana during the T20 competition. Overall, the right-handed batter has clubbed 279 T20I runs in 17 innings at a strike rate of 122.36.

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“There's a long Scottish history within my family, and I know they will be incredibly proud that I am representing Scotland on the world stage. I've been fortunate enough to play for New Zealand five years ago, and I want to continue to showcase my skills on the world stage, and help the Scotland team achieve success, as I know the group is capable of achieving success and continuing to grow as a team.” The statement of Cricket Scotland, as Bruce quoted, says.  

New Zealand batter Tom Bruce switches to Scotland for World Cup League 2 matches

Bruce made a name for himself when he collected 223 runs at a strike rate of above 140 for CD during the 2015-16 Super Smash. Another good season in the following Super Smash saw him earn a contract in the Kiwi squad for the T20I series against Bangladesh. However, he couldn’t achieve the same success in international cricket as he did in the domestic games.

“I was involved briefly in the setup back in 2016, and it was an awesome experience. I played alongside and against a lot of the current group of Scotland players, and it's been great following their development through the years, and I'm looking forward to linking up with them again.” Bruce shed light.

Doug Wayson, the men’s head coach of the Scotland side, was excited to get Bruce into the team. “I'm very excited about Tom joining the group; not only is he a world-class cricketer, but he brings a whole range of experience; he's played a lot of 50-over and T20 cricket.”

New Zealand continues to suffer with their injury woes going into the second Test of the two-match series against Zimbabwe at the Queens Park Oval in Bulawayo. Their right-arm pacer, Will O’Rourke, has become the latest to be ruled out of the second clash with a back injury against the Sean Williams-led side.

The Blackcaps have already lost their fast-bowling all-rounder, Nathan Smith, ahead of the second red-ball fixture, with the pace bowling all-rounder, Zakary Foulkes, getting his maiden call-up into the five-day format as the replacement for Smith. Will O’Rourke, the Canterbury fast bowler, picked up three wickets in the second innings of the encounter.

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The left-arm fast bowler from Auckland, Ben Lister, has also been called for the cover of O’Rourke, who experienced stiffness in the back during the third day of the opening Test and will now remain with the 15-member squad. The bowler has also been sent home for further medical advice in the next few weeks.

New Zealand’s Will O’Rourke ruled out of the ZIM vs NZ 2nd Test in Bulawayo

‘We are hopeful it's nothing too serious. He's so important to our side for the next six to eight months, but also next year, with all the Test cricket, we've got some big tours, we need to make sure we look after the big guy and make sure that he's okay. So we have our fingers crossed for him and hopefully he'll be back in the park soon.’ The Kiwis’ bowling coach, Jacob Oram, expressed.

Lister has claimed four wickets in the 50-over format in three innings besides earning 11 scalps in 11 T20I innings. In 34 FC matches, the pacer has picked up 82 wickets at an average of under 26 and a strike rate of 56.10. O’Rourke’s injury could open the door for either Jacob Duffy or Matthew Fisher to possibly make their Test debut.

Fisher got into the squad after he impressed coach Rob Walter as the net bowler. New Zealand’s stand-in captain, Tom Latham, missed the opening game due to a shoulder injury, with Mitchell Santner shouldering the responsibility. The second clash will take place on August 07.

New Zealand’s Test fast bowling all-rounder, Nathan Smith, has been ruled out of the upcoming second Test against Zimbabwe at the Queens Park Oval in Bulawayo due to an abdominal strain. He has been replaced by the pace bowling all-rounder of the Blackcaps, Zakary Foulkes, who gets his maiden call-up in the red-ball squad.

Nathan picked up the injury on the second day of the opening Test of the two-match series while batting. After medical treatment, he went for a couple of balls before leaving the field, raising a huge concern among the home team management. The MRI scans confirmed that the injury will need another two to four weeks for its full recovery.

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Along with Smith’s replacement, the Kiwis have also included the fast bowler, Ben Lister, in the squad as a cover for Will O’Rourke, who experienced back stiffness on the third day of the opening Test at the same venue. He is under monitoring as the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) press release has stated. The lanky pacer went through 23 overs in two innings and ended with figures of 3/28 in the second stint.

New Zealand bring Zakary Foulkes as injured Nathan Smith’s replacement

Smith returned with figures of 3/20 during Zimbabwe’s first innings with the bat when they were bundled out for just 149 runs on the board. He left the field at the end of the 93rd over of the Kiwis’ only innings with the bat, having collected 22 runs off 79 balls, and didn’t return to the field for the remainder of the fixture.

Lister, who hasn’t played a red-ball game yet in international cricket, has been part of three ODIs and 12 T20Is for the Blackcaps. However, his last international game came more than a year ago in Pakistan. Foulkes, on the other hand, has played 19 first-class games and has 57 wickets, besides his 544 runs at an average of under 20.

New Zealand has already taken a lead of 1-0 in the series with a comfortable victory by nine wickets as Matt Henry impressed with match figures of 9/90. Questions are also on the fitness of Tom Latham, the standing captain, who missed the previous game with a shoulder injury.

New Zealand was hit by the injury of their premier all-rounder, Glenn Phillips, who was picked during the Major League Cricket (MLC) 2025 and was ruled out of the T20I tri-series against South Africa and Zimbabwe recently. The depth of the injury was such that he won’t be able to recover in time for the upcoming two-match Test series against Zimbabwe.

As a replacement, the New Zealand Cricket board has added the off-spin all-rounder, Michael Bracewell, for the first Test of the series in Bulawayo. The 34-year-old was not initially part of the original squad due to his commitments with the Hundred. He, however, was already in Zimbabwe as a part of the Blackcaps’ T20I squad of the tri-series.

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However, with the schedule allowing him to feature at least for the first Test of the series, their head coach, Rob Walter, reckoned that it was a straightforward decision to get him into the 15-member squad, thanks to the skills he brings to the table in any format of the game.

Michael Bracewell replaces injured Glenn Phillips for New Zealand’s first Test against Zimbabwe

‘Glenn's injury provided a gap in the Test squad, and Michael is the closest like-for-like replacement. His experience and skillset will be a great asset and allow us to keep the same balance of the team.’ The former Protea and current New Zealand head coach, Rob Walter, expressed this during a recent statement.

The Otago batter has a short experience of the longest format with 259 runs in 14 innings at an average of under 20, with the best score of unbeaten 74 runs, besides picking up 24 wickets at an average of 41.79. His last Test match came in 2024 at Wellington against Sri Lanka, having debuted at Trent Bridge a year ago against England.

Bracewell will later return to the United Kingdom and link up with his franchise of the Hundred, Southern Brave, after the first Test. A decision on the replacement for the second Test will be taken in due course, as the released statement of the NZC informed. The two-match series begins later this week, marking the return of the Kiwis to Zimbabwe after nine years.

England has announced a bumper schedule for the 2026 summer as India will be returning to the country for eight white-ball fixtures. The summer will also see them play Tests against New Zealand and Pakistan before ending it with another six white-ball game against Sri Lanka. For the first time, Lord’s will be hosting a women’s Test in history.

The men’s team will start the summer with three red-ball clashes against the Kiwis, followed by an immediate series of five T20Is and three ODIs against India. There is a month’s gap between India series and the start of Pakistan series, perhaps due to the Hundred 2026.

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The women’s team will also have a busy summer that sees them hosting the White Ferns for three ODIs and as many T20Is. It will be an ideal preparation for India to play three T20Is. After the end of the T20 World Cup on July 5, the ground will host the iconic Test before England finish the summer with three ODIs against Ireland in September.

England’s schedule for the 2026 summer

England Men’s home fixtures

England women’s fixtures

Just before their second game of the tri-series in the shortest format, involving both Zimbabwe and South Africa, New Zealand has suffered a major injury setback as their star performer is ruled out of the series with injury and will not take part in the rest of the tournament at the Harare Sports Club.

The batting all-rounder for the Blackcaps, Glenn Phillips, has been withdrawn from the trip after injuring his right groin. The veteran player picked up the injury during the Major League Cricket (MLC) final against MI New York. He was assessed on his arrival, and later, it was decided that he would need several weeks to rehabilitate.

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The Wellington Firebirds’ Tim Robinson, who joined the squad as the cover of the players in the MLC final and smashed a fine unbeaten knock of 75 runs in 57 balls at a strike rate of 131.58 to earn the player of the match award, will now stay with the squad for the remainder of the T20 tri-series.

Glenn Philips ruled out for New Zealand in T20I tri-series

The Blackcaps head coach, Rob Walter, expressed his disappointment with the all-rounder, who joined Finn Allen as the second player to be ruled out of the series. ‘It’s disappointing to lose someone of Glenn’s calibre. Much like Finn, we feel for Glenn and that he misses out on this series.’ Walter informed the board in a press release.

‘We know he was eager to get out on the field for the BLACKCAPS, and unfortunately, he won’t be able to do that for this series. We know he’ll work hard to get himself back onto the park, and I look forward to when that happens.’ The former Protea head-coach added. Phillips has smashed 1929 runs in 74 T20I innings for the Kiwis at a strike rate of 140.59, besides collecting six wickets.

The replacement of Phillips for the Test squad will be revealed later. Phillips will return home with Mitch Hay and Jimmy Neesham, who were also called in as the cover for the missing players alongside Robinson. The Kiwis won their opening fixture against South Africa and will be eager to earn the same result against Zimbabwe.

Run chases are always exciting and nerve-wracking in the fourth innings at Lord’s. And this upcoming result between England and India on the fifth day will be the same. Both teams put up the same score on the board in their respective fourth innings as the dry batting surface didn’t provide any chance to the bowlers to make any inroads.

But as the heat started to take place in London, the surface began to change its colour. A few dry rough patches started to come around the batters’ to which the bowlers were getting uneven bounce. A few balls, on the fourth day of the ongoing Lord’s Test, were jumping at the shoulder height while a few deliveries were crashing on the knees.

India will face several issues in their 193-run chase as they found themselves 58/4 at the end of the third day’s play. The entire responsibility is on the overnight batter, KL Rahul, who could keep calm in the middle while Rishabh Pant can show his aggressive batting from the other end.

Let’s take a look at the top five highest successful chases at Lord’s in Test history.

5. 218/3 by England vs New Zealand in 1965

It came 60 years ago when the home side chased down a huge score of 218 runs with seven wickets in hand. Batting first, the Blackcaps put 175 in the first innings with Bruce Taylor and Vic Pollard celebrating their respective half-centuries.

The home side took a 150+ run lead thanks to the 119-run knock from Colin Cowdrey. Three Kiwi batters got fifties, but none of them could stretch it to the three-figure mark. Later, Ted Dexter and Geoff Boycott got them over the line with seven wickets in hand.

4. 279/5 by England vs New Zealand in 2022

It was the very first red-ball encounter for England under Ben Stokes’ captaincy and Brendon McCullum’s coaching. Both teams failed to put 150 runs on the board, with the hosts taking a lead of nine runs. But the Blackcaps made a fine comeback with 285 runs on the board, thanks to Daryl Mitchell scoring 108 runs while Tom Blundell scored 96 runs on the board.

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That was, however, the only stand of the Kiwis’ second innings. But that England side was a different beast as they chased down the score with five wickets in hand, celebrating an unbeaten 115 runs from Joe Root.

3. 282/5 by South Africa vs Australia in 2025

This chase took place just six weeks ago at Lord’s when South Africa lifted the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 against Australia in the final. The only difference from the other games on the list of this chase was that it happened quite early in the game. On a tough surface, the Proteas gave away a lead of over 80 runs to the Aussies. But Kagiso Rabada’s inspiring bowling set the stage.

The biggest knock for the Proteas in the chase came from Aiden Markram, who drilled 136 runs in 207 balls to carry them over the line. Captain Temba Bavuma also managed 66 runs in 134 deliveries for the successful chase.

2. 282/3 by England vs New Zealand in 2004

It was the farewell Test for the former England captain, Nasser Hussain, and the debut of the would-be captain of the side, Andrew Strauss. Thanks to multiple fifties, the Kiwis put 386 runs on the board in the first innings before the home side took a small lead thanks to Strauss’s century on debut. The captain, Marcus Trescothick, also clubbed 86 runs in a fine 190-run opening stand.

Mark Richardson scored 101 in the second innings while Brendon McCullum fell short of the landmark by four runs. In the fourth innings, England chased down 282/3 quite comfortably as Hussain remained unbeaten on 103 runs while Andre Strauss also notched up 83 runs in 171 balls.

1. 344/1 by the West Indies vs England in 1984

It’s hard to believe a huge 344 runs being chased in the fourth innings of a Test, and that too in the past. But the success could only be earned by the old West Indies, which had all the ingredients with them. Graeme Flower’s 106 helped the home side put 286 on the board before the tourists fell for just 245 runs. Allan Lamb in the second innings drilled 110 runs while Ian Botham fetched 81.

The case was always going to be a tough one, but Gordon Greenidge was in the mood and he smashed an unbeaten 214 runs in 242 balls at a strike rate of nearly 90, while Larry Gomes remained unbeaten on 92 runs in 140 balls. The Caribbean side chased down the score of 344 with nine wickets in hand under the captaincy of Viv Richards.

Just a week after being left out of the T20I side, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter, Devon Conway, returns for the tri-series against Zimbabwe and South Africa. He came in as a replacement for injured Finn Allen, who picked up a foot injury while playing in the MLC 2025 for the San Francisco Unicorns. Conway’s only experience in the shortest format has been in various franchise circuits.

The other additions on the side are the batters, Mitchell Hay and Tim Robinson, and all-rounder, James Neesham, as the trio joins the squad for the cover of Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Glenn Philips, and Rachin Ravindra, who will be busy in the MLC final on July 13. New Zealand will be under veteran Mitchell Santner, as the new era under coach Rob Walter begins.

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“We're gutted for Finn. I was looking forward to working with him and to seeing him continue his form from the MLC, but unfortunately, injuries happen. We're lucky to be able to call on someone of Devon's quality to replace Finn.” The Blackcaps coach said as he starts his stint with Luke Ronchi, Jacob Oram, and James Foster in the support staff. Several key players, including Kane Williamson, have made themselves unavailable for the trip.

CSK star Devon Conway returns for New Zealand in the tri-series against Zimbabwe and South Africa

Williamson is currently in London as he is featuring in the T20 Blast, besides being part of the county side for Middlesex. Their fast bowler, Lokier Ferguson, has been rested to keep an eye on his workload management, while Kyle Jamieson has opted out of the tour as he waits for the birth of his child. Ben Sears, on the other hand, is out with a side strain.

New Zealand will start their campaign against South Africa on Wednesday as each side will play each other in a double-round-robin format. The top two teams, then, will play the final on July 26, as all of the fixtures will take place at the Harare Sports Club.

New Zealand updates squad for tri-series

Mitchell Santner (captain), Devon Conway, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchel, Will O'Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Mitch Hay, Jimmy Neesham, Tim Robinson

New Zealand have announced their 15-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo. Fast bowler Matt Fisher, who has used his raw pace to pick up 51 first-class wickets in 25 innings at an average of 24.11, has earned his maiden call-up for the series. Their former captain, Kane Williamson, however, remains unavailable for the series. 

Williamson will feature on the Hundred for the London Spirit, having signed a deal with Middlesex. The off-spin bowling all-rounder, Michael Bracewell, who is currently in the USA for the MLC 2025, will also not make his trip to the country. For him, it’s the same issue, given that he signed a deal with the Southern Brave.

Fast bowlers Kyle Jamieson and Ben Sears will also not be part of the Zimbabwe series. The former took a personal break, awaiting the birth of his first child, while Sears is on his route to recover from a side injury, which will require another one to rehab.

New Zealand announce inexperienced squad for Zimbabwe trip

With both the red-ball clashes not being part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle, the Kiwi coach, Rob Walter, respected the decision of both Williamson and Bracewell. He also reckoned that it would be a great chance for the young players to take the next step in their red-ball career.

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Jacob Duffy is another uncapped player in the squad alongside Fisher. He is currently the number one-ranked T20I bowler. Will O’Rourke, Matt Henry, and Nathan Smith will complete the seam attack as they look to start a successful era after Tim Southee and Trent Boult. Ajaz Patel, who missed a huge chunk of his career, will link up with Mitchell Santner and Glenn Phillips in the spin attack.

Davon Conway, after getting dropped from the T20I tri-series, has returned to the longest format. Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Conway, and Phillips will join the squad after the end of the MLC 2025. The first Test of the series will be played on July 31, just five days after the end of the T20I tri-nation series.

New Zealand Test squad for the Zimbabwe series

Tom Latham (captain), Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Fisher, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O'Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Will Young.

With five international teams scheduled to tour the nation in various formats, New Zealand Cricket has formally announced an exciting 2025–26 home season. With a 46-day cricket schedule that includes T20 thrillers, ODI rivalries, and a coveted three-match Test series against the West Indies, Australia, England, South Africa, and Zimbabwe will all be represented. As the White Ferns get ready for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup, the season also features important games for them.

Black Caps fans can look forward to high-voltage contests starting with the T20I series against Australia in early October, followed by a white-ball series against England and a full multi-format tour by the West Indies. A five-match T20I series against South Africa in March 2026, staged as double-headers alongside the women’s team, rounds out a dynamic men’s season.

For the White Ferns, the historic first-ever series against Zimbabwe and a crucial series against South Africa make this one of the most exciting home summers in recent memory. Here is the full match schedule.

New Zealand Men’s Schedule 2025–26

vs Australia – T20I Series

vs England – T20I and ODI Series

vs West Indies – T20Is, ODIs and Tests

vs South Africa – T20I Series (Double-Headers with Women)

New Zealand Women’s Schedule 2025–26

vs Zimbabwe – T20I and ODI Series

vs South Africa – ODI Series

A Big Summer of Cricket Ahead for New Zealand

There's something for every fan this summer: historic rivalries, new encounters, high-pressure Test cricket, and increased attention on women's cricket. Having double-headers with the women's and men's teams is a big move towards inclusivity and entertainment.

With the T20 World Cup and Women's World Cup on the horizon, this summer is not only about home cricket but also making a statement for international competitions. The Black Caps and White Ferns take their turn in the spotlight, and now it's the turn of the supporters all over New Zealand to pack the seats. Watch this space as squads are named and preparation starts for what is going to be an exciting summer of cricket.