Ben Sears replaces Kyle Jamieson in New Zealand squad; earns maiden T20 World Cup call-up

Ben Sears earns maiden call-up in NZ World Cup squad [Source: X]After struggling with hamstring injuries and undergoing continued rehab throughout the 2025 season, New Zealand pacer Ben Sears has been called up by New Zealand Cricket as a travelling reserve for the T20 World Cup 2026. Ben Sears will replace Kyle Jamieson in the travelling reserve squad, with Jamieson being promoted to the main squad following the withdrawal of Adam Milne, who has also reported a hamstring injury. Ben Sears set to join New Zealand squad in Mumbai As per a report from NZC, Ben Sears will join the New Zealand squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 in Mumbai on Sunday, as the Black Caps prepare for a warm-up match against the United States of America on Thursday, February 5. New Zealand coach Rob Walter expressed optimism about Sears’ return, backing a strong comeback from the hamstring injury that ruled him out at the start of the home summer. “Ben’s worked hard to get himself back on the park and it’s been great to see him back playing and performing well. He’s had a full Super Smash campaign with the Firebirds where he was the competition’s joint second-top wicket-taker from the round-robin stage with 15 wickets from his nine games,” Walter said. Coach confident with Ben Sears' chancesAlthough Sears has been named as a travelling reserve, Walter remained confident that in case of any unforeseen circumstances affecting the main squad or playing XI, Sears would be the first-choice bowling replacement. “It will be great to have Ben with us here in India and ready to make an impact at the World Cup should someone get injured,” Walter added. New Zealand T20 World Cup 2026 squad updated: Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears (travelling reserve) Ben Sears recent formIt is also important to note that Ben Sears has been in solid form with the ball. In Super Smash 2025–26, Sears picked up 15 wickets at a staggering strike rate of 12 from just eight innings. He registered the best figures of 4 for 25 and 3 for 44 in the tournament. Against Australia, however, he was relatively quiet, managing just one wicket from two matches. In the County Division One tournament, Sears claimed seven wickets from three innings, with impressive figures of 4 for 45 and 2 for 53 at an economy rate of 4.53. The 'beneficial' Ben The fast bowler usually clocks speeds around 140 kph and will be a valuable addition to the Kiwi pace attack, which already features Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, James Neesham, and Kyle Jamieson. Ben Sears can generate extra bounce and skid off the pitch, adding to his effectiveness with the ball. In terms of career statistics, he has played 22 T20I matches for New Zealand so far, picking up 23 wickets at an average of 24.73 and an economy rate of 8.59. Notably, most of his T20I wickets have come against Pakistan, against whom he has taken 10 wickets in nine appearances. In Asian conditions, however, he has managed only four wickets from six matches at an economy rate of 9.00, which raises some concern if he is to be considered for a place in the playing XI for the ICC event, set to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka. New Zealand have been placed in Group D of the T20 World Cup 2026, alongside Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, and the UAE. The Black Caps are scheduled to play their opening match on February 8 against Afghanistan in Chennai.