Josh Clarkson walks out to bat. Just 13 balls are left in the innings. He can hit big, but it’s another near-impossible situation for the 29-year-old, playing only his sixth innings in nine T20Is. He has had two decent hits with the bat in T20Is, in Sri Lanka and in Pakistan, but those were back in 2024. This is 2026. The first T20I against South Africa in Hamilton.
There’s not enough time for a few sighters. You can’t hog the strike. You can’t slog mindlessly. Clarkson had made a name for himself in the Super Smash as a big-hitter down the order. He needed that one blinder to tell him that he belonged at the highest level.
That day in Hamilton, Clarkson went. He hammered 26 not out in nine balls. He hit Ottneil Baartman for a four off the third ball, before going after Keshav Maharaj in the last over – two sixes and a four. New Zealand got to a competitive total, and later won the game.
“I was just backing myself. You’re playing against big names, so I think just playing the ball instead of playing the bowler [makes sense],” Clarkson told ESPNcricinfo ahead of the first T20I against Bangladesh. “I think it’s so easy to get caught up in who is bowling, Maharaj is coming in and bowling or [someone else]. I was just playing the ball and adapting [to the situation]. I was just to play my natural game; just see the ball, hit the ball.
“I think it comes down to reading the game well. I batted at No. 8 that game, and we didn’t have very long, so I had very little time to adjust to the wicket. I think, obviously, with my height [6’3″], I’m quite gifted with having long levers, but I think it all starts from your base. So having a good strong base with your legs, and making sure you drive through with that back hip is massive.”
Clarkson will attempt something similar in the first T20I in Chattogram, although this has not been a tour to remember for him so far. He went wicketless and only had single-digit scores in the ODI series.
“I have been [in Bangladesh] before with the New Zealand A side, which was last year. Obviously, playing for the national side now is pretty cool,” he said. “We had a few days to prepare, and I think something for us to get used to is probably the heat. It’s something that we’re not used to. Being an allrounder, it’s tough to get your head around with bowling big sets and then coming in and focusing on batting, so that’s probably been a big learning for me.
“I have always found if I don’t do well at something, it always gives me good confidence going forward into, say, my bowling innings. I really want to focus and do well in that if I don’t go well with the bat. I think that’s the joy of being an allrounder. You get sort of two bites of the cherry.”
It is this personality trait that has helped him build a reputation in the Super Smash, a competition that hasn’t caught the imagination of the cricket-watching public outside New Zealand, but one that is very competitive.
“I think the awesome thing about the Super Smash is that we do get our international New Zealand players there at times. I think we’ve got a lot of good, young cricketers. But I feel like we’re not probably exposed as much as we should be to the world stage,” Clarkson said. “It’s a decent competition and then hopefully there’s that NZ20 that’s coming in, which will hopefully expose our players to even more with international players coming in for that. I can only see New Zealand cricket getting better and better going forward.”
Clarkson was part of the Central Districts team in the 2018-19 and 2024-25 title-winning seasons. The second one led to international exposure in the form of Central Districts taking part in the Global Super League’s second season.
“Winning the Super Smash gave us the awesome opportunity to go to the GSL,” Clarkson said. “Obviously, I didn’t play that much during that season with having a baby during the season, which was pretty cool. But going to the GSL, which was an awesome opportunity for the younger guys in the team to experience those international conditions and international players.”
Clarkson has also played for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the CPL in 2024, an experience he turned to when playing in Bangladesh, because of the similar weather and pitch conditions.
“It was obviously a few years ago now, but I think similar sort of conditions here and [similar] sort of wickets. Very hot, humid conditions,” he said. “I was at St Kitts and Nevis and an awesome bunch of guys. Obviously didn’t get the scores that I wanted, but just rubbing shoulders with great international players and just trying to learn as much as I could over there [was beneficial].
“It’s more, I think, shorter and sharper spells with me [in Bangladesh]. I don’t really have the pace to sort of get anyone out, so it’s more change-ups and trying to get as much with my height out of the wicket as I can as possible.”
At 29, Clarkson needs to break through quickly to become a New Zealand regular. It is a good time for it too as the side is going through a transition with many rookies being tried out in the absence of the big names who are in the IPL and the PSL.
“I think it’s almost just a mindset sort of thing,” he said. “When you start off, you sort of are questioning: are you good enough for this level? But you’ve been picked for a reason.”
