Uncapped batting allrounder Dean Foxcroft was a surprise pick in New Zealand‘s Test squad for the upcoming tours to Ireland and England. Here’s a lowdown on the newest member of New Zealand’s Test side.
Who is Dean Foxcroft?
Foxcroft is a South Africa-born New Zealand batter who can also bowl quickish offspin. Foxcroft, who turned 28 last month, has been a player of interest for the Black Caps for a while, but his inclusion in the Test side was one even he didn’t see coming.
“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting the call from Rob [Walter] first,” Foxcroft said with a laugh. “It definitely got me off guard. I think my red-ball game is in a good spot. There’s a lot of positives and stuff and hopefully I can take some momentum from white-ball [cricket] to red-ball [cricket].”
While Foxcroft’s stronger suit is white-ball cricket – he has even played in franchise leagues outside of New Zealand – he has been a steady performer for Central Districts and, before that, Otago. For New Zealand A, he has played five games so far, scoring 292 runs at an average of 32.44 and picking up two wickets. In 2023 against an Australia A attack that included Spencer Johnson, Xavier Bartlett and Mitch Swepson, Foxcroft hit 97 off 150 balls from No.3 to set the tone for New Zealand A’s successful chase of 365 at the Bert Sutcliffe Oval in Lincoln.
In the most recent Plunket Shield season, he scored 407 runs in 14 innings at an average of 33.91. He also bowled 45 overs though he went wicketless. With Michael Bracewell stepping back from Test cricket, a spot has opened up for Foxcroft.
Tell me more about his background
Foxcroft was born in Pretoria and even played an Under-19 World Cup for South Africa in Bangladesh in 2016. At the time, he even came up against New Zealand Under-19s and hit a match-winning century against an attack that included Rachin Ravindra.
Foxcroft later moved to New Zealand for a change of setting and fell in love with the country. After playing representative cricket for Hawke’s Bay, he made his senior domestic debut for CD across formats in 2018.
When Foxcroft was locked out of NZ
Foxcroft shited to Otago the following year and just when it seemed like his game was clicking into the next gear, Covid-enforced border restrictions forced him to miss two successive domestic seasons in New Zealand.
He had gone home to Pretoria in March 2020 to visit his family and take some exams. What was supposed to be a six-week visit to South Africa eventually turned out to be a frustrating two-year long stay after the pandemic struck. Around the time, he even contemplated giving up his New Zealand dream. However, he finally returned to New Zealand ahead of the 2022-23 domestic season and climbed up the ranks across Otago and CD.
Though Foxcroft was locked out of New Zealand for two years, he kept in touch with cricket through stints in the Oman D10 league (T10 cricket) and Pakistan Super League, which he won with Lahore Qalandars as a reserve player in 2022.
What’s his recent form like?
Foxcroft emerged as the joint-highest run-getter for New Zealand, along with Nick Kelly, in the recent ODI series in Bangladesh with 149 runs in three innings at an average of nearly 50 and strike rate of 90.30. His 59 off 58 from No.6 and the wicket of Litton Das helped New Zealand topple the hosts in the first ODI in Mirpur. He was among the big gainers from the Bangladesh tour, in the absence of several senior players who were away at the PSL or IPL.
“Look, Bangladesh was great in terms of individual performances and stuff and also as a team we contributed in different times of the game,” Foxcroft said. “It was a great group of players, learnt a lot off the field as well and not just on the field. In terms of performances and stuff, quite happy with how it went. I was just happy to get over the line in one of the games, but we were close enough to win a couple of games on that tour. It wasn’t meant to be, but lots to learn as well.”
