New Zealand’s latest all-rounder, Zak Foulkes, will walk out at Hagley Oval this week knowing most of the faces in the stands. The 23-year-old, fresh from a record-breaking debut in Bulawayo, has a chance to cap a whirlwind year with his maiden Test on home turf when the West Indies arrive in Christchurch.
He is trying not to overthink it, yet the excitement is obvious. “Yeah, a few friends and family coming down tomorrow, which will be cool,” Foulkes said. “Yeah, obviously first Test match out in front of them, which will be really cool. A really special moment for me and my family.”
Key facts first. Foulkes’ 9 for 75 against Zimbabwe in August is the best return by a New Zealand bowler on Test debut. Two months later, in his first ODI spell, he hooped an inswinger through Joe Root’s defence at Mount Maunganui. Now he returns to the ground where he learned the craft, hoping the familiar easterly breeze still helps the ball talk.
Family ties matter here. Father Glen and brothers Liam and Robbie have all played for Canterbury Country; Robbie opened the batting at the 2024 Under-19 World Cup, while Liam now develops the game in Ireland. Zak also opened for Canterbury when he first broke into the first-class side, though he admits it “didn’t go down too well”. The bat has since given way to a late-swinging new-ball role.
There is even a bit of friendly rivalry in the changing-room. “There’s a running joke at the moment that Jacob Duffy is actually developing a wee inswing,” Foulkes laughed. “So yeah, just trying to tell him to stay in his lane a little bit. Yeah, definitely a little bit of a point of difference between the other guys [with my ability to swing the ball].”
Those nuances matter because New Zealand’s seam stocks have been stretched. Kyle Jamieson, Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears and Matt Fisher are all missing, yet the attack has functioned. Foulkes and Duffy, debutants together in Zimbabwe, have slotted in; Blair Tickner’s return from injury strengthens the mix. “Yeah, I think we’re in a great space,” Foulkes said. “Obviously when everyone is available there’s not too many spots up for grabs. It sort of fits itself, almost. Yeah, but I guess being fast bowlers, we know there’s going to be injuries. So we have to build that depth and I think we’re in a good spot at the moment as New Zealand cricket.”
At Hagley, length is everything. The surface can look friendly but mis-judge it and you disappear square of the wicket. Foulkes trusts what has worked for Canterbury: pitching it up, using the slope towards the Port Hills, and letting the lacquer do the work for the first 25 overs.
Analyst-coach Heath Rutherford explains the subtlety. “Hagley rewards patience. If Zak lands on that 6-to-7-metre spot he’s a handful, because the lateral movement stays in play longer than at most New Zealand grounds.” Rutherford points to the small but telling difference between white-ball and red-ball swing. “The red one keeps bending through the air even after the shine fades. That’s ideal for him.”
Foulkes frames his ambitions simply. “I think Test cricket is probably my No. 1 goal,” he said. “It has been for a while. I think there’s just nothing more rewarding than a red-ball win. All the toil, all the hard work that goes into it. Yeah, it’s very rewarding when you get a win.”
He knows places will be scarce once the senior quicks return, yet refuses to worry about it now. “It’s all happened pretty quickly really,” he said. “I had a big win…” The sentence trails off, almost as if he is still processing the journey.
For now, there is a pragmatic target: help New Zealand start their summer with a victory and maybe sneak a swing-induced edge or two past the keeper. Beyond that, selection will take care of itself. As he said after a quiet look across Hagley’s outfield earlier in the week, “Obviously watched a lot of Test cricket out on this venue. Yeah, being on the other side of the road this time would be very cool, very rewarding.”
Should he strike first up, the roar will tell him those familiar voices have made the short trip across town.
