New Zealand’s five-match T20I shoot-out with South Africa finished in defeat, yet head coach Rob Walter came away smiling about one thing in particular – Ben Sears bowled every game without a twinge.
“First and foremostly for Searsy to have a sort of lengthened period of time where he’s been fully fit and playing consecutive games… so to play an entire series is a win and you know forget about the performance side of things,” Walter said minutes after the 3-2 scoreline was confirmed in Christchurch.
The bare numbers support him. Sears took eight wickets – joint most in the series – at 14.50 apiece while conceding only 6.44 an over. More important, in Walter’s eyes, was the simple fact the 26-year-old could keep charging in.
“Just that is the win but you know seeing how hard he worked in the World Cup [as a travelling reserve] and the things that he was working on and then to see it roll out in the competitive environment here in New Zealand like again is a huge positive. I know that he’s a hard worker and he’s hard on himself but you can certainly look back on this series and be sort of very proud of his performance.”
For Sears, staying on the park has been the real battle. Two hamstring tears – one wiping out the 2025 Champions Trophy, the other picked up with Washington Freedom in Major League Cricket – stalled his rise. A low-key rehab stint in Victoria Premier cricket, followed by Super Smash overs for Wellington, rebuilt trust in his body.
Back in the national group he leaned heavily on Lockie Ferguson before the senior quick headed home for the birth of his son. “He’s world-class and one of the best bowlers in the world for a number of years now,” Sears said of Ferguson during the home series against South Africa. “After he bowled, having conversations around what the length needed to be and where to set the field and those kinds of things – it was really helpful and just leaning on him.”
Once Ferguson departed, Sears shouldered the enforcer brief, producing 1 for 22 in Wellington and 2 for 37 in the decider. The Black Caps still let a 2-1 lead slip, short on first-choice names away at the IPL or PSL, yet Walter views the exposure for newcomers as priceless.
“There’s never any bad experience right? As long as we put it in context and so for these guys to go out there twice sort of chasing, to be put under that pressure at international.. It was very different to the domestic level, against good bowling line-ups,” he said. “And you sort of really find out about yourself and where your game is and more importantly like what you need to do sort of to get yourself up to speed. So these series will be invaluable for the guys who have played in it, specifically [for] the guys who haven’t played a hell of a lot for New Zealand.”
With senior pros tied up overseas for several more weeks, the fringe group will get further chances on the upcoming tour of Bangladesh. Where Sears had been a question mark, Walter now sees a settled answer – a fast bowler who can bowl quickly, bounce batters out and, crucially, turn up again two days later.
