Bevon Jacobs hits his first ball for six against India in Christchurch on Thursday night. Photo / Photosport
With success in professional sport often being down to opportunity as much as ability, Bevon Jacobs couldn’t ask for a better chance than he has right now.
Over a year into his career as an international cricketer, Jacobs is somewhat of a rarity for the Black Caps. As arguably the most powerful ball-striker in New Zealand, the 24-year-old has the attributes to be a T20 phenomenon, with an ability to find the rope at will, if not clear it altogether.
The end of 2024 saw him secure an Indian Premier League contract with the Mumbai Indians before he’d even played a game for his country.
And yet, despite the riches on offer as a T20 freelancer – akin to international teammates Finn Allen and Tim Seifert – Jacobs has always maintained his desire is to be an all-format player .
Former selection manager Sam Wells outlined that it was Jacobs’ displays for Auckland in red-ball cricket that first earned him selection for New Zealand.
But he has had to be patient. While Jacobs’ international career has coincided with the appointment of Rob Walter as Black Caps head coach, opportunities have been hard to come by in the final throes of New Zealand’s golden generation.
Since last July, Jacobs has played just 12 times for the Black Caps, all T20s, for 214 runs at an average of just under 27 and a strike rate of 148.61, for one half-century.
But with only one of New Zealand’s first-choice test top six aged under 30 , Jacobs will find himself at the front of the queue as selectors look to refresh the batting stocks.
On Thursday, as the Black Caps opened their summer with a four-wicket T20 defeat to India in Christchurch , Jacobs showed why he’s so highly touted.
Batting at No 5, after Rachin Ravindra was ruled out of the series with injury, Jacobs added 31 runs in just 16 balls, as part of a 73-run partnership with Glenn Phillips (82 not out). Most impressively, Jacobs belted the first ball he faced more than 90 metres over the boundary.
He hit two more sixes before his night was done, when he was run out courtesy of Arshdeep Singh’s fancy footwork.
“Man, that first shot, eh? Wow,” said Phillips. “That was pretty incredible, especially to a guy like Arshdeep, who bowls a very heavy ball [with] good bounce on a pitch like this.”
Ravindra’s dislocated shoulder, suffered during a pre-season commercial shoot, has opened the door for Jacobs to play the entire series as a first-teamer, with four matches remaining.
A reshuffle has seen Daryl Mitchell move up to No 3, with Jacobs asked to play a “finisher” role, where his big hitting can come to the fore.
Once the India series is over, his patience will be tested again, with no more T20s until Sri Lanka arrive in the new year. That will allow Jacobs to take up a short-term deal with the Brisbane Heat in Australia’s Big Bash League.
But with the Black Caps’ success of the last decade being built on a strong team culture, where players are backed to perform without worrying about their place in the team, Phillips predicts there will be more to come from the rookie.
“To have the confidence to go out there and play the ball as he sees it – obviously he’s an incredibly strong fellow, and he hits it a long way – is a testament to the character that we’ve built in this side.
“A guy who’s young, who hasn’t played too many games, can come in and feel like he can play his natural game. If he’s given his ball, he hits it.
“I hope he carries on. He doesn’t necessarily have to hit a six first ball every game [but] for him to have the confidence to go out there and do it is a real testament to this side.”
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald . He has been a sports journalist since 2016.
Already 3-0 down in the series, New Zealand got their own back at a sold-out Eden Park.
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