Wellington cricket team

{{short description|New Zealand domestic cricket team}} {{more citations needed|date=June 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=June 2020}} {{Infobox cricket team |name = Wellington |image = [[File:Wellington Firebirds logo.png|frameless|350px|upright=0.80]] |oneday_name = Wellington Firebirds |captain = [[Nick Kelly (cricketer)|Nick Kelly]] |coach = [[Shane Jurgensen]] |founded = 1873 |ground = [[Basin Reserve]] |capacity = 11,600 |colors = [[File:Wellington_Firebirds_colours.svg|20px|alt=KKR|link=Wellington cricket team]] |first_fc = [[Auckland Aces|Auckland]] |first_fc_year = 1873 |first_fc_venue = Wellington |title1 = [[New Zealand first-class cricket championship|Plunket Shield]] |title1wins = 22 |title2 = [[The Ford Trophy]] |title2wins = 8 |title3 = [[Men's Super Smash]] |title3wins = 4 |website = {{URL|https://www.cricketwellington.co.nz}} }}

The '''Wellington Firebirds''' are one of six [[New Zealand]] men's [[first-class cricket]] teams that make up [[New Zealand Cricket]]. It is based in [[Wellington]]. It competes in the [[Plunket Shield]] first class (4-day) competition, [[The Ford Trophy]] domestic one day competition and the [[Men's Super Smash]] Twenty20 competition.

The Wellington Cricket Association was formed in 1875. It is New Zealand's oldest cricket association.<ref>{{cite news |title=Major Milestones for Major Associations |url=https://www.nzc.nz/news-items/major-milestones-for-major-associations/ |access-date=18 November 2025 |publisher=New Zealand Cricket |date=17 November 2025}}</ref>

==Honours== * '''[[Plunket Shield]]''' (22): :[[1923–24 Plunket Shield season|1923–24]], [[1925–26 Plunket Shield season|1925–26]], [[1927–28 Plunket Shield season|1927–28]], [[1929–30 Plunket Shield season|1929–30]], [[1931–32 Plunket Shield season|1931–32]], [[1935–36 Plunket Shield season|1935–36]], [[1949–50 Plunket Shield season|1949–50]], [[1954–55 Plunket Shield season|1954–55]], [[1956–57 Plunket Shield season|1956–57]], [[1960–61 Plunket Shield season|1960–61]], [[1961–62 Plunket Shield season|1961–62]], [[1965–66 Plunket Shield season|1965–66]], [[1972–73 Plunket Shield season|1972–73]], [[1973–74 Plunket Shield season|1973–74]], [[1981–82 Plunket Shield season|1981–82]], [[1982–83 Plunket Shield season|1982–83]], [[1983–84 Plunket Shield season|1983–84]], [[1989–90 Plunket Shield season|1989–90]], [[2000–01 Plunket Shield season|2000–01]], [[2003–04 Plunket Shield season|2003–04]], [[2019–20 Plunket Shield season|2019–20]], [[2023–24 Plunket Shield season|2023–24]].

* '''[[The Ford Trophy]]''' (8): :[[1973–74 New Zealand one-day cricket competition season|1973–74]], [[1974–75 New Zealand one-day cricket competition season|1974–75]], [[1981–82 New Zealand one-day cricket competition season|1981–82]], [[1988–89 New Zealand one-day cricket competition season|1988–89]], [[1990–91 New Zealand one-day cricket competition season|1990–91]], [[2001–02 New Zealand one-day cricket competition season|2001–02]], [[2013–14 Ford Trophy|2013–14]], [[2018–19 Ford Trophy|2018–19]].

* '''[[Men's Super Smash]]''' (4): :[[2014–15 Super Smash|2014–15]], [[2016–17 Super Smash|2016–17]], [[2019–20 Super Smash|2019–20]], [[2020–21 Super Smash|2020–21]].

==Grounds== Home games are usually played at the [[Basin Reserve]] ground in Wellington, which is also used by the [[Old Boys University]] rugby club during the winter. Wellington also occasionally use [[Wellington Regional Stadium]] for day/night matches, and play [[First-class cricket|first-class]] games at [[Karori|Karori Park]] when the Basin Reserve is unavailable.

==Current squad== Based on squad for the 2023/24 season.<ref>{{cite web |title=Squads |url=https://www.blazefirebirds.co.nz/squads |access-date=29 January 2024 |website=Cricket Wellington}}</ref> Players in '''bold''' have international caps. [[File:Firebirds Mascot.JPG|thumb|right|The Wellington Firebirds mascot looking out of the Don Neely Scoreboard at the [[Basin Reserve]].]] [[File:Basin Reserve Firebirds verse Stags2.JPG|thumb|Match between the Firebirds and the [[Central Stags]] in 2008.]] {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%" |- ! No. ! Name ! Nationality ! Birth date ! Batting style ! Bowling style ! Notes |- ! colspan="7" style="background:#dcdcdc" text-align:centre;"| Batters |- |style="text-align:center"|2|| [[Troy Johnson (cricketer)|Troy Johnson]] || {{cr|New Zealand}} || {{Birth date and age|1997|10|1|df=y}} || Right-handed || Right-arm [[Off spin|off break]] || |- | style="text-align:center" |4|| '''[[Muhammad Abbas (cricketer, born 2003)|Muhammad Abbas]]''' || {{cr|New Zealand}} || {{Birth date and age|2003|11|29|df=y}} || Right-handed || Left-arm [[Fast bowling|medium-fast]] || |- |style="text-align:center"|7|| [[Tim Robinson (New Zealand cricketer)|Tim Robinson]] || {{cr|New Zealand}} || {{Birth date and age|2002|2|28|df=y}} || Right-handed || Right-arm [[Fast bowling|medium]] || |- | style="text-align:center" |21|| '''[[Nick Greenwood (cricketer)|Nick Greenwood]]''' || {{cr|Jersey}} || {{Birth date and age|1999|4|14|df=y}} || Right-handed || Right-arm [[Off spin|off break]] || |- |style="text-align:center"|37|| [[Gareth Severin]]|| {{cr|New Zealand}} || {{Birth date and age|2000|1|6|df=y}} || Right-handed || Right-arm [[Fast bowling|medium]] || |- |style="text-align:center"|55|| '''[[Nick Kelly (cricketer)|Nick Kelly]]''' || {{cr|New Zealand}} || {{Birth date and age|1993|07|25|df=y}} || Left-handed || [[Left-arm orthodox spin|Left-arm orthodox]]|| |- ! colspan="7" style="background:#dcdcdc" text-align:centre;"| All-rounders |- |style="text-align:center"|6|| '''[[Michael Bracewell (cricketer)|Michael Bracewell]]''' || {{cr|New Zealand}} || {{Birth date and age|1991|2|14|df=y}} || Left-handed || Right-arm [[Off spin|off break]] || |- | style="text-align:center" |9|| '''[[Rachin Ravindra]]'''|| {{cr|New Zealand}} || {{Birth date and age|1999|11|18|df=y}} || Left-handed || Left-arm [[Off spin|off break]]|| |- |style="text-align:center"|17|| [[Peter Younghusband]] || {{cr|New Zealand}} || {{Birth date and age|1990|2|17|df=y}} || Right-handed || Right arm [[Leg spin|leg break]] || |- |style="text-align:center"|20|| '''[[Nathan Smith (New Zealand cricketer)|Nathan Smith]]''' || {{cr|New Zealand}} || {{Birth date and age|1998|7|15|df=y}} || Right-handed || Right arm [[Fast bowling|medium-fast]] || |- |style="text-align:center"|27|| '''[[Logan van Beek]]''' || {{cr|Netherlands}} || {{Birth date and age|1990|9|7|df=y}} || Right-handed || Right-arm [[Fast bowling|medium-fast]] || |- | style="text-align:center" |41|| [[Jesse Tashkoff]] || {{cr|New Zealand}} || {{Birth date and age|2000|11|7|df=y}} || Right-handed || [[Left-arm orthodox spin|Left-arm orthodox]] || |- ! colspan="7" style="background:#dcdcdc" text-align:centre;"| Wicket-keepers |- |style="text-align:center"|36|| '''[[Tom Blundell (cricketer)|Tom Blundell]]''' || {{cr|New Zealand}} || {{Birth date and age|1990|9|1|df=y}} || Right-handed || Right-arm [[Off spin|off break]] || |- |style="text-align:center"|57|| [[Callum McLachlan]] || {{cr|New Zealand}} || {{Birth date and age|1999|5|17|df=y}} || Right-handed || — || |- |style="text-align:center"|88|| '''[[Devon Conway]]''' || {{cr|New Zealand}} || {{Birth date and age|1991|7|8|df=y}} || Left-handed || Right-arm [[Fast bowling|medium]] || |- ! colspan="7" style="background:#dcdcdc" text-align:centre;"| Bowlers |- |style="text-align:center"|11|| '''[[Adam Milne]]''' || {{cr|New Zealand}} || {{Birth date and age|1992|4|13|df=y}} || Right-handed || Right arm [[Fast bowling|fast]] || |- |style="text-align:center"|13|| [[Iain McPeake]] || {{cr|New Zealand}} || {{Birth date and age|1991|5|24|df=y}} || Right-handed || Right arm [[Fast bowling|medium-fast]] || |- |style="text-align:center"|14|| '''[[Ben Sears]]''' || {{cr|New Zealand}} || {{Birth date and age|1998|2|11|df=y}} || Right-handed || Right-arm [[Fast bowling|medium-fast]] || |- |style="text-align:center"|83|| [[Michael Snedden]] || {{cr|New Zealand}} || {{Birth date and age|1992|9|20|df=y}} || Right-handed || Right-arm [[Fast bowling|medium-fast]] || |- |style="text-align:center"| || [[James Hartshorn]]|| {{cr|New Zealand}} || {{Birth date and age|1997|9|28|df=y}}|| Right-handed || Right-arm [[Fast bowling|medium-fast]]|| |}

==Notable players== {{main|List of Wellington representative cricketers}} {{col-begin}} {{col-4}} '''New Zealand''' {{flagicon|New Zealand}} *[[Matthew Bell (cricketer)|Matthew Bell]] *[[Bob Blair (cricketer)|Bob Blair]] *[[Graeme Wheeler|Graeme Wheeler (Reserve Bank Governor) ]] *[[Don Beard]] *[[Ewen Chatfield]] *[[Richard Collinge]] *[[Jeremy Coney]] *[[Martin Crowe]] *[[Simon Doull]] *[[Bruce Edgar]] *[[Grant Elliott]] *[[Stephen Fleming]] *[[James Franklin (cricketer)|James Franklin]] *[[Stephen Gellatly]] *[[Evan Gray]] *[[Paul Hitchcock]] *[[Andrew Jones (cricketer, born 1959)|Andrew Jones]] *[[Richard Jones (New Zealand cricketer)|Richard Jones]] *[[Gavin Larsen]] *[[Ervin McSweeney]] *[[Andrew Fletcher (cricketer)|Andrew Fletcher]]

*[[Lawrie Miller]] *[[Bruce Murray (cricketer)|Bruce Murray]] *[[Chris Nevin]] *[[John Richard Reid]] *[[Jesse Ryder]] *[[Barry Sinclair]] *[[Bruce Taylor (New Zealand cricketer)|Bruce Taylor]] *[[Eric Tindill]] *[[Roger Twose]] *[[Robert Vance (cricketer)|Robert Vance]]

'''England''' {{flagicon|England}} *[[Paul Allott]] *[[Charlie Shreck]] *[[Graham Napier]] *[[Scott Borthwick]] *[[Jade Dernbach]]

'''Australia''' {{flagicon|Australia}} *[[Clarrie Grimmett]] *[[Bob Holland]] *[[Travis Birt]] *[[Brad Hodge]]

'''India''' {{flagicon|India}} *[[Lakshmipathy Balaji]] *[[Dhawal Kulkarni]]

'''Bangladesh''' {{flagicon|Bangladesh}} *[[Tamim Iqbal]]

'''Canada''' {{flagicon|Canada}} *[[Ian Billcliff]]

'''Sri Lanka''' {{flagicon|Sri Lanka}} *[[Muttiah Muralitharan]]

'''Zimbabwe''' {{flagicon|Zimbabwe}} *[[Brendan Taylor]] {{col-end}}

==Records== See [[List of New Zealand first-class cricket records]].

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.cricketwellington.co.nz/ Wellington Cricket Association]

[[Category:First-class cricket teams in New Zealand]] [[Category:Cricket clubs established in 1873]] [[Category:Cricket in Wellington]] [[Category:Super Smash (men's cricket)]]