From not being part of New Zealand’s T20 World Cup squad in the first place, Cole McConchie has emerged as an unlikely hero for the Black Caps.When McConchie walked out to bat against Sri Lanka at Khettarama, New Zealand were under serious pressure at 84 for 6 in the 13th over, but he absorbed all of it along with Mitchell Santner and carried them to an above-par 168 for 7.
During his unbeaten 31 off 23 balls, McConchie dinked a near-perfect wide yorker from left-arm seamer Dilshan Madushanka for four and displayed more power when he whacked a slower cutter from Dushmantha Chameera over midwicket for six on a difficult pitch.
McConchie wasn’t done yet. He fronted up to bowl two overs in the powerplay, in which he gave up just eight runs, and manned the hotspots between deep midwicket and wide long-on.
It has been a whirlwind few weeks for McConchie. He had led Canterbury to the 20-over Super Smash final at the end of January and in February, his plan was to plug away for his domestic team with his offspin and batting in the 50-over Ford Trophy.
He had turned 34 in January and before the T20 World Cup, his last game for New Zealand was in April 2024 as part of a second-string side that had toured Pakistan. McConchie probably thought that his time in international cricket had passed.
“But cricket is a funny game!” as McConchie’s first captain at Canterbury and the province’s outgoing coach Peter Fulton puts it.After an injury to Michael Bracewell, McConchie was added to New Zealand’s T20 World Cup squad as a travelling reserve. Then, after captain Santner suffered a bout of food poisoning in Chennai – most of the squad members have been struck down by illness over the past few weeks – McConchie made the main squad and got a game against Canada. That, however, didn’t go too well for him.
Then, against Sri Lanka at the Khettarama, McConchie showed his all-round chops under pressure and showed why the Black Caps trust him and their domestic system.
“He’s been around for a long time and he’s also had a taste of international cricket before,” Fulton says. “I knew he would never be overawed by the situation or pressure. For Canterbury, he bowls in the tough situations, in the powerplay or even at the death.
“That’s probably the reason why New Zealand’s selectors and the team management decided to bring him in for Michael Bracewell because they knew that he can bowl in the powerplay, he can bowl through the middle, and he can also do a job with the bat at the tail end of an innings as well as being a really good fieldsman. So, he just ticked a lot of boxes.”
McConchie is used to juggling a lot of things – both on and off the field. He ran a commercial cleaning company with his father, Brent, before setting up a gym along with his wife, Sarah, in Halswell in Christchurch. All of these experiences have given McConchie perspective about cricket and life, according to Fulton.
“Even from a young age, he was a very mature person,” Fulton says. “He has a very good head on his shoulders. He’s always got things on the go and he has a young family as well. The clarity he has is probably one of the reasons why New Zealand decided to bring him over to India and Sri Lanka. That sort of faith has been rewarded.”
Cole McConchie gave up just eight runs in two powerplay overs against Sri Lanka•ICC/Getty Images
All of McConchie’s 20 international games have come in the subcontinent or the UAE. “I made my T20 debut in Bangladesh, ODI debut in Pakistan and had some experiences in India and Sri Lanka on training tours,” McConchie said after arriving in India. “Feel like starting to know my game in these conditions and excited to take learnings and implement it straightaway.”
McConchie isn’t a big turner of the ball, but is good at varying his pace, length, and angles. On Wednesday, he operated from around the wicket to right-handers and cramped them with quick, flat darts. He has also had exposure to playing club cricket in the UK as a professional.
“He’s played a lot of cricket in England, which again is important,” Fulton says. “As a young player, it definitely helps to play more games [outside] than what you might just do playing in New Zealand. So, his bowling has definitely developed over the years. His recent form has been outstanding this season, especially during the Super Smash.”
When McConchie made his senior debut for Canterbury, he played as a specialist offspinner and batted at No.9. He was bowled for 2. Then when Gary Stead became Canterbury’s coach, he refashioned himself into a middle-order batter who can bowl offspin. Fulton suggested that McConchie has always had the potential with the bat.
“Yeah, I think he probably started as a batsman, especially when he was at high school,” Fulton says. “Then his path into the Canterbury team was predominantly through his bowling early on and he would bat anywhere from No.6 to eight or nine at the early stages of his career and obviously throughout the years he’s moved up the order. But he’s always sort of been able to hold onto those skills that have made him dangerous at the end of an innings.”
No Bracewell? No problem (so far) for New Zealand.
Deivarayan Muthu is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
