Mark Chapman (cricketer)


Mark Sinclair Chapman is a Hong Kong-born international cricketer who has played limited over internationals for Hong Kong and New Zealand. Currently playing for New Zealand, Chapman is a left-handed batsman who bowls slow left-arm orthodox. He made his One Day International debut for Hong Kong against the United Arab Emirates in the 2015–17 ICC World Cricket League Championship on 16 November 2015. He is eligible to represent New Zealand through his father. In February 2018, he made T20I and ODI debuts for New Zealand against England.

Early and domestic career

Chapman was born in Hong Kong to a Chinese mother and a father from New Zealand. He attended Island School in Hong Kong, before enrolling at King's College, Auckland at the age of 14, and went on to study Engineering at the University of Auckland. Having played for the Hong Kong under-19 team at the 2010 Under-19 World Cup, aged 15, Chapman made his World Cricket League debut for Hong Kong at the 2011 Division Three tournament, where he helped Hong Kong earn promotion to 2011 World Cricket League Division Two.
It was in the latter tournament that he made his List A debut against Uganda. He played five further List A matches in the competition, the last of which was Papua New Guinea. In his six matches in the competition, he scored 192 runs at a batting average of 38.40, with two half centuries and a high score of 81. His highest score came against the United Arab Emirates.
Chapman made his first-class debut on 17 December 2015 in the 2015–16 Plunket Shield. As he holds dual citizenship with both New Zealand and Hong Kong, he is not considered as an overseas player.
On 1 January 2018, he scored his first century in a Twenty20 match, batting for Auckland against Canterbury in the 2017–18 Super Smash.
He was the leading run-scorer in the 2017–18 Ford Trophy, with 480 runs in eight matches for Auckland. In June 2018, he was awarded a contract with Auckland for the 2018–19 season. In March 2020, in round five of the 2019–20 Plunket Shield season, Chapman and Joe Carter scored centuries in both innings of the match. It was the first time that two batsman had scored a century in each innings in the same match in the Plunket Shield.
In June 2020, he was offered a contract by Auckland ahead of the 2020–21 domestic cricket season.

International career

In November 2015, Chapman was selected as vice-captain in Hong Kong's squad for its two World Cricket League fixtures against the UAE, both of which held ODI status. On his ODI debut in the first match, he scored 124 not out from 116 balls, becoming the first Hong Kong player to score an ODI century. Chapman also became first player from associate nations to score a century on their ODI debut, and second to do so at a strike rate of greater than 100.00 after Desmond Haynes.
In February 2018, he was added to New Zealand's T20I squad, for their Trans-Tasman tri-series against Australia and England. He made his T20I debut for New Zealand against England on 13 February 2018 and became the sixth cricketer to play T20Is for two international teams. Chapman was named to New Zealand ODI squad as a cover for injured Kane Williamson. On 28 February 2018 against England, Chapman made his ODI debut for New Zealand. With that, he became the tenth cricketer to play ODIs for two international teams.