Club:
Wellington Collegians
Wellington Firebirds debut:
v India 1998-99 (first-class tour match)
Best bat: 219 v Auckland Aces 2008-09 (first-class)
Best bowl: 7 for 30 v Central Stags 2005-06 (first-class)
Despite losing his spot as a New Zealand Cricket centrally contracted player, James Franklin was included in the BLACKCAPS Twenty20 and One-Day sides for their tour to Zimbabwe in October and November 2011.
Franklin spent the New Zealand winter preparing for another busy season, his 14th since making his first-class debut for Wellington aged 18. In October 2011 he led the Mumbai Indians to the Champions League Twenty20 title, scoring 42 off 29 balls in the final against the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Ahead of the 2010-11 season, Franklin had played 136 first-class games, including 27 Tests, and is fast approaching 400 combined domestic and international One-Day and Day and Twenty20 matches.
A true all-rounder, Franklin has a first class 10-wicket haul as well as a Test hat-trick and a Test century to his name. He returned to action three seasons ago, after a full year out of international cricket having undergone knee surgery.
As well as for the Mumbai Indians, Franklin has played English county cricket for Gloustershire in recent years. In 2010 he scored 862 runs at 33.15 and took 46 wickets at 23.54, including a career best 7 for 14. Batting at the top of the order in limited overs cricket he scored almost 1000 runs in the 40-over and Twenty20 competitions.