New Zealand announced a 15-member squad for the ICC T20 World Cup on Monday and sprung a few surprises with veteran batsman Ross Taylor and all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme missing out on the squad that will participate at the mega event set to be held in the UAE from October 17.
Taylor last played T20Is for the Black Caps in November 2020 when New Zealand hosted West Indies for a three-match series. The Wellington-born batsman has featured in 102 T20Is for the Kiwis.
Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi and Todd Astle are the three spinners in the set-up along with four pacers in Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, and the nation’s rising star Kyle Jamieson. Daryl Mitchell and James Neesham have been entrusted with all-rounder duties.
Adam Milne will be travelling with the squad to the UAE as an injury cover. The same 15-member squad will also play India in a three-match T20I series in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup.
Furthermore, the squad for New Zealand's tour of India for the Test series is likely to be announced next month. NZC chief executive, David White said, "The need to safeguard the well-being of our players and support staff is now very real, and we've endeavoured to do this by carefully managing their workloads over this winter's massive playing programme.”
"I'm satisfied we've selected strong squads for all our touring commitments this winter. As the Black Caps proved in England earlier this year, we have good depth in the New Zealand game and I'm confident all the squads chosen will acquit themselves well," he added.
Additionally, White confirmed that the New Zealand players involved in the Indian T20 League 2021 will be allowed to be a part of the remainder of the season when it resumes in September.
New Zealand's Asian tour will start with a series against Bangladesh where they play five T20Is. The squad will be led by Tom Latham. Interestingly, it will be a new-look squad as none of the members named for the India tour and ICC World T20 will be a part of it.
After the Bangladesh tour, New Zealand will play three ODIs and five T20Is against Pakistan. The new coaching staff shall be headed by Wellington coach Glenn Pocknall.
A statement from New Zealand Cricket (NZC) clarified that, "Ross Taylor was selected for the three ODIs in Pakistan but, with the brief nature of the one-week series and the length of quarantine protocols, it was mutually agreed he would remain at home to prepare for the Indian Test tour and upcoming home summer."
New Zealand squad for T20 World Cup and India T20Is
Kane Williamson (captain), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee
Featured photo : David Rowland / AFP
