Photo Credit: ICC
Opportunities aplenty and a crack at a second world title within six months await the BLACKCAPS, who have unveiled four squads for the upcoming tours of Bangladesh, Pakistan and the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE in October/November.
Kane Williamson will lead a settled T20 World Cup squad featuring a three-strong frontline spin attack of Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi and Todd Astle, backed up by Mark Chapman and Glenn Phillips.
Jimmy Neesham and Daryl Mitchell are the seam bowling all-rounders supporting pace spear-heads Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson and Kyle Jamieson.
Tim Seifert will keep wickets and open the batting with Martin Guptill, while Devon Conway fills out the top order and is set to feature in his first white-ball World Cup.
Adam Milne has been selected as the 16th man and will join the squad for the tournament but can only be called upon in the event of an injury.
BLACKCAPS squad for ICC T20 World Cup and India T20s
Kane Williamson (c)
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
Adam Milne (16th man – injury cover)
Players in the 16-strong squad for the T20 World Cup were not considered for the five T20s against Bangladesh starting September 2, or the three ODIs in Pakistan beginning September 17.
However, Guptill, Chapman, Mitchell, Astle and Sodhi will join the team in Pakistan for the five T20s starting September 25, while those BLACKCAPS involved in the prematurely-suspended IPL21 will be allowed to re-join their franchises in the lead up to the World Cup.
With an eye to the Test matches against India in November and December, Devon Conway and Tim Southee will link up with the squad directly from New Zealand in early October.
Tom Latham will captain the teams to Bangladesh and Pakistan, and will have the experience of Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme, Hamish Bennett, Tom Blundell and Will Young to call on across the tours.
There’s also an alternative coaching staff for the first two tours with regular Wellington Firebirds coach Glenn Pocknall leading Graeme Aldridge (bowling coach) and Melbourne based Tilan Samaraweera (batting coach), while regular assistant Shane Jurgensen re-joins for the Pakistan T20 series, before head coach Gary Stead and batting coach Luke Ronchi join up for the T20 World Cup in early October, and stay through to the Indian Tests in December. Samaraweera previously assisted the BLACKCAPS on their tour to Sri Lanka in August 2019.
There’s maiden BLACKCAPS call-ups for 23-year-old Wellington Firebirds speedster Ben Sears and Canterbury captain Cole McConchie.
Sears’ raw pace has always caught the selectors eye and he’s impressed with his progress over the past few seasons including his work in the winter squads, while McConchie has been a consistent performer for Canterbury and adds a quality all-round skill-set to the squad.
Sears is an exciting young talent who has come through the NZC pathways system – picked as the MCC young player to Lord’s in 2018 as well as featuring in the New Zealand ICC Under-19 World Cup team in 2016 alongside Firebirds team-mates Rachin Ravindra and Finn Allen – who have also been included for their first BLACKCAPS white-ball tours.
Allen will be looking to build on his promising start to international cricket where he smashed 88 runs off just 40 balls in his first T20 series at home against Bangladesh.
The 22-year-old could also be in line for an ODI debut against Pakistan, while his 21-year-old teammate Ravindra is a chance to make his first appearance for the BLACKCAPS in either T20s and ODIs – after experiencing his first tour with the extended Test squad to England in May/June.
Central Stags spinner Ajaz Patel is another potential ODI debutant as he gets a chance to push his case in white ball cricket and also try to add to his two T20 International caps.
Doug Bracewell’s return to the international fold continues as he features in the squads for Bangladesh and Pakistan, after traveling to England with the Test side earlier this year.
He’ll be backed up in the pace department by Jacob Duffy, who impressed on T20 International debut in December, Scott Kuggeleijn (16 T20 Internationals), Blair Tickner and Hamish Bennett – all of whom featured in the recent home summer, while Matt Henry replaces Sears for the ODI series against Pakistan and stays on for the T20 series.
BLACKCAPS veteran 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 decided in conjunction with head coach Gary Stead that Taylor would remain at home to prepare for the Indian Test tour and upcoming home summer.
Wellington Firebirds all-rounder Michael Bracewell would have been selected for the Bangladesh T20s and Pakistan ODIs, but made himself unavailable as he awaits the birth of his first child.
BLACKCAPS squad for Bangladesh T20s & Pakistan ODIs
Tom Latham (c) (wk)
Finn Allen
Hamish Bennett
Tom Blundell (wk)
Doug Bracewell
Colin de Grandhomme
Jacob Duffy
Matt Henry (ODI only)
Scott Kuggeleijn
Cole McConchie
Henry Nicholls
Ajaz Patel
Rachin Ravindra
Ben Sears (T20 only)
Blair Tickner
Will Young
BLACKCAPS squad for Pakistan T20s
Tom Latham (c) (wk)
Finn Allen
Todd Astle
Hamish Bennett
Tom Blundell (wk)
Mark Chapman
Colin de Grandhomme
Martin Guptill
Matt Henry
Daryl Mitchell
Ajaz Patel
Ben Sears
Ish Sodhi
Blair Tickner
Will Young
