New Zealand T20 squad: New Zealand Cricket have named 32 players for their four-month long white-ball tour of Asia starting this month.
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Becoming the first team to announce the squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2021, NZC (New Zealand Cricket) have named 32 players for their gargantuan four-month long white-ball tour of Asia.
New Zealand, who will depart for Bangladesh (five T20Is) on August 23, will subsequently move to Pakistan (three ODIs and five T20Is), UAE (T20 World Cup) and India (three T20Is and two Tests).
Tom Latham will be leading the white-ball squad in Bangladesh and Pakistan before Kane Williamson joins the squad for the world event and India tour. The development also means that all IPL-bound players will travel to the UAE for the second leg of Indian Premier League 2021.
“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”, NZC Chief Executive David White said in a statement.
New Zealand T20 squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2021
New Zealand, whose last T20I was against Bangladesh in Auckland earlier this year, have made six changes to their squad which had played that three-match series. While batsmen Finn Allen and Will Young have been replaced by Williamson and Tim Seifert, fast bowling pair of Adam Milne and Hamish Bennett have made way for Kylie Jamieson and Trent Boult.
Readers must note that Milne has been named as a standby player for the World Cup. All-rounder James Neesham and Mitchell Santner, on the other hand, have been included into the 15-member squad.
A couple of notable omissions from the World Cup squad are veteran batsman Ross Taylor and all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme. While 37-year old Taylor had last played a T20I against West Indies in Mount Maunganui last year, de Grandhomme’s last T20I appearance had also last year against India in Hamilton.
Taylor was considered for the ODI leg of the Pakistan tour but his name was withdrawn with mutual consent as it made less sense to make him quarantine for a period larger than the length of the ODI series. Instead, Taylor will remain in New Zealand and prepare for a two-match Test series in India and the home summer. Test squad for India tour will, however, be announced in due course of time.
New Zealand squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2021 and T20I series in India – Kane Williamson (c), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips (wk), Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Adam Milne (injury cover).
New Zealand T20 squad for Bangladesh and Pakistan tours
Canterbury all-rounder Cole McConchie and Wellington pacer Ben Sears are the only two uncapped players who will be touring to Bangladesh and Pakistan in the hope of a national debut.
Readers must note that the four World Cup exclusions in Allen, Young, de Grandhomme and Bennett will be touring Bangladesh and Pakistan. As far as de Grandhomme is concerned, he will be available for T20Is against Bangladesh, ODIs and Pakistan and not against T20Is against Pakistan.
A five-match T20I series in Pakistan, New Zealand’s last before T20 World Cup 2021, will be played with the return of accomplished players namely Martin Guptill, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Ish Sodhi and Todd Astle.
New Zealand squad for Bangladesh T20Is and Pakistan ODIs – Tom Latham (c & wk), Finn Allen, Hamish Bennett, Tom Blundell (wk), Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry (ODIs only), Scott Kuggeleijn, Cole McConchie, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears (T20 only), Blair Tickner, Will Young.
New Zealand squad for Pakistan T20Is – 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, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears, Blair Tickner, Will Young.
