BLACKCAPS white-ball captain Mitchell Santner and star all-rounder Rachin Ravindra will return for the upcoming KFC T20I series against England, while Ben Sears and Kane Williamson will miss the series.
Ravindra returns to the side after being ruled out of the recent series against Australia with a facial injury, while Santner has recovered from his recent abdominal surgery to lead the side in the three-game series which gets underway at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Saturday.
Williamson, who returned from overseas on Thursday, will target a return to international cricket during the ODI series against England, which gets underway in his hometown of Tauranga on Sunday October 26.
Sears will also miss the England series after he suffered a left-hamstring injury during training last week, with a subsequent MRI scan revealing a hamstring tear which will require three to four weeks to recover.
Jimmy Neesham, who impressed against Australia when he was called in as a late replacement for Ravindra, has been selected as the seam-bowling all-rounder, alongside the same pace-bowling group of Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, and Kyle Jamieson.
Michael Bracewell joins Santner in the spin department, with Ish Sodhi missing out from the previous squad.
Wicket-keeper Tim Seifert will take the gloves and joins the same batting unit that faced Australia.
BLACKCAPS coach Rob Walter said the series was another important step for the T20 team.
“Fresh from taking on Australia it’s great to have another world class team arrive on our shores,” he said.
“We know what an exciting brand of cricket Harry Brook and his T20 boys play and I’m sure our guys are looking forward to meeting that challenge head on.
“It’s awesome to hear the first game at Hagley Oval is about to sell-out and that will make for a fantastic occasion to start the series on Saturday night.”
Walter welcomed the return of Ravindra and Santner to the squad and said he was also looking forward to adding Williamson to the group later in the tour.
“It’s great to have Mitch back. Alongside being our leader, he’s one of the very best white-ball spinners in the world and his skills and experience will be a welcome addition.
“Likewise, it’s nice to welcome back Rachin who was unlucky to miss out on Australia and I know is really excited for this series.
“Kane had to overcome a minor medical issue in the past month, and we agreed he needs some more time to get himself physically ready to return.
“He’s obviously a world class player and we’re hoping these two weeks will ensure he’s ready for the ODIs against England and the following tour by West Indies.
“Ben had some discomfort while bowling last Tuesday and the subsequent hamstring tear ruled him out of contention for this series. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back in the mix in the near future"
BLACKCAPS T20I Squad v England
Mitchell Santner (C)
Michael Bracewell
Mark Chapman
Devon Conway
Jacob Duffy
Zak Foulkes
Matt Henry
Bevon Jacobs
Kyle Jamieson
Daryl Mitchell
Jimmy Neesham
Rachin Ravindra
Tim Robinson
Tim Seifert (wk)
Finn Allen (foot), Adam Milne (ankle), Will O’Rourke (back), Glenn Phillips (groin), and Lockie Ferguson (hamstring), were all unavailable due to injury.
The BLACKCAPS assemble in Christchurch on Wednesday for the three-game KFC T20I series which begins at Hagley Oval on Saturday night.
The series will be broadcast live in New Zealand on TVNZ+ and TVNZ 1, with Sport Nation and the Alternative Commentary Collective providing audio commentary.
