The Black Caps have named a 16-man squad carrying seven fast bowlers for the five-match T20 series against India that opens the home summer at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on 22 October. Mitchell Santner captains the side, Adam Milne returns after more than a year out of the national team, and Rachin Ravindra has been ruled out after dislocating his shoulder at a promotional shoot last week.
New Zealand Cricket announced the squad on Wednesday 23 September. Thirteen of the 16 were part of the side that finished runner-up to India at the T20 World Cup in March, when India won the final in Ahmedabad by 96 runs and became the first team to win the tournament twice in a row. The two sides have not met since, so the opening match in Christchurch is the first chance for a rematch.
Milne is the headline recall. The 34 year old has played 243 T20 matches, 56 of them internationals, and last turned out for New Zealand against Zimbabwe more than a year ago. He joins Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson and Jacob Duffy in an experienced pace group, with Zak Foulkes and Nathan Smith the younger options. Ben Sears was not considered while he continues rehabilitation on an ankle injury. Spin-bowling all-rounder Michael Bracewell is also back. He and Milne both missed the World Cup through injury.
Head coach Rob Walter said the size of the group reflected the volume of cricket ahead. The Black Caps have 16 white-ball matches and eight Tests scheduled between October and February. “Our priority is winning games and putting the best team on the park, but we also have to keep in mind the volume of cricket in the coming months,” he said in the New Zealand Cricket statement. “We’re very fortunate with the depth that we’ve got to call upon, so we’ll look to use all 16 squad members throughout the series as we manage workloads.”
Ravindra’s absence was expected after he dislocated his right shoulder diving for a catch during a Sky promotional shoot last week. New Zealand Cricket says his rehabilitation should take around six weeks, with the aim of having him available for the one-day series that starts at Eden Park in Auckland on 4 November. “We’re gutted for Rachin,” Walter said. “He’s going to play a big role for us this summer so it’s important that he doesn’t rush his rehab, but we’re optimistic he’ll be back for the ODIs.”
At the top of the order Tim Seifert and Finn Allen are reunited for the first time since the World Cup, where they produced one of the great chases in the team’s T20 history. Allen hit an unbeaten century off 33 balls against South Africa in the semi-final at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Seifert made 58 off 33, and New Zealand won by nine wickets in the 13th over. Seifert has kept that form up. He was player of the tournament in The Hundred last month, scoring 394 runs at a strike rate of 168 for the winning Manchester Super Giants, including 72 off 38 balls in the final.
Mark Chapman keeps his place despite giving up his central contract earlier this month so he can play in Australia’s Big Bash in December. He is now one of five squad members on casual agreements, alongside Allen, Ferguson, Milne and Seifert. Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs round out the batting group.
Walter said the prospect of hosting the world champions was an exciting one. “It’s going to be awesome to welcome India to our shores and get summer underway,” he said. “India is a quality team and a challenging opposition, so to take them on in our own conditions in front of Kiwi fans is really exciting. We hear most of the games are going to be sold-out and it should make for some incredible occasions.” He added that the squad was close to full strength. “We’ve got a near full-strength squad that covers all bases and I’m excited to see how we compete against the current T20 world champions.”
The demand backs him up. New Zealand Cricket says more than 76,000 tickets have already been sold a month out from the first match, and the 12-match tour of five T20s, five one-dayers and two Tests is on track to break its box-office records. It is the biggest inbound tour New Zealand Cricket has ever staged. The T20 leg runs across 11 days in four cities, with matches at Hagley Oval on 22 and 24 October, in Wellington on 27 October, at Eden Park on 30 October and at Seddon Park in Hamilton on 1 November, according to the schedule released in June. The tour finishes with the second Test at Hagley Oval, ending on 1 December.
The series also marks the return of Sky as host broadcaster of New Zealand Cricket’s home internationals, under a new partnership covering the next six seasons. Sport Nation will again carry free-to-air audio commentary, and the Alternative Commentary Collective will cover Black Caps matches on its digital channels, RNZ reported.
The full T20 squad is Mitchell Santner (captain), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert and Nathan Smith.
Is seven fast bowlers the right balance for a home T20 series, and who would you pick to open the bowling at Hagley Oval on 22 October? Tell us in the comments below.
This article was written by AI, briefed to report the facts, hopefully without some of the bias people bring to the job 🙂
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