New Zealand have announced a 15-member squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup led by Kane Williamson.
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The squad features plenty of experience in Trent Boult and Tim Southee, who will play his seventh T20 World Cup. Rachin Ravindra and Matt Henry are the only players to get maiden T20 World Cup call-ups, while Ben Sears has been named a travelling reserve.
Although Devon Conway was ruled out of IPL 2024 due to a thumb injury sustained in February, he is all set to be New Zealand’s first-choice wicketkeeper and opener at the tournament.
Williamson, meanwhile, returns to captain the side, having missed New Zealand’s last two series against Australia due to the birth of his third child and the Pakistan tour because of IPL commitment.
Kyle Jamieson is another player unavailable due to an injury as he continues to recover from a stress fracture in his lower back. Finn Allen has recovered from the back injury that ruled him out of the Pakistan tour. Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, James Neesham and Ish Sodhi are the only players who have been retained from their last tour to Pakistan.
New Zealand coach Gary Stead agreed that it was difficult omitting players who had done well in the 2-2 drawn Pakistan series but said it’s beneficial to New Zealand’s future.
“I think when you go to World Cups you want experience and you want people that know what it’s like,” Stead said. “That certainly doesn’t exclude those that have really put their hand up. And I think that was what’s been really exciting about the tour to Pakistan. We’ve seen some performances from some younger players that’s really exciting for our future. And the message I had to them was, look, you haven’t been selected in the side, but in two years there’ll be another World Cup and that should be certainly a big enough carrot for you guys to put pressure on these guys that are here now.”
Our squad for the @t20worldcup in the West Indies and USA in June 🏏
MORE | https://t.co/a8cLkEjSDH #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/OUwHjEdaPn
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) April 29, 2024
Stead also mentioned the possible comeback of Colin Munro and Martin Guptill were discussed despite both being full-time franchise players: “Those guys were discussed because of the experience they have, but when you look at the group of batters and that we’ve selected, there was no room for them.”
New Zealand will start their campaign against Afghanistan on June 8.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ben Sears (travelling reserve)
