After a disappointing loss to India in the T20 World Cup final, Mitchell Santner’s squad is gearing up to face South Africa in a T20 series at Bay Oval starting this Sunday.
To manage player workloads effectively, two squads have been selected. Santner, along with Devon Conway and Lockie Ferguson, will feature in the first three games. On the other hand, Kyle Jamieson, Cole McConchie, Jimmy Neesham, Ben Sears, and Ish Sodhi will be available for the entire series.
Newcomers Katene Clarke, Nick Kelly, and Jayden Lennox are set to make their T20I debuts during the series, bringing fresh talent to the team.
Tom Latham will take over the captaincy reins from Santner for the final two matches, with Dane Cleaver stepping in as wicket-keeper-batsman for the last two games of the series.
Several players, including Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, and Daryl Mitchell, will be resting and refreshing for the upcoming matches. Additionally, Matt Henry will be taking time off to spend with his newborn.
Unfortunately, Michael Bracewell, Adam Milne, Will O’Rourke, and Blair Tickner will miss the series due to injury.
Black Caps T20 squad:
Mitchell Santner (games 1-3), Katene Clarke (4-5), Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver (4-5), Devon Conway (1-3), Lockie Ferguson (2-3), Zak Foulkes, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Nick Kelly*, Tom Latham (4-5), Jayden Lennox* (4-5), Cole McConchie, Jimmy Neesham, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi.
*Potential T20I debut ā Allied Media
