Wellington, June 27 (H.S.): New Zealand has announced its 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 Tri-Series, which also includes South Africa and host Zimbabwe. Fast bowlers Adam Milne and Matt Henry are making a return to the team.Uncapped batsman Bevan Jacobs, who was also part of the T20 series against Sri Lanka in December, has retained his place. The 23-year-old Jacobs is getting another chance, and the coach believes he has impressed with his performances in domestic cricket and various franchise leagues.Adam Milne is returning to the team for the first time since November, while Matt Henry is back after recovering from a shoulder injury that he sustained during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Meanwhile, fast bowler Ben Sears is unavailable due to injury, Lockie Ferguson has been rested under workload management, and Kyle Jamieson will miss this tour due to family reasons (awaiting the birth of his first child). Devon Conway and Mitch Hay are also not part of the team, while the wicketkeeping responsibilities have been entrusted to Tim Seifert. Captain Kane Williamson has made himself unavailable for selection.This tour will mark the first assignment for New Zealand’s new head coach Rob Walter. He stated, I think we have a strong team for this tour, and I’m excited to start working with the players.
He further added, It’s great to see the players who were unavailable due to IPL in the March series against Pakistan back in the team. This Tri-Series will be excellent; South Africa is a strong team, and Zimbabwe is always challenging in their home conditions.
Rob Walter emphasized the importance of Adam Milne’s experience and noted that his bowling, especially in powerplay overs, is quite effective.He also mentioned that this series is a crucial part of their preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup to be held next year.
He said, Keeping the World Cup in mind, this series is an important phase of our preparation. It will give us a chance to try out different players and combinations.
New Zealand squad: Mitchell Santner (C), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchel, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
