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Days after Australia named their 15-member squad for the three-match T20I series against New Zealand, the BlackCaps have also named their strong side for the upcoming series. While the side will be led by Mitchell Santner, it also boosts the return of Trent Boult.
The left-arm seamer will make his return after 14 months, having last feature in a T20I in November 2022. However, Boult will only be available for the second and third T20I, scheduled to be played at the Eden Park in Auckland. Moreover, Josh Clarkson has also been handed his maiden call-up and will make his potential format debut in the series, as informed by New Zealand Cricket.
Tim Southee will only feature in the first T20I against Australia as he will leave the side to manage workload. Furthermore, two Kiwi veterans miss out from the series as all-rounder Daryl Mitchell misses with foot injury while Kane Williamson has been permitted for paternity leave. New Zealand Cricket further confirmed that both Michael Bracewell (finger injury) and Jimmy Neesham (BPL 2024) were unavailable for selection.
Highlight the inclusion of Josh Clarkson and Rachin Ravindra, selector Sam Wells said, “Both Josh and Rachin have been in our white-ball squads this summer and it’s really exciting for them to now get this opportunity.” “Rachin’s talent and class has been clear to all over the past six months, and similar to Josh, it’s great to have his all-round skill-set to call on in this squad.”
New Zealand’s squad for Australia T20Is:
Mitchell Santner (C), Finn Allen, Trent Boult (Game 2 & 3), Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway (wk), Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee (Game 1).
