New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has announced the team's squads for the upcoming white-ball series against Sri Lanka with Mitchell Santner named the interim captain. The 15-member squad bowling-allrounder Nathan Smith and wicketkeeper-batsman Mitch Hay being called up for the first time.
NZC has confirmed that Santner will be leading the team on an interim basis with long-term ODI and T20I captains to be named during home summer. "Santner has been named as interim captain for the tour with a decision on the long-term ODI and T20I captains to be confirmed in the New Zealand home summer," NZC said in a statement.
The bowling all-rounder Smith comes into the side after being named NZC’s Men’s Domestic Player of the Year at the ANZ New Zealand Cricket Awards in March and receiving a central contract last month. He has been impressive in the domestic circuit, having picked 24 wickets across two white-ball competitions for his team Firebirds last summer.
Hay has played for New Zealand A earlier and has been a consistent face in all three formats in recent seasons. Six players of the current Test team facing India have also been named in the white-ball squads. They will join the team straight in Sri Lanka after the conclusion of the India Test series, which ends on November 5, four days before the opening T20I in Dambulla.
Notably, NZC confirmed that Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Southee and Kane Williamson were not considered for the series as they look forward to the Test series against England from November 28 onwards.
Blackcaps selector Sam Wells highlighted that the blend of youth and experience in the squad reflects the planning for the upcoming ICC global events. "This tour is the beginning of the build-up towards the ICC Champions Trophy in February 2025 and we also have an eye towards the 2027 one-day Cricket World Cup," he said.
"Building depth is of critical importance due to the demands of the international schedule and the need to peak for pinnacle events. For that reason it’s particularly exciting to include a number of players that we believe represent the future of the BLACKCAPS," he added.
New Zealand squad for the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka:
Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Zak Foulkes, Dean Foxcroft, Mitch Hay (wk), Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Tim Robinson, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, Will Young
