New Zealand have announced a 13-member squad for the final T20I assignment of the year which will see them host Bangladesh in a three-match series at home. Skipper Kane Williamson is back to leading the Blackcaps after a short sabbatical and so is allrounder James Neesham.
The series will get underway at McLean Park in Napier on December 27. Williamson, Neesham and right-arm medium pacer Ben Sears are the only three players named in the squad who didn't participate in New Zealand's last T20I assignment that came against England in England leading into the ODI World Cup 2023.
Four Kiwis were unavailable for selection as they are plagued with injuries. While tearaway pacer Lockie Ferguson and spin-bowling allrounder Michael Bracewell continue to recover from Achilles injury, Matt Henry is dealing with a hamstring issue and Henry Shipley is on his way to recovery from a back injury.
New Zealand's head coach Garry Stead believes that they are "advanced in terms of their planning" for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 and lauded Tim Seifert in particular for his remarkable return and nailing a spot at the top of the order.
"It’s great to be able to finish off a busy year that started on the road by having the group together in New Zealand," said Stead.
"We’ve played T20 cricket in a wide variety of conditions this year and it’s been great to see a broad range of players making contributions.
"Tim Seifert, as an example, returned to the side in a specific role at the top of the order and made significant contributions in each series he was part of," he added.
"With a World Cup in the middle of next year we‘re well into our planning in terms of both the tournament and the type of squad we might need in the conditions.
"While we’re advanced in our planning, as we saw with the One Day World Cup Squad this year with the likes of Mark Chapman and Rachin Ravindra - there is certainly still time for players to come into that mix," he concluded.
New Zealand's T20I squad for the three-match series against Bangladesh:
Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee
