New Zealand chose Will Young over Finn Allen for their 15-man ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 team in India. Pacers Kyle Jamieson and Adam Milne, who missed the England ODI series, also miss out. Both Trent Boult and James Neesham, without central contracts, made the cut.
Along with all-rounders Mitchell and Neesham, Boult, Southee, Ferguson, and Henry pace the team. Spinners Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner are specialists. Spin-bowling all-rounder Michael Bracewell was sidelined for six to eight months with a right achilles injury, allowing Neesham to be selected.
Squad: Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (vc,wk), Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young
“We felt that Youngy was the right guy to go with,” head coach Gary Stead was quoted as saying. “We just felt that we looked through what the potential gameplan was looking like in India, looked at the grounds, and also looked at the form of the two players as well.
The squad will be captained by Kane Williamson, who is still recovering from his ACL surgery and has no comeback date. Vice-captain Tom Latham will lead until Williamson returns.
Williamson and Southee will make their fourth World Cup participation. Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, and Glenn Phillips have made their ODI World Cup debuts, while Ravindra and Young have made their senior World Cup debuts.
“It’s always a special time to name a tournament team and I’d like to congratulate the 15 players selected today. It’s a great honour to represent your country at a World Cup,” Stead further said. “From Kane and Tim heading to their fourth tournament to the guys selected for the first time it’s always a very exciting time.”
“As with any squad named for an ICC tournament, there have been some tough calls and there will be some disappointed players.
“The key for us was finding the right balance for the squad and making sure we had our bases covered for what is going to be a very competitive tournament.”
All teams must finalize their 15-player squads by September 28, and any substitutions after that require ICC clearance.
