Fast bowler Kyle Jamieson and New Zealand captain Kane Williamson have been withdrawn from the squad that will face Bangladesh in the upcoming T20I series. Precautionary measures were taken to ensure that both players were fit and prepared to compete in the remaining home series, which consists of Test series against Australia and South Africa.
Williamson, who had not participated in the format for over a year, was appointed captain for the Twenty20 International series. Since injuring his Anterior Cruciate Ligament in the opening game of the IPL this year, the 33-year-old has missed a significant portion of international cricket. He did not return until the recently concluded World Cup in India.
Jamieson, who has struggled with injuries ever since his debut on the international stage three years ago, recently reported a discomfort in his right hamstring. As a result, he was omitted from the ODI squad and Ben Sears was called into the starting lineup in his place. Jamieson’s hamstring injury would have benefited most from a period of targeted rehabilitation preceding the Test Series against South Africa in February, according to the advice provided.
“We want both Kane and Kyle to be in the best possible place leading into the next block of Test cricket against South Africa and Australia,” head coach Gary Stead said. “Based on discussions with the medical staff and the players it was decided a period of rehabilitation and conditioning was the best option for both of them.”
Rachin Ravindra, a standout of the World Cup, and Jacob Duffy, a seamer, have been added to the squad that Mitchell Santner will now captain.
“Jacob is an experienced T20 cricketer and always brings a lot when he is part of the Black Caps environment. He’s worked very hard on his white ball skills in recent seasons,” Stead said.”Rachin adds to any environment he’s a part of and has a great desire to learn and develop his game – across all three formats.”
New Zealand’s T20I squad will assemble in Napier on Boxing Day ahead of the first game of the series on December 27.
However, a hectic eighteen-plus month stretch, which included an intriguing ODI World Cup campaign in India, ensured that there would be competitors this time around. More precisely, three of them vied for the New Zealander prior to the record-breaking INR 14 crore transaction finalized by the five-time champion Chennai Super Kings.
Squad: Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee
