Mitchell Santner, the white-ball skipper, is sidelined after undergoing abdominal surgery, which is a blow for New Zealand ahead of their three-match T20I series against Australia. The 14-man team, which includes pacers Kyle Jamieson and Ben Sears, will be captained by Michael Bracewell in his place. Adam Milne (foot) and Lockie Ferguson (hamstring) are also out for New Zealand.
At first, Santner hoped to return in time for the series after undergoing stomach surgery last month. He hasn’t totally recovered enough to make the cut, though.
“Losing your skipper is never pleasant. However, these things do occur. Additionally, Michael has already served as this team’s captain and performed admirably against Pakistan. Rob Walter, the coach of New Zealand, expressed his complete confidence in his ability to guide the team.
Will O’Rourke (back), Glenn Phillips (groin), and Finn Allen (foot) are already out for New Zealand’s opening home series of the season, severely weakening the roster. Despite opting out as well, Kane Williamson is anticipated to play in the white-ball series against England.
After missing the July tri-series against Zimbabwe, Jamieson and Sears return. Sears recovered from a side strain, while Jamieson was unavailable since his first child had just been born. The head coach was happy to see Sears fully recovered.
“Over the past 12 weeks, he has put in a tonne of effort to get back on the park and has accomplished some amazing work there. Therefore, his return to the competitive fold excites us. Fast bowling is a crucial requirement for performance, and we are expanding our pool of fast bowlers because we recognise how hectic the program is these days. Therefore, we want to ensure that we have as many options as we possibly can,” Walter stated.
Santner’s absence guarantees Ish Sodhi’s spot. Before missing the last game, the legspinner made an impression in Zimbabwe, taking 2 for 34 and 4 for 12 in his two appearances. Additionally, Devon Conway, who just inked a casual playing contract, maintains his position. A formidable Australian team coming off back-to-back T20I series victories will take against New Zealand.
“It’s good that they play a pretty aggressive brand. That puts pressure on you, I believe. Since they appear to have a very definite style of play in mind, it certainly gives us the opportunity to experiment with a few various possibilities for how we wish to play against them. Therefore, it will be a beautiful test,” Walter stated.
Three of Australia’s starting players for the forthcoming Twenty20 International series will be sidelined. Cameron Green has stayed behind to play first-class cricket for Western Australia, where he will bowl for the first time since back surgery last year in preparation for the Ashes series beginning in November. Nathan Ellis will miss the tour to be at home for the birth of his first child, and Pat Cummins has been ruled out due to a hot spot in his lower back. Although he hasn’t played for Australia since the 2024 World Cup, Mitchell Starc, who retired from T20I cricket, will also not be playing.
Mount Maunganui will host the Twenty20 International series on October 1, 3, and 4.
The New Zealand T20I team
Daryl Mitchell, Ish Sodhi, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, and Michael Bracewell (captain)
Australia’s Twenty20 International team
Xavier Bartlett, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa, Sean Abbott, and Mitchell Marsh (capt.)
India
