On Tuesday, February 13, New Zealand revealed their 14-player team for the three-match Twenty20 International series against Australia. Josh Clarkson, an all-around player, received his first call-up to the format, while Trent Boult, a fast bowler, marked his comeback after November 2022.
Tim Southee, whose workload will be controlled ahead of the Test series against the same opponents starting on February 29, will be replaced by the left-arm seamer for the second and third games of the series. Due to a foot ailment, all-rounder Daryl Mitchell has missed games while star batsman Kane Williamson is out on paternity leave.
In addition, Michael Bracewell’s finger injury prevented him from being selected, while Jimmy Neesham is competing in the Bangladesh Premier League 2024. Chief selector Sam Wells of New Zealand commented on the team, saying that while they will miss Williamson and Mitchell, they have a lot of faith in Clarkson and Ravindra.
“While losing two of your best players in a crucial series is never ideal, we do have a lot of faith in the guys joining us,” the team said. Josh and Rachin were both on our white-ball teams this summer, so it’s great that they are now getting this chance, selector Sam Wells said.
Over the previous six months, Rachin’s brilliance and class have been evident to everyone. Sam Wells
Josh is the best at hitting the ball both hard and far, and his ball-handling prowess in his first ODI series against Bangladesh just before Christmas gave us hope. Over the past six months, Rachin’s talent and class have been evident to everyone, and like Josh, it’s nice to have his all-around skill set to call on in this group,” he continued.
The first edition of the three-match Twenty20 International series will take place on Wednesday, February 21, at Sky Stadium in Wellington. The second and third matches will take place on February 23 and 25, respectively, at Eden Park in Auckland.
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