NZ vs PAK : Kane Williamson returns to New Zealand T20 squad as Ross Taylor dropped

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) have announced the team for the upcoming T20I series against Pakistan and recalled regular skipper Kane Williamson and pacer Trent Boult to the squad. In a major shake-up, NZC have also decided to drop veteran Ross Taylor from the team that played against the Windies.

The likes of Kane Williamson and Trent Boult were given a bit of rest from the Windies T20I series to recover from the fatigue of the Indian Premier League and be ready for the Test sojourn.

Williamson returned for the first Test, scored a breath-taking double century before going on paternity leave for the second Test in Wellington.

However, he has now been picked in the T20I side for the second and third game as the regular skipper while Ross Taylor has now been sidelined.

The return of Trent Boult is positive news especially on the face of Lockie Ferguson sustaining a stress fracture of his lumbar spine and Hamish Bennett suffering an abdominal tear in round three of the Ford Trophy.

“It’s great to have the class of Kane and Trent returning to our T20 side having missed the West Indies series after their starring roles in the IPL in November.

“Williamson will return and lead the side for games two and three, but we’ll obviously need to take a wait and see approach in relation to the arrival of his and Sarah’s first child. Mark Chapman’s in the squad for the opening match at Eden Park and is on stand-by for Kane for the remaining games of the series.”

New Zealand retain Phillips and Conway

New Zealand have retained the likes of Glenn Phillips and Devon Conway – the duo responsible for a record third-wicket partnership of 181 runs against the West Indies a fortnight ago.

The absence of Taylor helped their cause as they are identified with middle-order responsibilities.

“We were thrilled Glenn and Devon were able to take their opportunities so well in the previous series and we’re keen to give them the chance to back that up against a strong Pakistan T20 outfit,” said selector Gavin Larsen on Saturday (December 12).

“Their inclusion and the return of Kane means we’ve left out Ross Taylor. This was, as you’d imagine, a very tough decision as Ross has been a consistent performer for us, but unfortunately, we just couldn’t find room in the squad for him due to the quality and form of the other batsmen.”

The series will kick-start at Eden Park on December 18.

Squad for 1st T20I: Mitchell Santner (c), Todd Astle, Doug Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Martin Guptill, Scott Kuggeleijn, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner

Squad for 2nd and 3rd T20Is: Kane Williamson (c), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee