Photo Credit: ICC
BLACKCAPS captain Kane Williamson will miss this week’s three-game T20 series against India as he prioritises preparing for the Test series starting on November 25 in Kanpur.
Less than 24 hours after falling to Australia in the ICC T20 World Cup Final in Dubai, Williamson and the 15-strong T20 squad arrived in Jaipur on Monday evening ahead of the G.J. Gardner Homes Tour of India.
With the opening game of the T20 series on Wednesday evening, followed by games on Friday and Sunday night – the decision was made for Williamson to join the Test specialist group already training in Jaipur as they focus on red-ball preparation.
Fellow dual squad member Tim Southee will captain the T20 side for the opening game on Wednesday, while Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, and Mitchell Santner are also available for both series.
Lockie Ferguson’s recovery from a right calf-strain continues to progress well and he is expected to be available for the T20 series.
BLACKCAPS T20 squad for India
Todd Astle
Trent Boult
Mark Chapman
Lockie Ferguson
Martin Guptill
Kyle Jamieson
Adam Milne
Daryl Mitchell
Jimmy Neesham
Glenn Phillips
Mitchell Santner
Tim Seifert (wk)
Ish Sodhi
Tim Southee
Kane Williamson
BLACKCAPS Test squad for India
Kane Williamson (c)
Tom Blundell (wk)
Kyle Jamieson
Tom Latham
Daryl Mitchell
Henry Nicholls
Ajaz Patel
Glenn Phillips
Rachin Ravindra
Mitchell Santner
Will Somerville
Tim Southee
Ross Taylor
Neil Wagner
Will Young
The second Test starts in Mumbai on December 3.
The tour will be broadcast live in New Zealand on SKY Sport.
The New Zealand national cricket team, known as the Black Caps, made their Test debut in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth nation to play Test cricket. After waiting 26 years for their first Test win against the West Indies in 1956, they also played their first ODI in 1972–73 against Pakistan. New Zealand are the inaugural World Test Championship champions (2021) and have won the ICC Champions Trophy (2000). They have reached the Cricket World Cup final twice and the T20 World Cup final once.
