The New Zealand Cricket Team has announced their squad for the upcoming IND vs NZ Test series. But it will be ace batter Kane Williamson who will miss the opening Test match at Bengaluru after suffering a groin strain during the Sri Lanka series. The Black Caps will be led by Tom Latham after Time Southee stepped down as the captain of the side.
Mark Chapman has been added to the squad as the new addition to the squad which traveled to Sri Lanka and went on to lose 2-0. In other news, Michael Bracewell will however be available only for the first Test match. He will then fly back to his country to attend the birth of his second child. Ish Sodhi is set to replace him for the next two Test matches.
New Zealand Squad for IND vs NZ Test
The New Zealand Cricket Team squad is set to travel to India on Friday, i.e. 11th October. However, Kane Williamson won’t travel with the squad on that particular date to recover from his groin strain. Though he is yet to be declared unfit for the Bengaluru Test, the ace batter faces a race against time to become fit for the match which starts on 16th October.
“The advice we’ve received is that the best course of action is for Kane to rest and rehabilitate now rather than risk aggravating the injury,” New Zealand selector Sam Wells said.
“We’re hopeful that if the rehabilitation goes to plan Kane will be available for the latter part of the tour. While it’s obviously disappointing to not have Kane available from the start of the tour, it provides an opportunity for someone else to play a role in an important series,” he added.
Mark Chapman has been added to the squad as a replacement for Williamson. “Mark has displayed an ability to play spin proactively in the international arena, and combined with his excellent first-class record, we see him as someone who can succeed in the type of conditions we expect to encounter in India.”
New Zealand squad: Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell (1st Test only), Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi (2nd & 3rd Test only), Tim Southee, Kane Williamson, Will Young
