Eight World Cup players in New Zealand squad for South Africa T20I series

New Zealand have announced their squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa. Eight players from their ICC T20 World Cup squad, including captain Mitchell Santner, have been named in the team. The series will begin on Sunday at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.

The series will be played as double-headers. New Zealand women’s team, the White Ferns, will also play against South Africa women on the same days, giving fans the opportunity to watch four teams in action on a single day.

Following the World Cup, New Zealand Cricket has effectively split the squad in two phases to manage players’ workload. Devon Conway and Lockie Ferguson will be available for the first three matches, while Kyle Jamieson, Cole McConchie, Jimmy Neesham, Ben Sears and Ish Sodhi will be available throughout the entire series.

Top-order batters Katene Clarke and Nick Kelly, along with spinner Jayden Lennox, could make their T20I debuts during the series. Clarke earned his maiden national call-up after an impressive Super Smash season where the 26-year-old finished as the tournament’s top run-scorer with 431 runs.

Wicketkeeper-batter Tom Latham will lead the side in the final two matches. He returns to the T20 setup after finishing as the top run-scorer for the Canterbury Kings in the Super Smash.

Several regular players including Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra and Tim Seifert have been rested following the World Cup. Meanwhile, Michael Bracewell, Adam Milne, Will O’Rourke and Blair Tickner were not considered for selection due to injuries.

The five-match series will run from March 15 to March 25, with matches scheduled in Mount Maunganui, Hamilton, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

New Zealand squad:

Mitchell Santner, Katene Clarke, Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Zak Foulkes, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Nick Kelly, Tom Latham, Jayden Lennox, Cole McConchie, Jimmy Neesham, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi.