New Zealand Cricket has confirmed that regular captain Kane Williamson and head coach Gary Stead will not travel to India early next year in order to manage the workload of the players and support staff. NZC revealed Tom Latham would lead the ODI squad in India in Williamson’s absence while announcing the squads for the upcoming tours to Pakistan and India.
Along with Williamson and Stead, veteran fast bowler Tim Southee and bowling coach Shane Jurgensen will return home following the Pakistan ODIs. In the absence of Stead, Mark Chapman and Jacob Duffy will replace Williamson and Southee in the squad for the India tour, and Luke Ronchi will take over as Head Coach.
Ish Sodhi, a leg spinner, and batter Henry Nicholls have been called up to the ODI squad for both tours. Henry Shipley, an uncapped allrounder, has earned his first call-up to the squad after impressing on the domestic circuit.
“Henry’s an exciting talent who we’ve had our eye on for a while. He’s taken his game to another level in the past 12 months, and we’re delighted to see his progression given how valuable genuine all-rounders are in any cricket team. It’s encouraging to see players putting their hands up in our domestic competitions and their performances being rewarded with selection for the national team,” selector Gavin Larsen said.
“The tour will also present further opportunities for the likes of Finn Allen, Glenn Phillips, and Mark Chapman, who are hugely talented but still relatively inexperienced at the international ODI level. It’s also great to welcome back the familiar faces of Henry Nicholls and Jacob Duffy, who were with the ODI team in Europe in the winter and have been in good form domestically.”
New Zealand ODI squad: Kane Williamson (C – only for Pakistan ODIs), Tom Latham (C – India ODIs), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman (India ODIs only), Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy (India ODIs only), Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee (Pakistan ODIs only)
