New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner has been named interim captain for their upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka as New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced their 15-member squad on Tuesday, October 22. The cricket board also announced that a decision on their long-term ODI and T20I captain will be taken in the coming months.
Santner has captained New Zealand in one ODI against Scotland way back in 2022 which they won by seven wickets. Apart from that, he has also led the team in 22 T20Is and won 12 out of those. The Blackcaps have also handed maiden national call-ups to bowling all-rounder Nathan Smith and wicketkeeper-batter Mitchell Hay.
Smith had been knocking on the doors of the selectors with his exploits in domestic cricket. He was recently awarded NZC’s Men’s Domestic Player of the Year at the New Zealand Cricket Awards in March and earned his first central contract in September.
On the other hand, Mitchell Hay made his New Zealand A debut in 2023 and was named Canterbury’s Male Player of the Year back in April. The squad also includes six players currently playing in the Test series against India namely Will Young, Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Jacob Duffy and Glenn Phillips.
All six members will fly to Sri Lanka after the third Test at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Michael Bracewell will join the squad from New Zealand after he returned from India ahead of the Test series for the birth of his second child. New Zealand will play two T20Is and three ODIs in Sri Lanka beginning from November 9.
New Zealand Cricket also informed that Tom Blundell, Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Southee and Kane Williamson were not considered for selection due to the upcoming three-Test series against England, starting in Christchurch on November 28.
New Zealand T20I and ODI squad for Sri Lanka tour: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Zak Foulkes, Dean Foxcroft, Mitch Hay (wk), Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Tim Robinson, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, Will Young
