New Zealand have suffered a setback ahead of their three-match T20I series against Australia, with white-ball captain Mitchell Santner ruled out following abdominal surgery. Michael Bracewell will step in as captain of a 14-member squad that features pacers Kyle Jamieson and Ben Sears. New Zealand will also miss the injured pace duo of Lockie Ferguson (hamstring) and Adam Milne (foot).
Santner had undergone abdominal surgery last month and was initially hopeful of returning in time for the series.
However, he has not recovered fully to make the cut.
"Never nice to lose your skipper. But these things do happen. And Michael has already been the captain of this team and did a great job against Pakistan. So fully confident in how he will lead the team,” said New Zealand coach Rob Walter.
The squad is further depleted with Will O’Rourke (back), Glenn Phillips (groin) and Finn Allen (foot) already unavailable for New Zealand’s first home series of the season. Kane Williamson has also opted out but is expected to return for the white-ball series against England.
Jamieson and Sears make their returns after missing the Zimbabwe tri-series in July. Jamieson was unavailable due to the birth of his first child, while Sears recovered from a side strain. The head coach welcomed Sears’ return to full fitness.
"He's worked incredibly hard over the last 12 weeks to be back on the park and done some awesome work there. So we're excited to see him back in the competitive fold. We're building a bigger base of fast bowlers, because we understand that the program is so busy these days, but fast bowling is a key requisite for performance. So we want to make sure we've got as many options as we possibly can have,” said Walter.
Santner’s absence ensures Ish Sodhi retains his place. The legspinner impressed in Zimbabwe, taking 2 for 34 and 4 for 12 in his two outings before missing the final game. Devon Conway, who recently signed a casual playing agreement, also keeps his spot. New Zealand will face a strong Australian side fresh from back-to-back T20I series wins.
"[They play a] very aggressive brand, which is cool. I think that puts you under pressure. It certainly allows us to explore a few different options as to how we want to play against them, because it seems like they are coming with a very specific way that they want to play. So it'll be a lovely test,” said Walter.
Australia will be without three of their first-choice players for the upcoming T20I series. Pat Cummins has been ruled out due to a hot spot in his lower back, Nathan Ellis will miss the tour to be at home for the birth of his first child, and Cameron Green has stayed back to play first-class cricket for Western Australia, where he will bowl for the first time since back surgery last year in preparation for the Ashes series starting in November. Mitchell Starc, who retired from T20I cricket, will also not feature, although he has not played for Australia since the 2024 World Cup.
The T20I series will be played at Mount Maunganui on October 1, 3, and 4.
New Zealand T20I squad
Michael Bracewell (capt), Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi
Australia T20I squad
Mitchell Marsh (capt), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa
