New Zealand Cricket (NZC) named the 15-man squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup, which will be held in Australia in October-November. The team will be led by Kane Williamson. Devon Conway will be the primary wicketkeeper. The team includes Martin Guptill who will be the first New Zealander to play in all seven men’s T20 World Cups.
Finn Allen and Michael Bracewell have been picked for their first senior World Cups, and they are the only new faces from the team that reached the final of last year’s event in the United Arab Emirates.
Paceman Adam Milne has been retained in the squad after being called up to replace Lockie Ferguson (calf injury) early in the competition in October. Devon Conway has been picked as the team’s first-choice wicketkeeper after carrying the gloves in the UAE and the recent West Indies series.
Kiwi coach Gary Stead expressed his team’s excitement about the upcoming opportunity as he said, “It’s always a special time announcing a World Cup squad and I’d like to congratulate the 15 players selected today.”
“It’s especially exciting for Finn and Michael who are set for their first ICC events, while Martin Guptill is preparing for his 7th T20 World Cup – which in itself is an incredible achievement.
“It’s great to have this tournament so soon after last year’s event in which we played some really good cricket, but couldn’t quite get over the line at the end. With the nucleus of that squad retained along with the exciting additions of Finn and Michael, we should go into the tournament with plenty of optimism.”
Kyle Jamieson was not considered for selection as he recovers from a back injury suffered in England. Guptill will be the first New Zealander to play in all seven men’s T20 World Cups.
The same team will compete in the T20 tri-series against Pakistan and Bangladesh, which will be held in Christchurch early next month. However, additional players could be needed to handle the workload of those traveling to Australia.
On Saturday, October 22, the Kiwis will face Australia at the SCG to begin their T20 World Cup campaign. They then play Afghanistan (MCG), England (Gabba), and two qualifiers at the SCG and Adelaide Oval, respectively.
New Zealand Squad for T20 World Cup 2022:
Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.
