Mitchell Santner to captain New Zealand T20 and ODI squad Sri Lanka tour

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) unveiled their 15-member squad for the upcoming white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, which is set to begin in Dambulla on November 9. All-rounder Mitchell Santner has been named as the interim captain for two T20Is and three ODIs, as NZC confirmed on Tuesday, October 22.

New Zealand Cricket confirmed that a new long-term captain for both ODI and T20I formats will be revealed in the summer. The team has not played in any ODI matches this year, and their last T20I was in the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA, where they faced group-stage elimination.

Mitchell Santner To Lead New Zealand In White-ball Tour of Sri Lanka

Apart from Mitchell Santner, Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips, and Ish Sodhi will share spin bowling duties. Lockie Ferguson will lead the pace attack, which features Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, and Josh Clarkson. Tim Robinson has received his second call-up after performing well in Pakistan in April.

Will Young and Henry Nicholls are set to strengthen the batting lineup. Nicholls recently scored 301 runs in six matches at an average of 75.25 in the Ford Trophy. Notably, several key players, including Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Southee, and Kane Williamson were rested.

New Zealand ODI and T20I 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.

Bowling all-rounder Nathan Smith and wicketkeeper-batter Mitchell Hay have received their first call-ups to the national squad for the Sri Lanka tour. Smith was recently crowned as New Zealand Cricket's Men's Domestic Player of the Year. The all-rounder also secured his first central contract last month.

Nathan Smith had an impressive season for Wellington, taking 24 wickets in domestic white-ball competitions, with a best bowling performance of 4 for 5 against Otago in the Super Smash. Mitchell Hay debuted for New Zealand A last year and was crowned as Canterbury's Male Player of the Year in April.

It’s A Special Moment - New Zealand Selector Sam Wells

New Zealand selector Sam Wells congratulated Nathan Smith and Mitchell Hay on their maiden call-ups to the Black Caps. He highlighted that both players earned their spots through consistent performances.

"It’s a special moment for any player to be selected for the BLACKCAPS for the first time. Nathan and Mitch have demanded selection through weight of performance and I am sure they will be looking forward to showcasing their skills on the international stage," Sam Wells said.

"Nathan’s led the Wellington attack with distinction for a number of year across all three formats and we are excited about his potential with the bat. Mitch has been one of the standout domestic players over the past few seasons and brings all-around ability with the both bat and gloves. He’s a very organized batsman and has displayed good power in the white ball formats," he added.

The Beginning Of The Build-Up - New Zealand selector Sam Wells

Sam Wells said that they need to develop depth in the squad during the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka. The selector said that this tour is part of the preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy in February 2025, as well as the 2027 Cricket World Cup.

"This tour is the beginning of the build-up towards the ICC Champions Trophy in February 2025 and we also have an eye towards the 2027 one-day Cricket World Cup. Building depth is of critical important due to the demands of the international schedule and the need to peak for pinnacle events. For that reason it’s particularly exciting to include a number of players that we believe represent the future of the Blackcaps."

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