New Zealand T20 World Cup Squad 2024 announced; Kane Williamson to lead the side

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has announced a 15-member squad for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, which will be played in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA). Kane Williamson has been named captain of the national team for the upcoming tournament.

New Zealand has failed to secure an ICC trophy in the shorter format. The Black Caps reached the final in the 2021 edition but failed to beat Australia. They suffered a loss against Pakistan in the semifinals of the 2022 season. They hope to end their ICC trophy drought in the next season.

Kane Williamson To Lead New Zealand In World Cup

Kane Williamson is set to lead New Zealand in the upcoming T20 World Cup after missing a recent series due to Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 commitments. It marks the veteran batter's sixth appearance in the tournament and his fourth as captain of the New Zealand cricket team.

Devon Conway returns to the World Cup squad despite being sidelined from the ongoing IPL 2024 due to a finger injury. Conway sustained a finger injury during a home series against Australia. Finn Allen, known for his explosive batting, will partner with Conway at the top of the order.

Young all-rounder Rachin Ravindra has been selected after his impressive performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, and Michael Bracewell are all-rounders in the squad. Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi is the only specialist spinner in the New Zealand squad.

Tim Southee will lead New Zealand's bowling attack in the T20 World Cup. Trent Boult makes it into the squad despite not being a central contract player. Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson will strengthen the pace department. Ben Sears has been named as the traveling reserve for the event.

New Zealand T20 World Cup Squad: 

Kane Williamson (captain), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ben Sears (traveling reserve)

I'd Like To Congratulate Everyone - Gary Stead

Head coach Gary Stead stated that squad selection for the T20 World Cup was made with the scope to adapt to diverse conditions. He congratulated all the players selected, acknowledging the significance of representing their country in a global event.

“I’d like to congratulate everyone named today. It’s a special time representing your country at a world tournament. We expect the venues in the West Indies to offer quite varied conditions and feel we’ve selected a squad with the scope to adapt to those conditions,” Stead said.

Gary Stead praised Matt for his dedication to improving his skills across all aspects of T20 cricket. Stead commended Rachin for his consistent performances over the past year, particularly in the T20 format against Australia.

“Matt has worked exceptionally hard on his skills across the phases of a T20 game to come back into selection consideration. Rachin has made every post a winner in the past 12 months and it was exciting to see him continue that trajectory over the summer in the T20 format against Australia,” Stead added.

Also read: T20 World Cup 2024: Ravindra Jadeja dropped as Irfan Pathan picks these two spinners for ICC tournament