Best New Zealand Playing XI For ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022

Best New Zealand Playing XI For ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. New Zealand will be featuring in the upcoming ICC 2022 T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia with lots of hopes from the mid of October onwards. The team has been absolutely sensational in terms of performing in the big events of the shortest format of the game.

The blackcaps were the runners-up of the most recent edition of the tournament that was held in the year 2021 in UAE wherein the side fell short in the finals against Australia, who won their maiden T20I World Cup and are the hosts this time around.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced a 15-member squad for the 2022 T20I World Cup in Australia in October-November. For the first time, Finn Allen and Michael Bracewell were picked for the T20 World Cup. Kane Williamson will lead New Zealand in the T20 World Cup 2022. Blackcaps opener Martin Guptill will be playing his seventh T20 World Cup.

The right-arm fast bowler, Adam Milne has retained his spot in the World Cup squad. He was selected as an injury replacement for Lockie Ferguson in last year’s World Cup. Kyle Jamieson, who is recovering from a back injury, was left out of the squad. Todd Astle and Tim Seifert failed to keep their place in the team. Devon Conway has been included in the team as the main wicketkeeper.

New Zealand will play against Australia on 22nd October at Sydney, against Afghanistan on 26th October at Melbourne, against Group A winners at Sydney on 29th October and England on November 1 at Gabba, Brisbane before facing Group B winners on 4th November at Adelaide.

New Zealand’s complete squad for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022: Kane Williamson (c), Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, Martin Guptill, Lockie Ferguson, Devon Conway, Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell, Trent Boult, Finn Allen.

Best New Zealand Playing XI For ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022

Martin Guptill

Martin Guptil who is one of the most senior players in his team will be an important part of his team’s batting lineup in the upcoming T20 World Cup for sure. He is the leading run-scorer in men’s T20Is amongst his teammates and has been in fine form.

With a total of 3497 runs in 117 T20I innings so far in his career, he is by far the most successful new Zealand batsman in T20Is. The right-hander has been of great use to his side while opening the batting as he’s shown great consistency. He has a strike rate of 135.81 good enough to provide his side with quality starts in the majority of matches.

Finn Allen

Finn Allen scored 13, 16, 62, 32 and 12 in the recent tri-series also featuring Pakistan and Bangladesh. He has a stunning strike rate of 161.72 having played 18 T20Is where he scored a ton and 2 fifties. His career best of 101 came against Scotland.

He was the 6th highest run-getter in the New Zealand tri-series by virtue of scoring 135 runs in 5 T20Is averaging 27 at a strike rate of 145.16. Finn Allen, who was picked ahead of Martin Guptill, showed his explosive power at the top, striking at just over 145 across five games.

Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson averaged 43 in 4 T20Is averaging 129 runs in the tri-series also featuring Pakistan and Bangladesh. The New Zealand skipper raised his bat for the first time in the final against Pakistan since the final of last year’s 2021 T20I World Cup, has since played 16 international innings without reaching 50.

That lack of form – which coincided with Kane Williamson’s troubling elbow injury – would have been a major barrier to the Black Caps’ chances of going one better than last year, when their skipper’s brilliant knock wasn’t quite enough to topple Australia.

But Kane Williamson will now cross the Tasman much more hopeful of repeating those feats, having struck 59 runs off 38 balls to lay what could have been a match-winning platform in the tri-series decider. Instead, once Kane Williamson fell, New Zealand managed only 29 runs from the final 25 deliveries, stumbling to 163-7.

Devon Conway

Devon Conway who made his T20I debut in the year 2020 has been a major part of his side’s batting lineup for quite some time now. The wicketkeeper-batsman has amassed several important runs for his side while opening the batting.

With a total of 927 runs in just 24 T20I innings so far in his career, Devon Conway’s numbers clearly show his abilities as a batsman in the shortest format of the game. The left-hander has a healthy Strike Rate of 135.53 and an average as good as 54.53.

He will be an important part of his team’s plans for the 2022 T20I World Cup for sure. He has 6 fifties beside his name including a career-best of 99* against Australia in 2021. He topped the batting chart in the recently concluded Tri Series 2022, having amassed 233 runs in 5 T20Is averaging 77.67.

Michael Bracewell

Michael Bracewell, the Man of the tri-series also featuring Pakistan and Bangladesh picked 8 scalps from 5 T20Is averaging only 10.5.  Michael Bracewell, who is more of a batting allrounder for his domestic side Wellington, emerged as the joint-highest wicket-taker in the T20I tri-series in Christchurch, with eight strikes in five games at a scarcely believable economy rate of 4.94. Those returns fetched him the Player-of-the-Series award.

James Neesham

The toss-up will be between spin bowling all-rounders James Neesham and Mitchell Santner in the 2022 T20I World Cup playing XI. While Mitchell Santner played a game in the Tri-Series and picked up 2/27, James Neesham played 4 T20Is and scored only 11 runs and was wicketless.

James Neesham played 52 T20Is since debuting in 2012. Mitchell Santner has played more matches -73 but debuted later in 2015.

Daryl Mitchell

Daryl Mitchell fractured the little finger on his right-hand last week and was ruled out of the ongoing tri-series at home against Pakistan and Bangladesh. All-rounder Daryl Mitchell will be retained in New Zealand’s squad for the T20I World Cup in Australia and may recover in time from a broken finger for the Black Caps’ first game on October 22 against the hosts.

Daryl Mitchell shot to prominence in the semi-final of the 2021 T20 World Cup, when his unbeaten 72 led New Zealand to victory against England. Since then, he has become a key part of the New Zealand team across formats. He was the highest run-scorer in the Test series in England this summer, scoring 538 runs with three centuries in six innings.

Lockie Ferguson

Paceman Lockie Ferguson, who missed last year’s 2021 T20I World Cup due to a calf tear, is also under a cloud in the lead-up to Australia after suffering an abdominal injury. He has an excellent bowling average of 16.13 for picking 32 scalps in 21 T20Is.

He may play the later games while fit again Adam Milne may play the first few games. Adam Milne picked 3/24 against Bangladesh in the tri-series after returning from an injury. He was playing his first T20I game since November 2011 which came against India.

Adam Milne had to leave the field in a tri-series game against Bangladesh after he complained of stiffness in his abdominal area. On the other hand, Lockie Ferguson has been undergoing recovery from an abdominal strain. Due to this reason, he wasn’t part of the squad for the ongoing tri-series as well.

Tim Southee

More than 14 years on from making his international debut as a 19-year-old, Blackcaps seamer Tim Southee, now 33, became just the third New Zealander to play in 100 T20s after Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill in the tri-series final in Christchurch on Friday.

He was the joint highest wicket-taker in the Tri-Series with Michael Bracewell by picking 8 scalps in 5 T20Is averaging 19.75. He is the joint highest wicket-taker in T20Is with Shakib Al Hasan as they both have 122 scalps.

Ish Sodhi

Ish Sodhi picked 4 scalps in 5 T20Is in the recently concluded tri-series but averaged 44. Veteran New Zealand leg-spinner Ish Sodhi has completed 100 T20I wickets. He achieved the feat against Bangladesh in the third match of the ongoing tri-series, also involving Pakistan. Ish Sodhi became the second New Zealander and fifth bowler overall to complete 100 T20I wickets. He was the third-fastest to get the milestone, having taken 78 matches.

Rashid Khan (53) and Lasith Malinga (76) are ahead of him. Ish Sodhi is the third spinner to accomplish the milestone. Shakib Al Hasan and Tim Southee have 122 scalps followed by Rashid Khan-118 and Lasith Malinga-107 before Ish Sodhi who has 103 scalps so far in 81 T20Is.

Trent Boult

 Trent Boult has been a pillar in the bowling department of his side for several years in all formats of the game. His impact in T20Is however is exceptional in particular. His incredible spells of bowling have often won his side games against the odds.

His abilities to choke the runs and pick wickets both during the early phases as well as in the death make him an extremely difficult bowler to score runs against. The left-arm pacer has picked 66 wickets in 50 T20Is so far and will be important to his side in the T20 World Cup. He picked 3 scalps in 4 T20Is in the tri-series.