Cricket: Black Caps captain Kane Williamson leads first West Indies trip in eight years

Kane Williamson will return for the tour to the West Indies. Photosport

Kane Williamson will return to lead a 15-player squad on the Black Caps' first trip to the Caribbean since 2014.

Williamson will captain a squad with an experienced core, including Trent Boult and Tim Southee, combined with a group of newer players such as Finn Allen and Michael Bracewell, who receive further opportunities on the back of strong recent form.

With a tight tour schedule featuring six matches in 11 days across Jamaica (three T20Is) and Barbados (three ODIs) the selectors have looked to balance a combined squad across both formats.

The tour is also a vital part of the next cycle of ICC white ball tournaments, with the ICC T20 World Cup starting in Australia this October, and qualification points on the line for next year's ODI World Cup in India.

Black Caps head coach Gary Stead said the squad was looking forward to taking on the West Indies at home.

"It's always exciting to be heading somewhere you've not been in a while and I know this group can't wait for the challenge of taking on the West Indies in the Caribbean.

"Managing workloads is hugely important this year with the team playing some form of cricket every month in 2022 – and this applies to both players and staff.

"For Kane, Trent, Tim and Devon, this will be the first time they have played white ball cricket for New Zealand since last year's T20 World Cup and tour to India - so this trip will be important for them.

"We also have players such as Michael and Finn who are relatively new to the international stage but have really put their hands up for selection when given opportunities.

"As a selector it's been great to see these guys push their cases."

ODI and T20I SquadKane Williamson (c)
Finn Allen
Trent Boult
Michael Bracewell
Devon Conway
Lockie Ferguson
Martin Guptill
Matt Henry
Tom Latham
Daryl Mitchell
Jimmy Neesham
Glenn Phillips
Mitchell Santner
Ish Sodhi
Tim Southee