Cricket: Black Caps skipper Kane Williamson returns for T20 series against Bangladesh

Kane WIlliamson in action during the ODI World Cup. Photo / Photosport

Black Caps white-ball captain Kane Williamson will lead a largely settled Twenty20 squad in the team’s final international series of the year.

The three-match series against Bangladesh starts at McLean Park on December 27, before the teams head to Bay Oval for the final two matches leading into the new year.

Williamson, Jimmy Neesham and Ben Sears are the only players in the squad who didn’t feature against England in the team’s most recent T20 action earlier this year.

Williamson missed that series as he continued to recover from knee surgery while Neesham was originally in the squad but returned to New Zealand early ahead of the birth of his first child. With Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne filling the fast-bowling spots, Sears didn’t feature in the squad.

Opener Devon Conway wasn’t considered for selection to face Bangladesh as he continued a period of rest following a heavy workload during 2023, while Michael Bracewell (Achilles), Lockie Ferguson (Achilles), Matt Henry (hamstring) and Henry Shipley (back) weren’t considered due to injury.

Black Caps coach Gary Stead said the series represented the start of the team’s preparation ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup, to be held in the West Indies and United States of America.

“It’s great to be able to finish off a busy year that started on the road by having the group together in New Zealand,” said Stead. “We’ve played T20 cricket in a wide variety of conditions this year and it’s been great to see a broad range of players making contributions.

“Tim Seifert, as an example, returned to the side in a specific role at the top of the order and made significant contributions in each series he was part of.

“With a World Cup in the middle of next year, we’re well into our planning in terms of both the tournament and the type of squad we might need in the conditions.

“While we’re advanced in our planning, as we saw with the ODI World Cup squad this year with the likes of Mark Chapman and Rachin Ravindra, there is certainly still time for players to come into that mix.”

Black Caps T20 squad: Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.