Kane Williamson, Trent Boult rested for T20I series against Windies
What's the story
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson and left-arm pacer Trent Boult are set to miss the upcoming Twenty20 series against the West Indies. The decision has been taken so that these two can concentrate on Test matches. The Black Caps have announced a 13-man T20 squad, which includes South African-born debutant Devon Conway. Here are further details on the same.
13-man squad
A look at New Zealand's T20I squad
New Zealand T20I Squad: Tim Southee (captain), Hamish Bennett, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Seifert (wicket-keeper), Ross Taylor. Meanwhile, (Doug Bracewell, Scott Kuggeleijn and Mark Chapman have been included for game three in place of Jamieson, Southee and Taylor).
Decision
Coach Gary Stead on the decision to rest Boult, Williamson
Coach Gary Stead stated the importance of the ICC World Test Championship, besides highlighting players' recent workload in the Indian Premier League (IPL). "We've had to make a decision on Kane and Trent to prioritize the Tests, given how important they are to our red-ball team and the fact they both played such big roles in the IPL while also managing injuries," said Stead.
Test series
Stead highlights the importance of Williamson, Boult for Tests
Stead said that the Kiwis are in the hunt for the World Test Championship and having these two players fit will be crucial. "There's no secret we're right in the hunt for the World Test Championship final following our 2-0 series win over India and having Trent and Kane fully fit and focused for the upcoming series will be crucial," said Stead.
Conway
Key details about Conway
Meanwhile, Conway comes in to replace Williamson in the T20I squad having impressed over recent domestic seasons. The 29-year-old batsman finished the previous season as the top run-scorer in each of New Zealand's three domestic tournaments. He amassed a total of 543 runs in 11 innings and had a strike rate of 145 in the Super Smash T20 tournament.
Test squad
New Zealand also name 13-man Test squad
The Black Caps also named the Test squad to face Windies. It remains unchanged from the 13 who were named for their last Test match against India in February. Colin de Grandhomme and Ajaz Patel are included in the squad, though both are returning back from injuries. They are likely to be fit for the first Test on Thursday, December 3.
Information
A look at the Test squad
New Zealand Test squad: Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Will Young.