Return of Santner and Ravindra for England T20Is

Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra have made their return to the New Zealand squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against England, which starts in Christchurch on Saturday, October 18. Santner, who is back after recovering from abdominal surgery, will once again take up leadership responsibilities. Meanwhile, Rachin Ravindra has overcome a facial injury that sidelined him during the recent series against Australia.

Squad: Mitchell Santner (C), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Tim Seifert (wk).

Ben Sears will miss the series due to a left hamstring injury he sustained during training last week. Kane Williamson is also unavailable for this series, but he is expected to feature in the subsequent three-match ODI series. Head coach Rob Walter commented, “Kane had a minor medical issue last month, and we agreed he needs more time to be physically ready. He’s a world-class player, and we hope these two weeks will prepare him for the ODIs against England and the following tour by the West Indies.”

New Zealand has retained most of the squad from the Australia series, with Jimmy Neesham keeping his spot after a strong performance as Ravindra’s replacement. However, Ish Sodhi has been dropped.

Finn Allen (foot), Adam Milne (ankle), Will O’Rourke (back), Glenn Phillips (groin), and Lockie Ferguson (hamstring) were unavailable for selection.

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