Captain to miss T20 series
WELLINGTON: Black Caps captain Kane Williamson will miss the T20 series against England because of an injury.
Williamson has withdrawn from the squad because of a right hip injury.
Tim Southee will captain the side for the fivematch series which starts in Christchurch next Friday.
The decision to rest Williamson was made yesterday following the opening round of the Plunket Shield in which Williamson turned out for Northern Districts against Canterbury at Hagley Oval.
Black Caps coach Gary Stead spoke with Williamson after the match and they agreed a period of rest was the best way forward.
‘‘We’ve been monitoring the injury for a while now and it’s the same issue that ruled him out of the final test against Bangladesh back in March,’’ Stead said.
‘‘It’s disappointing timing for Kane at the start of an exciting summer, but we feel it’s the right decision with a busy season ahead.
‘‘We’re fortunate to have someone experienced like Tim who can comfortably step in and take the reins, as he successfully did on the recent tour of Sri Lanka.’’
Having been named in the New Zealand XI to face England in two T20 warmups starting tomorrow, fast bowler Lockie Ferguson has also been included for the first three games of the series. He has recovered from a broken thumb.
Ferguson will make way in the final two games for leftarmer Trent Boult who is set to play a second round of Plunket Shield fourday cricket next week.
‘‘In working with Trent and looking at the season ahead, we feel another fourday game will provide him with the best preparation for the upcoming test series against England and Australia,’’ Stead said.
There is also a place for Central Stags pace bowler Blair Tickner who made his debut in the T20 series decider against India earlier this year.
In commenting on the rest of the squad, Stead noted the power and versatility across the lineup.
‘‘If you look at the batsmen there’s plenty of good ballstrikers and that explosive hitting is a crucial component in the shortest format.
‘‘Tim will have a variety of bowling options including our spin combination of Ish [Sodhi] and Mitch [Santner] who are both ranked inside the top 10 T20 bowlers in the world.
‘‘We obviously have a lot of T20 cricket on the horizon ahead of next year’s World Cup and a tough fivegame series against England should be a great start to the summer.’’ — RNZ