Black Caps may take bigger squad to T20 World Cup
The Black Caps could take a squad of up 20 players to this year’s Twenty20 World Cup, including some who have yet to debut.
With eight months until the global tournament starts in India, New Zealand will get an early gauge of where they sit when they don retro beige in the five-match series against world No 2 Australia – starting tomorrow at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
The match will be the first international under Hagley’s new lighting towers and marks the 10-year anniversary of the February 22 Christchurch earthquake – which killed 185 people.
New Zealand won their two T20 series before Christmas against Pakistan and the West Indies, but Australia will be a step up in intensity. The Black Caps’ recent T20 form has been patchy – getting cleaned up 5-0 by India last summer, preceded by a 3-2 loss to England. New Zealand are ranked sixth for T20s – their lowest placing across the three forms.
Teams have traditionally taken 15 player squads to ODI and T20 World Cups, but Black Caps coach Gary Stead revealed yesterday it would likely be higher this year.
‘‘The way Covid is at the moment and the way the world is changing so quickly, I’d probably expect there could be up to 20 people in the squad. In some ways that makes it easier getting the balance . . . having your people who are next in line ready . . . I think it’s realistic to expect that there could be guys selected to go to the World Cup later in the year, who may not have played for New Zealand [in T20s].’’
If the ICC allow larger squads for the tournament, New Zealand could use the three-match Bangladesh T20 series next month to look at fringe performers.
Wellington opener Finn Allen, who was the form player of the T20 Super Smash, would be a prime candidate to debut. He was named as injury standby for this series, if out-of-touch opener Martin Guptill wasn’t able to overcome a hamstring injury. Guptill trained without issue yesterday.
Despite last summer’s 5-0 T20 thumping by India, Stead said they were travelling well, winning five of their last seven series.
AT A GLANCE:
Black Caps recent T20 results: 2020:
Beat Pakistan 2-1 (H)
Beat West Indies 2-0 (H)
Lost India 5-0 (H)
2019:
Lost England 3-2 (H) Beat Sri Lanka 2-1 (A) Beat India 2-1 (H)