Kane Williamson returns to lead New Zealand in 3-game T20I series against Bangladesh

Kane Williamson will mark his return to lead New Zealand in the three-game T20I series against Bangladesh, beginning on December 27.

In what will be the Kiwis' final T20I series of the year, Devon Conway has continued his period of rest, while the likes of Michael Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry and Henry Shipley are recovering from injuries.

Kane Williamson, James Neesham and Ben Sears were the only ones not part of the squad not to feature in the T20I series against England earlier this year. The New Zealand captain missed the rubber, as he was still recovering from the knee injury suffered in IPL 2023. Neesham, meanwhile, was part of the touring party in England but returned home due to the birth of his first child.

As for Sears, he has a chance to play his first home game, having made his international debut in September 2021.

New Zealand T20I 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.

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"We‘re well into our planning" - New Zealand coach ahead of T20 World Cup 2024

Gary Stead (Credits: ICC Twitter)

Black Caps head coach Gary Stead is impressed by their talent pool and players making contributions at various stages. Stead is confident of the team's chances of winning the upcoming series (as quoted nzc.nz):

"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. 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."

"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 One Day 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."

The T20I series starts in Napier, with both teams travelling to Tauranga's Bay Oval for the final two games on 29th and 31st.