New Zealand will take on Pakistan in the upcoming five-match T20 series without some of their key players due to the impending Indian Premier League (IPL), which begins on March 22. Michael Bracewell will be leading a 15-member squad, which see the exclusion of Rachin Ravinda, skipper Mitchell Santner, and Devon Conway. The first match of NZ vs PAK T20 series will be played on March 16.
Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs, Lockie Ferguson are also not named in T20 squad due to their IPL commitments. Interestingly, Ferguson is injured and it is still not clear whether he will be available to play for PBKS full season. However, the T20 series against Pakistan presents an golden opportunity for the youngsters to make their presence felt ahead of the T20 World Cup in 2026.
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It also gives Bracewell to show his captaincy skills. The all-rounder had a good Champions Trophy and would be eager to continue his good form.
Road for T20 WC 2026 begins for New Zealand
New Zealand chief selector Sam Wells said that team selected for Pakistan T20 series has been made keeping an eye on the T20 World Cup 2026. However, Wells also believes in giving players adequate break after the grueling CT 2025 tournament.
Kyle Jamieson and Will O’Rourke have been named for the first three games of the series only, as the selectors want to manage the workload of the young pacers ahead of a packed schedule. Matt Henry, who finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker has been included for games four and five.
"We’re certainly starting to narrow our sights on the ICC T20 World Cup. We made it clear in our planning and communication with players that availability for that tournament and the build-up to it was required to be considered for this series against Pakistan. Half of this squad is only returning from the Champions Trophy on Wednesday, and so we’re going to need to manage those players really carefully," Wells said to ICC.
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New Zealand squad for the T20I series against Pakistan
Michael Bracewell (c), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes (for games 4 & 5), Mitch Hay, Matt Henry (for games 4 & 5), Kyle Jamieson (for games 1, 2 & 3), Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Will O’Rourke (for games 1, 2 & 3), Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, and Ish Sodhi.
