The New Zealand cricket team faced defeat in the final of the 2025 Champions Trophy, shattering their dream of winning the title after 25 years. After this defeat, major changes have been seen in the New Zealand team. Actually, New Zealand has announced its team for the T20I series against Pakistan. In this series, the captaincy of the Kiwi team has been handed over to Michael Bracewell instead of Mitchell Santner, as Santner is not available for this series. Apart from this, many star players like Devon Conway, Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra are also not part of this team.
Star players missing from the team
Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Glenn Phillips, Bevon Jacobs and Rachin Ravindra will not be seen playing in the T20I series against Pakistan. All these players are not available due to their T20 league commitments, while Kane Williamson has also declared himself unavailable for this series. Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway will be seen playing for Chennai Super Kings during IPL 2025. Lockie Ferguson is with Punjab Kings, while Mitchell Santner will be part of the Mumbai Indians team. Glenn Phillips will play for Gujarat Titans. Let us tell you, IPL 2025 is starting from March 22, and Kane Williamson will not play in the IPL this time, but he will participate in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025, which will be played from the 11th of next month.
Ish Sodhi and Ben Sears return
Ish Sodhi, who was out of the team in the home T20I series against Sri Lanka, has now returned to the team. At the same time, Ben Sears, who was not part of the team due to a hamstring injury in the Champions Trophy, has also returned. Kyle Jamieson and Will O’Rourke will be available for the first three matches of the series, as the team has to manage the workload of the fast bowlers after the recent ICC event.
Matt Henry, who missed the Champions Trophy 2025 final due to injury and was the tournament’s highest wicket-taker, has been named in the squad for the fourth and fifth matches of the T20I series. However, he will have to undergo a fitness test before that. Finn Allen, Jimmy Neesham and Tim Seifert have also been included in the squad.
Full schedule of New Zealand vs Pakistan T20I series
- 1st T20I: Sunday, March 16, Hagley Oval, Christchurch
- 2nd T20I: Tuesday, March 18, University of Otago Oval, Dunedin
- 3rd T20I: Friday, March 21, Eden Park, Auckland
- 4th T20I: Sunday, March 23, Bay Oval, Tauranga
- 5th T20I: Wednesday, March 25, Sky Stadium, Wellington
New Zealand’s T20I squad announced
- Michael Bracewell(captain)
- Finn Allen
- Mark Chapman
- Jacob Duffy
- Jack Faulks (Matches 4-5)
- Mitch Hayes
- Matt Henry (Matches 4-5)
- Kyle Jamieson (Matches 1-3)
- Daryl Mitchell
- Jimmy Neesham
- Will O’Rourke (Matches 1-3)
- Tim Robinson
- Ben Sears
- Tim Seifert
- Ish Sodhi
There have been some major changes in the New Zealand team announced for the T20I series against Pakistan, including the absence of several key players and the opportunity for new players. Michael Bracewell being made the captain can infuse new energy and a sense of leadership in the team. During this series, the New Zealand team will be ready to put in all its strength to win against Pakistan, while the absence of various star players will affect their chances.
