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On Monday, August 12, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced a strong squad for their forthcoming Test matches in Sri Lanka and India. The team will face Afghanistan in a single Test and then play a two-match series against Sri Lanka.
These games are integral to the ongoing ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25. For these upcoming fixtures, NZC has selected a squad largely unchanged from the one that experienced a 2-0 defeat to Australia earlier this year on home soil.
New Zealand Cricket reveals squad for Afghanistan and Sri Lanka Test series.
The New Zealand squad, under the captaincy of Tim Southee, includes key players such as former captain Kane Williamson, Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, and Rachin Ravindra. Southee will lead a robust pace attack featuring Matt Henry, Ben Sears, and Will O’Rourke during their tour of Sri Lanka and India.
In preparation for the spin-friendly conditions of the sub-continent, the selectors have assembled a formidable spin unit. Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel, and Michael Bracewell will head the spin department, with Phillips and Ravindra also offering valuable spin support for the away series.
New Zealand’s head coach has suggested that the use of fast bowlers might be limited due to the spin-friendly pitches. The team is set to play a one-off Test against Afghanistan in Noida, India, beginning on September 9.
Players are looking forward to test their skills in the sub-continent: Gary Stead
Following that, they will travel to Sri Lanka for two important ICC World Test Championship 2023-24 matches, scheduled to start on September 18 and 26. Stead was quoted by the ICC as saying: “Test tours to the sub-continent can ask some really tough questions of pace bowlers due to the nature of the pitches and the heat and humidity.”
These matches are vital for New Zealand’s chances of making it to next year’s WTC Final, with the team currently in third place, behind India and Australia. After the Sri Lanka tour, New Zealand will head to India for a three-Test series in October and November, before hosting England for a home Test series later in the year.
Stead signed off by saying, “We know how important the points in Sri Lanka will be to our chances of pushing for a finals spot in England next year. We managed one win from the two Test series in challenging conditions in Bangladesh last December and are keen to build on that. The whole squad is looking forward to test their skills in the longest form of the game in the sub-continent.”
New Zealand squad for the Afghanistan and Sri Lanka
Tim Southee (C), Tom Latham (VC), Tom Blundell (WK), Kane Williamson, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Will Young.
