New Zealand's Williamson will skip Twenty20 series versus England

Cricket player Kane Williamson

The batsman most recently featured for London Spirit in The Hundred earlier this season

New Zealand batter the star player will be unavailable for the upcoming T20 series versus England however skipper Mitchell Santner makes his comeback from injury to captain the Black Caps

The experienced batsman, who has not played the national team since the Champions Trophy final loss to the Indian team in March, is projected to make his comeback for the upcoming three ODI matches versus the English squad that follow

Squad Changes

Santner is now fit after undergoing abdominal surgery, whereas all-rounder Rachin Ravindra returns to the squad following a facial injury kept him out in the previous T20 series defeat by the Australian team

The three-match T20 series featuring the Black Caps and England starts in Christchurch this coming Saturday, 18 October

Player Availability

Williamson opted to miss the previous Twenty20 matches versus the Australian side as per the agreement of his casual contract for the national board, while additionally he's regaining complete match fitness after a health concern, according to coach the team management

All-rounder Santner suffered a groin injury during his time with his franchise team in the tournament and has not played since

Pace bowler Ben Sears will miss the upcoming England Twenty20 matches due to a torn hamstring, while all-rounder Jimmy Neesham returns to the team

Match Fixtures

Following the first two T20s in Christchurch on 18 and 20 October, the competition concludes at Eden Park next Wednesday

Team Selections

Black Caps T20 squad: Santner as captain, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Henry, Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Mitchell, Neesham, Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Seifert as wicketkeeper

English T20 squad: Harry Brook (c), Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wk), Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Luke Wood

Nicholas Church
Nicholas Church

A tech writer with a passion for AI and digital transformation, sharing insights from years of industry experience.