New Zealand clears players for IPL, announces separate squads for sub-continent tour

New Zealand players’ participation in the Indian Premier League was approved by its cricket board on Tuesday, August 10, when it also announced different squads for the sub-continent tour and T20 World Cup as part of its workload management in COVID times.

While the first-choice of New Zealand team led by Kane Williamson will tour India after the T20 World Cup, Tom Latham will captain a second string side to Bangladesh and Pakistan in September-October as it coincides with the suspended IPL resuming from September 19.

Most of the New Zealand players picked for the T20 World Cup will get to play in the preceding IPL, which will serve as good preparation for the showpiece event in the UAE.

Both IPL and T20 World Cup have been moved out of India due to the COVID-19 pandemic but BCCI still remains the host of the ICC event.

Ross Taylor to play 3 ODIs

Senior batsman Ross Taylor was picked for the three ODIs in Pakistan but then it was mutually agreed that he would remain at home to prepared for the Test tour of India. New Zealand will tour Pakistan after 18 years.

“The first BLACKCAPS squad will depart for Bangladesh on August 23 and the players from the Test tour to India will return home and emerge from MIQ just before Christmas,” said New Zealand Cricket (NZC) in a statement.

“While the Test squad to tour India will not be announced for another month or so, the BLACKCAPS white-ball squads will comprise a total of 32 players – including two new to the set-up in Canterbury all-rounder Cole McConchie, and Wellington paceman Ben Sears,” it added.

Pandemic challenges

NZC chief executive David White said the changing times demanded changing strategies, with “player welfare and support now one of professional sport’s biggest challenges, particularly in the current pandemic environment”.

“The need to safeguard the well-being of our players and support staff is now very real, and we’ve endeavoured to do this by carefully managing their workloads over this winter’s massive playing programme,” said White.

On allowing the star New Zealand players to participate in the IPL, he said: “It’s a pragmatic approach. We’ve always tried to be realistic about the IPL and this particular issue is very much a one-off, caused by a unique set of circumstances.” The premier T20 tournament had to be suspended in May with COVID-19 raging through India at that time and multiple cases were also reported in the tournament’s bio-bubble.

Squads: BLACKCAPS squad for ICC T20 World Cup and India T20s: Kane Williamson (c), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, *Adam Milne (injury cover) Squad for Bangladesh T20Is and Pakistan ODIs: Tom Latham (capt, wk), Finn Allen, Hamish Bennett, Tom Blundell (wk), Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry (ODI only), Scott Kuggeleijn, Cole McConchie, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears (T20 only), Blair Tickner, Will Young.

Squad for Pakistan T20Is: Tom Latham (capt, wk), Finn Allen, Todd Astle, Hamish Bennett, Tom Blundell (wk), Mark Chapman, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Ajaz Patel, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears, Blair Tickner, Will Young.