Kane Williamson, Trent Boult back to New Zealand T20 squad, Ross Taylor dropped

On the other hand, experienced campaigner Ross Taylor has been excluded from the Kiwi squad. With the T20 series against Pakistan scheduled to start just three days after the ongoing Test against West Indies in Wellington, Williamson and Boult along with Tim Southee, Kyle Jamieson and Daryl Mitchell will only be available for the second and third games of the T20I series.

After having his first game as captain washed out after 2.2 overs against West Indies, Mitchell Santner will take the skipper’s armband for the series opener at Eden Park, before taking his first break since leaving for the Caribbean Premier League back in August.

“A combination of form, injuries, and the overlapping of series has certainly added some complexity to this announcement. I’d like to acknowledge the commitment of all the players who are having to show a large degree of flexibility and understanding this summer. It’s great to have the class of Kane and Trent returning to our T20 side having missed the West Indies series after their starring roles in the IPL in November,” selector Gavin Larsen said in an official release.

Pacer Lockie Ferguson was withdrawn from the squad after scans revealed a bone stress injury of his lumbar spine. More details of his expected rehabilitation time will be known once the results of further imaging are available.

Hamish Bennett has also been ruled out of the series with an abdominal tear sustained in round three of the Ford Trophy. Pacer Jacob Duffy has earned his first call-up to the Kiwi squad after impressive performances in domestic cricket and for New Zealand A.

The 26-year-old has been selected for the first game and will assemble with the squad in Auckland on December 15. Blair Tickner, Mark Chapman, and Doug Bracewell are included for game one of the series, before making way for the Test players to return.

New Zealand squad for first T20I: Mitchell Santner (Captain), Martin Guptill, Tim Seifert, Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Jimmy Neesham, Doug Bracewell, Todd Astle, Ish Sodhi, Scott Kuggeleijn, Jacob Duffy, Blair Tickner.

Squad for second and third T20I: Kane Williamson (captain), Martin Guptill, Tim Seifert, Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Kyle Jamieson, Todd Astle, Ish Sodhi, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Southee, Trent Boult.