South African Conway gets first call up for NZ, Williamson rested for T20Is

The Blackcaps announced their squad for the upcoming Test and T20I series against the West Indies which begins on 17 November with the first T20I in Auckland. While captain Kane Williamson has been rested for the T20s keeping in mind the Red ball importance for the Kiwis this summer, Trent Boult has been rested for the limited-overs series with Tim Southee being given the captaincy reins. 

"We've had to make a decision on Kane and Trent to prioritize the Test matches, given how important they are to our red-ball team and the fact they both played such big roles in the recent IPL while also managing injuries,” Gary Stead the New Zealand coach said. 

Further underscoring the importance of the Tests in the larger scheme of things, Stead said, "There's no secret we're right in the hunt for the World Test Championship final following our 2-0 win over India [in February], and having Trent and Kane fully fit and focused for the upcoming series will be crucial."

With Colin Munro not considered due to his BBL deal with the Perth Scorchers, South Africa born Devon Conway who is now a naturalised citizen of the Kiwi nation has been finally given a national call up at 29 years of age, having piled up runs at the domestic level, including the current Plunkett Shield in which he is the leading run-scorer with 253 runs from six innings. 

"We're looking forward to welcoming Devon into our environment for the first time and I'm sure he'll soak up the experience. With Colin Munro heading to the Big Bash and therefore unavailable for the Pakistan T20 series pre-Christmas, the selectors are keen to look at other batting options at the top of the order,” Stead said about the left-hander. 

Kyle Jamieson, the tall and heavy all-rounder who impressed all during the India series has been given a first call up for T20Is. Jamieson has been in amazing bowling form in the Shield having picked up 12 wickets from just three innings with two five-wicket hauls. 

Much like Ross Taylor and Southee, Jamieson will only be available for the first two matches as he would move to join the Test team.

To replace these four, Mark Chapman, Doug Bracewell, and Scott Kuggeleijn, and Glenn Phillips will join the T20 setup. 

Powered by Froala Editor

Powered by Froala Editor