Following South Africa’s announcement of the squad for the Tri-series T20I in Zimbabwe, New Zealand has announced their 15-man squad, with key players like Glenn Phillips and Adam Milne making their return.
Tri-series, involving South Africa, New Zealand, and Zimbabwe, is set to begin on July 14 in Harare. South Africa was the first team to announce their squad, followed by New Zealand.
Key Returns and Notable Omissions in New Zealand’s Tri-Series Squad
Glenn Phillips makes his return to the squad after last playing for New Zealand in the T20s in January in Sri Lanka. The Kiwis also made a few new additions to the squad, giving Bevon Jacobs another chance. The big players missing out will be Lockie Ferguson and Ben Sears due to injury.
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Meanwhile, Kane Williamson has announced his unavailability for the tour, and Devon Conway misses out—leading to Tim Seifert being expected to keep wickets. Adam Milne and Matt Henry make their return in the fast bowling department, replacing Kyle Jamieson and Lockie Ferguson.
This tour to Zimbabwe marks the first assignment for New Zealand under their new coach, Rob Walter, who highlighted the experience in the squad:
"I think we've got a really strong squad for this tour, and I'm looking forward to getting the team together and getting into the work," he said.
"We've got some good experience in the side, and it's nice to be able to welcome back a few of the players who missed the March series against Pakistan because of the IPL."
Rob Walter backs Bevon Jacobs to take the opportunity to gain experience, as he sees him as a mainstay in the squad for the upcoming years:
"Bevon's been an outstanding performer in domestic cricket and has gained some experience in franchise leagues around the world, so it'll be a good chance for him to get back into the squad and potentially play."
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Walter also noted the return of Adam Milne, who he sees as the experienced campaigner in their bowling setup:
"Adam's a really skilled T20 bowler, he's particularly proficient with the ball up front and brings that extra pace and bounce. With the likes of Lockie Ferguson, Ben Sears, and Kyle Jamieson out, it's great to be able to lean on an experienced head in Adam," he said.
Rob Walter's aim is to build a squad that’s ready to take on the challenge and prepare well ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.
"With the T20 World Cup around the corner, all of our upcoming series are critically important to our build-up. This series gives us the opportunity to test the breadth of our squad, explore different players, and potentially different combinations against some quality opposition," he concluded.
New Zealand squad:
Mitchell Santner (C), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Will O'Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi
Also Read: South Africa squad for the Tri-series
