Right arm Kiwi pacer Tim Southee is all set to captain the New Zealand Cricket team in the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka beginning from 1 September in Kandy.
Southee will lead the team in the absence of Kane Williamson and Trent Boult who will be rested following the ongoing three-match Test Series which Sri Lanka are leading 1-0.
The 14-squad man named for the series includes three specialist spinners in the form of Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner and Todd Astle.
“Kane and Trent played an enormous role in our recent World Cup campaign and with a big summer ahead, we see it as a good opportunity to give them a rest,” said selector Gavin Larsen, adding, “The series in Sri Lanka will be a challenging one against a team who are tough to beat in their own conditions.”
He moreover stated that the series will start a brand new T20 cycle. New Zealand have nine T20Is series scheduled for them prior to the World T20 scheduled in October in Australia.
“Following that amazing ride in the ODI World Cup, it’s exciting to begin setting our sights on another world event,” Larsen said.
“Our T20 team has been pretty consistent over the past couple of years and we’re really happy with the power and versatility we have in this squad.”
Squad: Tim Southee (c), Todd Astle, Tom Bruce, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Colin Munro, Seth Rance, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor.