HIGHLIGHTS

• IPL-bound New Zealand cricketers get green light from NZC
• NZC has announced different squads for sub-continent tour and T20 World Cup
• IPL is set to resume from September 19 under a strict bio-bubble in UAE

On Tuesday, the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has given the green light to their Indian Premier League (IPL) bound cricketers to participate in the tournament.

The NZC has also announced different squads for the sub-continent tour and T20 World Cup as part of its workload management in Covid-19 times.

While the first-choice 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.

“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.

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

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