New Zealand vs India: Hosts announce 14-man squad for the T20I series

New Zealand, on Wednesday, announced their 14-man squad for the forthcoming T20I series against India. The Black Caps will take on the Men in Blue in three games with the series scheduled to start on February 6 in Wellington. New Zealand have called up Daryl Mitchell and Blair Tickner for the much-awaited series.

Both the players are yet to make their international debuts. Mitchell will be a part of the squad for all the three games but Tickner will join the team just for the last game to replace Lockie Ferguson. Mitchell earned his maiden international call-up after a strong display in the domestic T20 competition as well as for New Zealand A. Tickner, on the other hand, has been in good form too and has picked up 12 wickets in seven Super Smash games this season.

Speaking on the selections, New Zealand selector Gavin Larsen said, “Daryl has shown his value with the bat and also tends to bowl at some tough times for the Knights, and Blair is well-respected among his team-mates and opponents alike as someone who bowls a heavy ball at good pace.”

Skipper Kane Williamson has also returned to the team after being rested for the series against Sri Lanka. The right-hander has replaced Henry Nicholls in the squad. Doug Bracewell brought in as a replacement for the injured Jimmy Neesham for the T20 against Sri Lanka, has also retained his place in the squad.

Mitchell and Tickner’s career in numbers:

Both Mitchell and Tickner, meanwhile, are proven campaigners in New Zealand’s domestic circuit. Mitchell has so far played 192 first-class, 128 List A games and 149 T20s, scoring over 17,000 runs in addition to picking up close to 200 wickets. On the other hand, Tickner has played 35 first-class games, 25 List A games and 28 T20s, picking up 166 wickets.

New Zealand T20I squad: Kane Williamson (c), Doug Bracewell, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson (Matches 1 & 2), Martin Guptill, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Colin Munro, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Blair Tickner (Match 3).

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