Kane Williamson will pull on a New Zealand shirt for the first time since March’s Champions Trophy final when the one-day series against England begins at Bay Oval on 26 October. The 35-year-old has sat out the current T20Is while recovering from what selectors still describe as a “minor medical issue”, but he has passed fitness checks to re-join the 14-man squad.
Head coach Rob Walter could scarcely hide his relief. “We all know what Kane means to the Blackcaps – to have his skill, experience and leadership back in the group is fantastic.” Williamson, on a casual New Zealand Cricket (NZC) contract, missed both the Australia T20Is and the Zimbabwe tour to honour county and Hundred commitments with Middlesex, and has spent part of the winter advising Lucknow Super Giants in the IPL.
All-rounder Nathan Smith is also back after an abdominal tear sustained during the first Test in Bulawayo in August. Still only 27, Smith has not played since that match but returned to full training last month. “Yeah, always exciting when you get the opportunity to play for New Zealand in any series,” Smith said. “The last period from that [Bulawayo] Test to now has looked like a bit of rest initially. And then after a couple of weeks, you can sort of start to get moving again and strengthen the ab back-ups. Since the start of September, I’ve been ripping into some rehab and building the bowling loads back up. It’s just been a really good period to get some strength in and build some training back up for a busy season.”
Walter values what Smith offers across the disciplines. “Nathan’s still relatively new to his international career, but he’s impressed with his all-round skills and ability in the field.”
Mitchell Santner, who led the side to that Champions Trophy final in Dubai, resumes the captaincy having shaken off his own abdominal niggle. Tom Latham returns behind the stumps after shoulder trouble that forced him out of the Zimbabwe Tests; the left-hander has not played competitively since a T20 Blast hundred for Birmingham Bears in July.
New Zealand are, however, without six first-choice white-ball players. Finn Allen (foot), Lockie Ferguson (hamstring), Adam Milne (ankle), Will O’Rourke (back), Glenn Phillips (groin) and Ben Sears (hamstring) all remain in the treatment room. Their absence opens the door for Canterbury seam-bowling all-rounder Zak Foulkes, named in an ODI squad for the first time after only two senior international appearances.
The three-match series provides New Zealand with limited preparation before a packed home summer, but Walter believes the balance of youth and experience is right. England, meanwhile, arrive intent on building depth of their own ahead of next year’s Champions Trophy.
