New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has officially announced the 14-man squad of the New Zealand national cricket team for the upcoming ODI series against the England national cricket team.
Kane Williamson has returned to the New Zealand team for ODIs after not being included in the team for the ongoing T20 series against the English team due to a minor medical problem.
Return of Mitchell Santner, Kane Williamson and Nathan Smith
The three-match ODI series between New Zealand and England will be played on 26, 29 October and 1 November at three different venues in the country.
Kane Williamson, who has a contingent contract with New Zealand Cricket (NZC), will be seen in action for the Blackcaps after quite some time as he had earlier pulled out of the series against Australia and Zimbabwe to fulfill his commitments with Middlesex.
Apart from Kane Williamson, Tom Latham, Mitchell Santner and Nathan Smith have also returned to the team. Both Nathan Smith and Mitchell Santner were out with abdominal injuries and have recently regained match fitness.
Talking about Tom Latham, he will represent the Kiwis for the first time after the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as he was out of action due to a shoulder injury.
Although some players have recovered, injury problems remain for New Zealand with Finn Allen (foot), Lockie Ferguson (hamstring), Adam Milne (ankle), Will O’Rourke (back), Glenn Phillips (groin) and Ben Sears (hamstring) all suffering varying degrees of problems.
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Ken and Nathan have had to work hard to recover from their respective injuries and illness – Rob Walter
In an official statement released by NZC, head coach Rob Walter said that Kane Williamson and Nathan Smith have worked really hard to return to competitive cricket. He elaborated:
“Kane and Nathan have had to work hard to recover from their respective injuries and illness. We all know what Kane means to the Blackcaps – it’s fantastic to bring his skill, experience and leadership back to the group. Nathan is still relatively new to his international career, but he has impressed with his all-round skills and ability on the field.”
“Yes, it’s always exciting when you get a chance to play for New Zealand in any series. The last period after that [Bulawayo] The test so far seems a bit relaxing in the beginning. And then after a few weeks, you can start moving again and strengthening the ab back-ups. Since the beginning of September, I’ve been doing some rehab and building my bowling load back up. It’s been a really good period to gain some strength and prepare some training for the busy season.”
England vs New Zealand ODI Team:
Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Jack Foulkes, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young
