Veteran New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor has been dropped for the Twenty20 series against Pakistan, while Kane Williamson and Trent Boult have been recalled after they were rested for last month`s series against West Indies. Taylor’s omission was because of the form of Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips, selector Gavin Larsen said in a statement on Saturday. "This was, as you’d imagine, a very tough decision as Ross has been a consistent performer for us," Larsen said. "But unfortunately we just couldn`t find room in the squad for him due to the quality and form of the other batsmen." Williamson’s inclusion for the second and third match only, however, was conditional on the birth of his first child, which had seen him withdraw from the ongoing second test against West Indies in Wellington. Mitchell Santner would captain the side for the first match on Dec. 18 in Auckland, with Williamson potentially returning for the other two games on Dec. 20 in Hamilton and Dec. 22 in Napier. Pace bowlers Lockie Ferguson and Hamish Bennett have also both been ruled out of the series with injuries, ensuring a first callup for Jacob Duffy.
Scans revealed that Ferguson has a stress fracture in his back, while Bennett was ruled out with an abdominal tear. None of the players currently involved in the second Test in Wellington would be available for the first Twenty20 game.
Pakistan will take on New Zealand in three Twenty20 Internationals starting on December 18 in Eden Park, Auckland. The second and the third games will be played on December 20 and 22 at Hamilton and Napier. In the previous series between the two sides in 2017/18, Pakistan won the three-match series 2-1 after losing the first game. In two previous encounters in 2010/11 and 2015/16, New Zealand have emerged victorious in all of them with a 2-1 margin. Overall, Pakistan have a 13-8 head-to-head advantage against New Zealand in 21 Twenty20 Internationals.
New Zealand Twenty20 squads:
1st match - Mitchell Santner (captain), Todd Astle, Doug Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Martin Guptill, Scott Kuggeleijn, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner.
2nd and 3rd match - Kane Williamson (captain), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.
