FILE PHOTO: Cricket - ICC Men's T20 World Cup - Super 12 - Semi-Final - England v New Zealand - Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - November 10, 2021 New Zealand's Kane Williamson in action REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
(Reuters) - New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has been named in his first white ball squad since the T20 World Cup as the Black Caps ramp up their preparations for the global tournament with their first tour of the Caribbean in eight years.
Williamson, who played his last T20 match in the defeat by Australia in the World Cup final last November, will captain identical T20 and one-day squads to play the West Indies in six white ball matches starting in Jamaica on Aug. 10.
Williamson will be joined by pace veterans Trent Boult and Tim Southee, and batsman Devon Conway, all of whom were rested following the team's 3-0 whitewash by England in the test series in June.
“It’s always exciting to be heading somewhere you’ve not been in a while and I know this group can’t wait for the challenge of taking on the West Indies in the Caribbean," coach Gary Stead said in a statement on Monday.
"For Kane, Trent, Tim and Devon, this will be the first time they have played white ball cricket for New Zealand since last year’s T20 World Cup and tour to India - so this trip will be important for them."
New Zealand wrapped up a 3-0 T20 series defeat of Ireland with a six-wicket win in Belfast last week.
A number of players who featured in that series have been omitted for the West Indies tour, including Dane Cleaver, Jacob Duffy and Blair Tickner.
Batsmen Finn Allen and Michael Bracewell have broken into New Zealand's best 15 in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup hosted by champions Australia in October-November.
Allen made his ODI debut against Ireland this month, while Bracewell made his T20I debut against the Irish last week.
New Zealand ODI and T20 squads:
Kane Williamson (capt), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill,
Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
