Vaibhav Tripathi
Kyle Jamieson, the pace bowler, is making an international comeback after successfully recovering from a back injury. He has been included in the squads for both the UAE and England series. New Zealand has also selected all-rounder Dean Foxcroft and leg-spinner Adi Ashok for their maiden T20I call-ups for the UAE tour.
After undergoing successful surgery in February to address a stress fracture, Jamieson was expected to make a comeback during the home Test series against England. Unfortunately, a suspected recurrence of the injury forced him out of the series, leading to further MRI scans and consultations with a back surgeon, which confirmed the necessity for surgery.
“Kyle’s worked really hard and made great progress to be available for this tour and we’re delighted to see him return after such a challenging year. We’re all aware of his world class skills and I know he’s really excited to get back with the group,” New Zealand men’s team head coach Gary Stead told reporters.
Foxcroft’s exceptional performances in the Super Smash, where he topped the run charts and took nine wickets, earned him the title of New Zealand Cricket’s Domestic Player of the Year. Meanwhile, Ashok impressed with his 19 wickets for Auckland in the Plunket Shield at an average of 27.84 during his first-class debut.
“It’s always exciting to introduce new players to the Blackcaps environment and especially so when they’re on the younger side, as Adi and Dean are,” Stead said, welcoming the two uncapped players.
Notably, the UAE-tour-squad is a second-string selection, excluding several regular players who will join the full-strength squad for the T20I series against England.
New Zealand’s T20I squad for UAE: Tim Southee (C), Adi Ashok, Chad Bowes, Mark Chapman, Dane Cleaver, Lockie Ferguson, Dean Foxcroft, Kyle Jamieson, Cole McConchie, Jimmy Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Henry Shipley, Will Young
New Zealand’s T20I squad for England: Tim Southee (C), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi