Black Caps v India: Finn Allen to make New Zealand homecoming as T20 squad named
Finn Allen’s return to home shores headlines the Black Caps’ squad for the upcoming five-match Twenty20 International series against India.
The 27-year-old hasn’t worn the Black Cap on Kiwi soil since last March, against Pakistan in the finale of the 2024-25 home summer.
In the time since, Allen has become one of the most feared batters in the shortest format, notably scoring a 33-ball century against South Africa to lead the Black Caps into the final of this year’s T20 World Cup in India.
This month, he also became the most expensive player in Australian T20 history when he secured a $760,000 per season deal to play for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League for the next three years.
Allen will be joined at the top of the order by Tim Seifert, who also sealed a Big Bash switch to the Sydney Sixers after being named player of the tournament as he led the Manchester Super Giants to win England’s “The Hundred” competition.
In the bowling ranks, Adam Milne’s return to the Black Caps squad stands out amid a seven-strong core of fast bowlers. The 34-year-old was named in New Zealand’s initial 15-man squad for this year’s World Cup, but was ruled out with injury.
Michael Bracewell also returns after being forced out of the World Cup squad. This leaves no room for fellow off-spinning allrounder Cole McConchie, who excelled as an injury replacement in India and Sri Lanka.
As expected, Rachin Ravindra has not been named after suffering a freak shoulder injury while fulfilling commercial commitments last week. It is hoped Ravindra will be fit for the five-match one-day international series beginning at the start of November.
His absence is filled by Bevon Jacobs, as one of three players to miss out on World Cup selection, while Zak Foulkes and Nathan Smith join the bowling ranks.
Of the players who travelled to the World Cup, Ish Sodhi and Jimmy Neesham have been left out, while Ben Sears remains unavailable as he rehabilitates an ankle injury.
“India is a quality team and a challenging opposition, so to take them on in our own conditions in front of Kiwi fans is really exciting,” head coach Rob Walter said. “We hear most of the games are going to be sold out and it should make for some incredible occasions.
“We’ve got a near full-strength squad that covers all bases and I’m excited to see how we compete against the current T20 world champions.
“Our priority is winning games and putting the best team on the park, but we also have to keep in mind the volume of cricket in the coming months.
“We’re very fortunate with the depth that we’ve got to call upon, so we’ll look to use all 16 squad members throughout the series as we manage workloads.”
Black Caps squad: Mitchell Santner (c), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert, Nathan Smith
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.