Kane Williamson to make captaincy comeback, leading New Zealand in T20I Series against Bangladesh

Beginning on December 27, Kane Williamson will make his comeback as the captain of New Zealand in the three-match Twenty20 International series against Bangladesh. Williamson was a key player for New Zealand in the ICC ODI World Cup. The Black Caps failed to prevail against India in the semifinals in Mumbai last month. But the captain is anticipated to have a fresh start against BAN. 

3 Things you need to know

• Kane Williamson will mark his return as the captain for 3 T20I series against Bangladesh
• Williamson will be coming back after a knee injury 
• New Zealand's coach Gary Stead is confident that the team will win 

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Kane Williamson to lead the New Zealand Squad

Williamson is all set to mark his return as the captain after missing out on the last T20I Series against England. He will be leading the squad for the 3-match T20I against Bangladesh.  The first T20I will be played on 27 December, Wednesday. 

Devon Conway has continued to take rest from the Kiwis as this is the last Twenty20 International series of the year, while other players like Michael Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, and Henry Shipley recuperate from injuries.

The only players who weren't in the team for the T20I series against England earlier this year were Ben Sears, James Neesham, and Kane Williamson. The captain of New Zealand was still rehabilitating from his knee injury sustained in Indian Premier League 2023,  therefore he missed the chance. Neesham, on the other hand, travelled with the touring group to England but had to return home after his first child was born.

Sears will get the opportunity to play in his first home game, after making his debut on the international arena in September 2021,

New Zealand T20I squad: Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.

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"We‘re well into our planning": New Zealand's coach ahead of T20 World Cup 2024

Head coach Gary Stead of the Black Caps is pleased with the group's talent and players' varied levels of contribution.  Stead is optimistic about the team's prospects of winning the forthcoming series, (as quoted nzc.nz): 

"It’s great to be able to finish off a busy year that started on the road by having the group together in New Zealand. We’ve played T20 cricket in a wide variety of conditions this year, and it’s been great to see a broad range of players making contributions."

"With a World Cup in the middle of next year, we‘re well into our planning in terms of both the tournament and the type of squad we might need in the conditions. While we’re advanced in our planning, as we saw with the One Day World Cup Squad this year with the likes of Mark Chapman and Rachin Ravindra - there is certainly still time for players to come into that mix."