Williamson, Boult skip T20s as NZ focus on World Test Championship

New Zealand are currently placed fourth in the World Test Championship points table. They need to beat West Indies in the two-Test series in December to press a claim on the finalist spot. With that in mind, captain Kane Williamson and pacer Trent Boult, will be skipping the T20s to focus on the Test series.

Pacers Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson along with batsman Ross Taylor will only been playing in the first two T20 matches.

Black Caps coach, Gary Stead said that “We’ve had to make a decision on Kane and Trent to prioritise the Test matches,“.

“We’ve had to make a decision on Kane and Trent to prioritise the Test matches, given how important they are to our red-ball team and the fact they both played such big roles in the recent IPL while also managing injuries,” he said while announcing the squads.

Having Williamson and Boult fit for Tests crucial for NZ

“There’s no secret we’re right in the hunt for the World Test Championship final following our two-nil win over India and having Trent and Kane fully fit and focussed for the upcoming series will be crucial,” Top-order batsman Devon Conway said. This is the first international call for him after he became eligible to play for New Zealand.

All-rounder Colin de Grandhomme and spinner Ajaz Patel were named in the Test squad despite carrying foot and calf injuries, respectively. “It’s too early at this stage to definitively say what their chances are but we’re hopeful the next two weeks will make that clearer,” Stead further said.

New Zealand will also host Pakistan for a Test series around New Year.

New Zealand Test squad: Kane Williamson (c), Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Will Young.

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