New Zealand Cricket Team 15-Man Squad for T20 World Cup 2022

Ten months ago, New Zealand was again defeated by their neighbours across the Tasman in a World Cup final.

Losing to Australia by a comprehensive eight wickets in the 2021 T20 World Cup final, New Zealand will be desperate for revenge in this edition of the ICC tournament. They won’t have to wait long, as their opening group match on 22 October is against rivals and home favourites Australia.

New Zealand has named a strong 15-man squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, with only three changes to the team that made it to the final late last year. Tim Seifert, Kyle Jamieson and Todd Astle fail to retain their positions, while Lockie Ferguson, Finn Allen and Michael Bracewell get called into the squad. Notably Trent Boult and Jimmy Neesham both secure places, despite recently declining central contracts

Below we break down the 15-man T20 World Cup 2022 squad for New Zealand, analysing each selection on a position by position basis.

The 15-man squad for New Zealand at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia

Kane Williamson (captain), Martin Guptill, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips, Trent Boult, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson and Ish Sodhi.

Batsmen – All Class for New Zealand at the Top

The extraordinary amount of wicket keeping options that New Zealand is known for, alongside their strong all round options, means that the Kiwis are only needing to take two specialist batsmen across the ditch to Australia in October.

The two specialist batsmen that have been named by New Zealand for the T20 World Cup in October, are as follows:

Kane Williamson is a man who needs no introduction, one of the Big Four of this generation’s batting talent. Captaining the New Zealand side, Williamson has represented his country over 300 times across the formats, with 76 IPL appearances as well. The top order batsman holds a T20I average of 32.35 at a respectable strike rate of 123.73, having struck in excess of 2000 runs across his 77 T20I appearances. His role as a cool, calm head that other hitters can bat around is crucial, while his 48 sixes testify to his hitting ability when necessary too.

Joining Williamson as a specialist batsman is another man who needs little explanation, Martin Guptill. Guptill’s selection in New Zealand’s squad makes him the first ever man to appear in seven different T20 World Cups. Third in the all-time T20I run scoring rankings, Guptill has 3497 runs to his name at a strike rate of 135.81. His firepower is undeniable with 172 sixes across his career, however, New Zealand will be hoping he finds form early in this World Cup, as the 35-year-old has a tendency to be mercurial with his scoring.

Overall stats for New Zealand Players in T20Is - Batsmen

T20I stats for New Zealand players in Australia - Batsmen

All Rounders – Excellent Batting and Tentative Bowling

With four all rounders chosen for New Zealand’s 2022 T20 World Cup campaign, the multi-talented department mainly brings batting depth for the side, with the bowling credentials of each all rounder dubious.

Here are the four all-round options New Zealand has selected for the 2022 T20 World Cup:

The Black Caps are blessed with some excellent batting talent in their all rounders, with all four having the ability to play a match winning innings.

Daryl Mitchell has been in particularly good form across the formats in the past few years, only getting an opportunity in the side recently due to Henry Nicholl’s injury. Since then, Mitchell has struck almost 1000 Test runs, to go with 362 ODI runs and 657 T20I runs. He has been a prolific contributor to this New Zealand side, digging them out of a hole many times with strong middle order partnerships, all while striking at 141.59. With the ball Mitchell is an option, but nothing special, having taken just seven wickets across 35 T20Is at an economy of 10.27.

Mark Chapman is another all rounder who has made a claim to a spot in the Black Caps recently. His heroics against Ireland earlier this year helped New Zealand remain unbeaten in their tour of Europe, and the 28-year-old has quickly moved to 702 T20I runs at a strike rate of 123.37 and average of 25.07. Similar to Mitchell, Chapman can add an over or two with the ball, but isn’t a genuine option to bowl four overs.

James Neesham and Mitchell Santner are the two old hands for New Zealand in the all round department, with 120 T20Is between them and a handful of IPL seasons. Mitchell is the only bowling all rounder, with his left-arm spin and handy option to race through a few overs in the middle while nabbing a wicket or two. His best figures are 4/11, having taken 78 wickets from his 72 T20Is. Santner is no slouch with the bat either, with the ability to hit a long ball, or move up the order as a disruptive left hander. Neesham is the real batting option however, as his strike rate of 165.85 evidences.

Overall stats for New Zealand Players in T20Is - All-Rounders

T20I stats for New Zealand players in Australia - All-Rounders

Wicketkeepers – No Lack of Keepers Here

A rare trait of New Zealand is their ability to have a multitude of wicket keeping options in their playing 11 at any given time.

This will likely be the case next month in Australia, with four players in the 15-man squad providing wicketkeeping cover for New Zealand this T20 World Cup:

Devon Conway leads the charge as New Zealand’s first choice wicket keeper, while there’s a chance all four of these men still make the playing 11.

Finn Allen has been an excellent find to replace the long-missing firepower of Brendan McCullum at the top of the order. The 23-year-old has 334 runs from his 13 T20Is so far, and with an impressive strike rate of 169.54, Allen has the ability to take the game away from an opposition within the power play. Conway will likely join him towards the top of the order, bringing his own aggressive brand of cricket and consistency, as his average of 47.2 and strike rate of 138.28 shows.

Michael Bracewell and Glenn Phillips are further down in New Zealand’s options, but by no means does this mean they’ll be strictly bench warmers. Phillips is another power hitter, who sits just short of 1000 runs from his 44 T20Is so far. The 25-year-old moves at a healthy rate of 141.62 when he’s in the middle, and scores an average of 31.06 each innings. Bracewell on the other hand, is a little fresher, having only appeared eight times for New Zealand in this format. He does have an ODI century to his name however, and figures of 3/5 with the ball—not bad for a wicket keeper.

Overall stats for New Zealand Players in T20Is - Wicket Keepers

Bowlers – Strong Pace Attack Ready for Australian Wickets

The Southern Hemisphere’s answer to Broad and Anderson, New Zealand have their two premier fast bowlers ready to go this World Cup, with support from three other specialist bowlers..

The five specialist bowling options for New Zealand’s 2022 T20 World Cup campaign are as follows:

Likely the last time we’ll see Trent Boult and Tim Southee appear together in an ICC tournament, these two Kiwi legends have 177 T20I wickets between them. With top figures of 4/34 and 5/18, both have the ability to ruin an opponent’s game in the blink of an eye. New Zealand will be hoping their two premier fast bowlers do just that, and shatter a few top orders to get them deep in this World Cup.

Supporting their star pacers are Lockie Ferguson and Adam Milne. Both men will be pleased to be injury free for this World Cup, as they have struggled for consistent game time over the past few years courtesy of injury concerns. Ferguson is known for his searing pace, almost unhittable on his day with top figures of 5/21 and an overall economy of 6.85 in T20Is. Milne can also rip down a fast ball, having taken 32 wickets in his 31 T20Is for New Zealand. The fast bowler is a little expensive however, with his economy of 7.85 the main factor that could keep him out of the starting line-up.

Rounding out the bowlers is Ish Sodhi, New Zealand’s lead spinner. Sodhi will likely compete with Santner for game time, but brings right arm break to the equation, having taken 99 wickets across his 76 T20I career.

Overall stats for New Zealand Players in T20Is - Bowlers

T20I stats for New Zealand players in Australia - Bowlers

Check T20 World Cup 2022 Squads For Other Teams