Kane Williamson returns to lead New Zealand in the 3-match T20I series against Bangladesh, commencing on 27th of December.
Williamson last played a T20I more than a year ago where he scored 61 against India in a losing course at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
The veteran missed out on plenty of cricket this year due to a knee injury he suffered during the IPL 2023 and made his comeback to international cricket in the recent ODI World Cup.
During his return, New Zealand will miss the services of several other key players. Michael Bracewell, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry and Henry Shipley are still recovering from injuries while left-arm pacer Trent Boult made himself unavailable for the series and New Zealand Cricket continued to rest left-hand opener Devon Conway to manage his workload.
All-rounder Jimmy Neesham who was opted out of their previous T20I series against England in September with the birth of his child, also returned to the side while 25-year-old Ben Sears has also been included.
New Zealand will face Bangladesh in the 1st T20I at McLean Park in Napier before heading into Mount Maunganui for the final two games on 29th and 31st of December.
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
