Experienced pace bowler Kyle Mills will captain the BLACKCAPS for their tour of Sri Lanka following the return of the injured Kane Williamson.
The Auckland Aces 34-year-old will captain his country for the first time during the three One Day Internationals and two Twenty20 matches starting on 10 November in Hambantota. Mills has played 153 ODIs for New Zealand and is a key member of the BLACKCAPS leadership group.
New Zealand Cricket General Manager National Selection Bruce Edgar says Rob Nicol will replace Williamson in the squad, while his Canterbury Wizards team-mate Andrew Ellis has been called up due to a back injury to Otago bowler Ian Butler.
“It’s disappointing that Ian’s back didn’t settle in time for the Sri Lanka tour. We’ll also bring in Otago’s Neil Broom for the final ODI and the two Twenty20s as additional cover.”
Nicol and Ellis will join the BLACKCAPS next week after this weekend’s opening rounds of the HRV Twenty20. Wellington Firebird Luke Ronchi headed over this week (earlier than his scheduled arrival for the Sri Lankan leg) as cover for the injured Williamson.
Williamson, who was to captain the side in Sri Lanka with regular skipper Brendon McCullum returning home, is back in New Zealand recovering from a fracture in his left thumb suffered during the first ODI in Bangladesh on Tuesday.
McCullum and batsman Ross Taylor return to New Zealand after the Bangladesh tour to ensure they have the best preparation for the home Tests against the West Indies starting on 3 December in Dunedin. Tim Southee is also returning after the Bangladesh leg so he can prepare fully for the Tests after ankle surgery in July.
BLACKCAPS ODI and Twenty20 squad for Sri Lanka tour:
Kyle Mills - Auckland Aces (captain)
Corey Anderson - Northern Knights
Neil Broom - Otago Volts (for final ODI and T20s)
Anton Devcich - Northern Knights
Grant Elliott - Wellington Firebirds
Andrew Ellis - Canterbury Wizards
Tom Latham - Canterbury Wizards
Mitchell McClenaghan - Auckland Aces
Nathan McCullum - Otago Volts
Adam Milne - Central Stags
Colin Munro - Auckland Aces
James Neesham - Otago Volts
Rob Nicol - Canterbury Wizards
Luke Ronchi - Wellington Firebirds
Hamish Rutherford - Otago Volts
