After a heartbreak in the T20 World Cup 2026, New Zealand will now shift their focus to bilaterals with a five-match short-format series against South Africa. The New Zealand squad for South Africa T20I series was also announced earlier today (March 10) with the matches slated to begin from Sunday (March 15).
Notably, not all players from their recent campaign at the ICC event in India and Sri Lanka have been named. Two squads have effectively been selected for the series to help manage workloads.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) players Tim Seifert and Finn Allen, who were roped in by the three-time winners for the IPL 2026 season alongside Gujarat Titans (GT) star Glenn Phillips, have been rested for the Proteas series.
Furthermore, Blackcaps white-ball skipper Mitchell Santner, who plies his trade with the Mumbai Indians (MI) in Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) will only be available for the first three games with Test captain Tom Latham expected to take over the leadership duties for the final two matches.
Three names have also earned their maiden T20I call-up after impressing in the domestic circuit – Katene Clarke, Jayden Lennox and Nick Kelly. The trio is also likely to make their respective debuts in the format.
On the other hand, Michael Bracewell (calf), Adam Milne (ankle), Will O’Rourke (back) and Blair Tickner (ankle) are still recovering from their injuries and were not considered for the series.
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NZ vs SA 1st T20I – Sunday, March 15, 2026
NZ vs SA 2nd T20I – Tuesday, March 17, 2026
NZ vs SA 3rd T20I – Friday, March 20, 2026
NZ vs SA 4th T20I – Sunday, March 22, 2026
NZ vs SA 5th T20I – Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Mitchell Santner (c) (1-3), Katene Clarke (4-5), Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver (wk) (4-5), Devon Conway (wk) (1-3), Lockie Ferguson (2-3), Zak Foulkes, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Nick Kelly, Tom Latham (wk) (c – 4-5), Jayden Lennox (4-5), Cole McConchie, Jimmy Neesham, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi
[**Note: () indicates match availability]
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