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New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner shared his thoughts on his national team for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy which is scheduled to kickstart on February 19 in Pakistan.
Fresh names in the pace attack and presence of key veterans were the major highlights as New Zealand announced their squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, with their campaign opener set to take place in Karachi against Pakistan on February 19. "If there is a little bit of turn, we can have Bracewell bat at No. 7, and I can go at No. 8. We have options, which is great for our squad. We've got raw pace, we've got the spin, and the allrounders as well," Santner said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo. Further, the Kiwi all-rounder heaped praise on the spinners of the side, especially the off-spinner Glenn Phillips. "They're both very good offspinners in their own right. They're both different, I think. On a wicket like that, Bracewell can get a bit more bounce - a little more over the top. Even the three overs that GP bowled were good for us, and Glenn has worked a lot on his bowling, as we've seen, in the longer format," the left-arm spinner added. In the end, the Blackcaps player said that if the management and team are happy with the playing XI then the same team will play in Karachi, Rawalpindi and against India in Dubai. "We like to stick to the same team once we've picked it, but that's conditions-dependent. Karachi could play a lot different to Rawalpindi, which could play differently to Dubai. With the short nature of the tournament, if you're happy with your XI, you want them to perform for all three games. But we're open to changes," the 32-year-old concluded. This will be the first major ICC tournament for new white-ball skipper Mitchell Santner, after a successful stint in the ODI & T20I series at home against Sri Lanka, as per ICC. Kiwis won both ODI and T20I series 2-1. The pace trio of Will O'Rourke, Ben Sears and Nathan Smith all feature in the squad, and are set to play their maiden senior ICC event. Captain Santner is the frontline spin option, leading all-rounders Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra all playing support. Senior figures Kane Williamson and Tom Latham lend valuable experience to the side, with Latham set to take the wicketkeeping gloves for the tournament. Santner, Williamson and Latham were all part of New Zealand's squad for the previous edition of the Champions Trophy in England and Wales in 2017. Williamson also featured at the 2013 edition in England. Matt Henry will spearhead the pace bowling attack alongside veteran Lockie Ferguson, who is set to play his fifth ICC event having played a key role in the last two ICC ODI and T20I World Cups. Jacob Duffy could also feature in the squad - he is named as a reserve player - should Lockie Ferguson become unavailable because of franchise cricket commitments. New Zealand's Group Stage Fixtures: February 19 - Pakistan vs New Zealand, Karachi. February 24 - Bangladesh vs New Zealand, Rawalpindi. March 2 - India vs New Zealand, Dubai. New Zealand Squad: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O'Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Kane Williamson, Will Young. (ANI)
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