Ross Taylor not picked in New Zealand's T20 World Cup squad

Veteran batsman Ross Taylor was not picked for the T20 World Cup as New Zealand announced a 15-member squad, which will be led by Kane Williamson, on Monday.

Mark Chapman, who represented Hong Kong at the 2014 T20 World Cup, was picked ahead of Taylor, while Colin de Grandhomme and Finn Allen did not find a place either. Todd Astle, the 34-year-old spinner, will form New Zealand's spin attack along with Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi at the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup, which is set to be played later in the year in Oman and the UAE.

Meanwhile, pacer Adam Milne will travel with the squad and will be included only as an injury replacement. The same squad will also travel to India for a three-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series that would be a practice series ahead of the ICC tournament.

The fast bowlers Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson and Lockie Ferguson will form New Zealand's lethal pace attack at the T20 World Cup. With the exception of Southee, the others would have had decent practice at the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the lead up to the T20 World Cup.

Boult is a part of the reigning champions Mumbai Indians (MI), while Jamieson and Ferguson are key members of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad, respectively.

Meanwhile, Williamson is the captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Jimmy Neesham is Boult's teammate at MI.

New Zealand have Tim Seifert and Glenn Phillips as wicketkeeping options, while they also have a third 'keeper-batsman in Devon Conwoy. The 30-year-old opening batsman Conwoy made his international debut in November 2020. Having played 14 T20Is for New Zealand, he averages close to 60, which is a good sign for New Zealand, who are yet to play a final of the T20 World Cup.

The BlackCaps are gearing up for a four-month tour, including series in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and the T20 World Cup. Williamson has been rested for the Bangladesh and Pakistan series and will resume duties from the India tour. In his absence, Tom Latham will lead the Kiwi side.

New Zealand are scheduled to be play five T20Is in Bangladesh, starting Sept. 1. Following that, the BlackCaps head to Pakistan, where they will play three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and five T20Is in Pakistan, starting Sept. 17.

"Additionally, a new crew of coaching staff, headed by Wellington coach Glenn Pocknall, will lead the tours to Bangladesh and Pakistan alongside experienced manager Mike Sandle – with regular BLACKCAPS bowling coach Shane Jurgenson joining as head coach for the Pakistan T20 series. Tom Latham will captain the side in Bangladesh and Pakistan, and the usual combination of skipper Kane Williamson and coach Gary Stead will resume duties for the T20 World Cup and the Test tour to India.

Ross Taylor was selected for the three ODIs in Pakistan but, with the brief nature of the one-week series and the length of quarantine protocols, it was mutually agreed he would remain at home to prepare for the Indian Test tour and upcoming home summer," BlackCaps' press release read.

The first New Zealand squad will leave for Bangladesh on Aug. 23 and the players from the Test tour to India will return home and emerge from Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) unit just before Christmas.

NZC chief executive David White said changing times demanded changing strategies, with player welfare and support now one of professional sport's biggest challenges, particularly in the current pandemic environment.

"The need to safeguard the well-being of our players and support staff is now very real, and we've endeavoured to do this by carefully managing their workloads over this winter's massive playing programme," said Mr White.

He also stated that the decision had the backing of the NZC Board and the New Zealand Cricket Players Association.

"I'm satisfied we've selected strong squads for all our touring commitments this winter. As the BLACKCAPS proved in England earlier this year, we have good depth in the New Zealand game and I'm confident all the squads chosen will acquit themselves well," he added.

New Zealand's squad for T20 World Cup and India T20Is: Kane Williamson (c), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Adam Milne (injury cover)