Former New Zealand captain and batting stalwart Kane Williamson was omitted from the side as the Kiwis named the squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Zimbabwe, slated to start from July 30. Notably, the matches won’t be a part of the new World Test Championship (WTC 2025-27) cycle since the African nation is not a WTC playing nation.
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Williamson will be unavailable for NZ due to his deal with Middlesex, which will also include playing for London Spirit in the Hundred. Notably, the Hundred, which begins on August 5 will clash with the red-ball series. Ahead of the ZIM vs NZ series opener, the squad will assemble in Bulawayo on July 27 after the culmination of a T20I Tri-Series in Harare comprising South Africa, alongside Zimbabwe and NZ.
Speaking about the development, Blackcaps head coach Rob Walter said, “Kane (Williamson) and Michael (Bracewell) were up front with New Zealand Cricket about their availability for this tour during the contracting process. While all Test matches are hugely special and important, the fact these Tests aren’t part of the ICC World Test Championship did influence the discussions on this occasion.”
For the unversed, Kane Williamson had turned down a central contract earlier in June this year. He previously also decided to opt out of a central contract last year to play in T20 and other leagues around the world. He instead had a casual contract and still played in nine of New Zealand’s 13 tests in 2024.
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Spinner Ajaz Patel and batter Henry Nicholls have made a return to the Test setup again. Patel’s last appearance came for the NZ where he won the Player of the Match award for his impressive bowling figures (5-103 and 6-57) during their final game of their historic 3-0 series victory against India last November.
On the other hand, Nicholls, who last featured in the Test squad in December 2023, makes his return with a wealth of experience that includes 56 Test matches and nine centuries to his name.
New Zealand Test squad vs Zimbabwe
Tom Latham (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Matt Fisher, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Will Young.
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