On Wednesday, New Zealand announced their squad for their upcoming T20I tour against Pakistan. The squad, as expected, lacked top players like Trent Boult, Kane Williamson and others, but the addition of Michael Bracewell as the captain of New Zealand came as a big surprise. Bracewell is making his international comeback after missing cricket for nearly a year due to injury. He was excited to get a call for the five-match T20I series against Pakistan. “I am very excited. It’s a huge honour just to be picked again for New Zealand and then, on top of that, selected as captain.

I wasn’t expecting that.”, said Bracewell, as quoted by Hindustan Times. The newly appointed captain, Bracewell, will face the daunting task of leading the team in matches against Pakistan, as most of the star players are absent from the squad. Bracewell must rally the team and strategize effectively to overcome these challenges.

Reasons for the absence of Black Caps players for the Pakistan tour

The Pakistan tour, which will begin on the 18th of April, will somewhat lose its spark with the unavailability of certain New Zealand players. Star cricketers, including Boult, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchel Santner and Williamson, are in India to fulfil their IPL commitments. Meanwhile, Tim Southee is being rested following his recent active participation in cricket across all formats. Tom Latham is expecting the birth of his second child. Nottinghamshire has contracted Will Young to play in the County Championship in England, and Colin Munro is unavailable for personal reasons.

The complete schedule of the Pakistan T20I tour

• First T20I:  April 18, Rawalpindi
• Second T20I:  April 20, Rawalpindi
• Third T20I:  April 21, Rawalpindi
• Fourth T20I:  April 25, Lahore
• Fifth T20I:  April 27, Lahore