New Zealand had to make some last-minute adjustments to their squad for the three-match ODI series against Pakistan. Unfortunately, their captain, Tom Latham, hurt his hand during training. He ended up breaking a bone, which means he won’t be playing in the series. Henry Nicholls is stepping in to replace him. The New Zealand Cricket board confirmed that Latham will need a cast and at least four weeks off to recover.
Henry Nicholls is coming back from his own injury, and he’s been playing well in domestic cricket, racking up five scores of over fifty in just six innings. In the meantime, Michael Bracewell will continue as captain, as he recently led the Black Caps to a 4-1 T20I series victory. Gary Stead, the head coach for New Zealand, mentioned, “We’ve had to be flexible this tour with a lot of guys unavailable for various reasons.”
Besides Latham, New Zealand will also miss Will Young, who was a star in the recent Test series against India. He’s about to become a dad, so he’ll be sitting out the last two ODIs. This opens up a spot for Rhys Mariu, who’s getting his first call-up to the squad. Stead pointed out that it’s great to give new opportunities to players like Rhys and to have Henry back in the fold.
“Henry’s looking sharp since coming back from his three-month injury. He brings a lot of skill and experience to the team. Losing Tom right before the series is tough, and we all wish him a speedy recovery. But I have faith in Michael to lead the team, as he’s done really well during the T20I matches,” Stead said.
With Latham out, Mitch Hay will take over the wicketkeeping duties. The rest of the squad is staying the same, and we might see Nick Kelly and Muhammad Abbas make their debuts as well. The ODI series kicks off in Napier on Saturday, March 29.
Here’s the New Zealand squad for the series against Pakistan: Michael Bracewell (captain), Muhammad Abbas, Adi Ashok, Henry Nicholls, Mark Chapman, Rhys Mariu, Jacob Duffy, Mitch Hay, Nick Kelly, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, and Will Young (only for the first match).
