New Zealand Cricket announced on Sunday that captain Kane Williamson will make his return to international Twenty20 cricket in the three-match home series against Bangladesh.
Williamson has not played 20-over cricket in almost a year, having missed the T20 series against England in September due to a long-term knee ailment.
The 33-year-old world-class batsman recovered to lead New Zealand reach the 50-over World Cup semi-finals in India last month, followed by a drawn Test series in Bangladesh.
Williamson will be joined by Tim Southee, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, and Glenn Phillips in the three-match T20 series after being rested for the current ODI series against Bangladesh.
Lockie Ferguson (Achilles), Matt Henry (hamstring), Henry Shipley (back), and all-rounder Michael Bracewell (Achilles) are among the injured players.
According to a New Zealand Cricket announcement, opener Devon Conway will be rested for both the ODI and Twenty20 series due to a “heavy workload in 2023.”
In early 2024, New Zealand will host Tests against South Africa and Australia at home.
The T20 series, which begins in Napier on December 27, marks the beginning of New Zealand’s preparation for the World Cup, which will be held in the West Indies and the United States in June.
Kane Williamson (captain), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Kyle Jamieson, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glen Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee are the New Zealand T20 team.