'The goal is to rotate the squad' - Selector Gavin Larsen on New Zealand squad for upcoming tri-series
The tri-series between New Zealand, Bangladesh and Pakistan will begin on October 7 in Christchurch.
Even after not playing a single T20 match for more than a month, the Kiwi management has decided to rotate some of their key players for the upcoming tri-series against Bangladesh and Pakistan. With the T20 World Cup set to begin later this month, the Blackcaps aim to fine-tune their team with the opportunities they’ll get in the three-nation series.
Gavin Larsen, the chief selector of New Zealand confirmed that the team will rotate in the next four-five games but everything depends on the result. The Kiwis will begin their campaign on October 8 against Pakistan, who recently lost a seven-match T20I series against England.
“Certainly the goal is to rotate the squad across the playing opportunities through that tri-series and to basically fine-tune what has been our existing game plan over the recent time,” Larsen said.
“There's certainly nothing majorly different that we're going to be focusing on – they're very important preparation games for us,” the former cricketer added.
Key tournament ahead for Kane Williamson and Finn Allen
Ever since his return from injury, Kiwi captain Kane Williamson has looked average, to say the least. In the T20I series against the West Indies, the 32-year-old managed to score only 75 runs in the three matches that he played. His strike rate is also something that is a matter of concern. Thus, this is going to be a massive opportunity for him to get some runs and be at his absolute best before the T20 World Cup.
On the other hand, Finn Allen has played some good cricket but unfortunately in patches. In the presence of Martin Guptill and Devon Conway, he often fails to get the opportunity but the youngster might benefit from the squad rotation. He smashed a 56-ball century against Scotland earlier in the year and if given the opportunity, he can play these kind of knocks in the future for New Zealand. However, when it comes to consistency, the 23-year-old needs to work really hard.
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