New Zealand vs Australia 2020: Kiwis announce strong 15-man squad for Chappell-Hadlee Trophy

What's the story?

New Zealand have announced their 15-man squad for the upcoming three-match Chappell-Hadlee trophy series against Australia beginning on March 13th at Sydney.

The Background

The Black Caps, who were completely dominated by India (5-0) in the five-match T20I series, bounced back strongly to inflict a series whitewash in the ODIs (3-0) as well as the Test matches (2-0).

Despite the absence of regular skipper Kane Williamson in the first two ODIs against the Men in Blue, the hosts sealed the series under the leadership of stand-in skipper Tom Latham, before heading into the final fixture at Mount Maunganui which they won quite comfortably by five wickets having chased down the target of 297 runs in 47.1 overs. Their next assignment will be the limited-overs series against Australia - three ODIs (away) and three T20Is (home).

The heart of the matter

Meanwhile, the 2015 and 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup runners-up have announced the squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia. Much to the Kiwis' delight, the pace trio of Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson are back in the squad. While Boult (hand injury) and Henry (broken thumb) missed the limited-overs leg of the series against India, Lockie Ferguson was ruled out of the entire tour due to a calf strain.

Along with Tim Southee, the 6ft 8inch Kyle Jamieson, who impressed on his debut ODI as well as Test series with his all-round exploits, has also made the cut for the 50-over format against Aaron Finch's men.

While left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner and leg-spinner Ish Sodhi have been drafted in to bolster the spin department, pacer Hamish Bennett and all-rounder Scott Kuggeleijn have been left out.

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Speaking about the squad as well as the upcoming series against the five-time world champions, New Zealand coach Gary Stead said:

"Our one-day unit is a pretty settled one with plenty of experience and I think that showed in the recent series against India"

He further added:

"Playing Australia in Australia is one of the great challenges in world cricket and you know you will be severely tested in all aspects of the game. It's an honour to compete for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy and I know it means a lot to the players to have the trophy in our cabinet"

What's next?

Having whitewashed a strong Virat Kohli-led Indian team in their last ODI assignment, Kane Williamson's men will be determined to continue their impressive run in the upcoming Chappell-Hadlee Trophy as well.

The first two matches will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground on March 13th and March 15th, with the final fixture of the series being scheduled for March 20th at Bellerive Oval in Hobart.