Santner and Latham to Lead New Zealand in SA T20Is

New Zealand will split the captaincy duties between Mitchell Santner and Tom Latham during the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa at home.

Mitchell Santner will lead the side in the first three matches before handing over the captaincy to Test skipper Tom Latham for the final two games of the series.

Several players who recently featured in the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka have been given breaks at different points in the series. The move is intended to keep them fresh for upcoming tours, including a trip to Bangladesh in April-May during the IPL-PSL window, followed by winter tours of England and West Indies.

Latham returns to T20I setup

Tom Latham is set to play his first T20 International in nearly three years after strong domestic performances for Canterbury.

He impressed in both the Super Smash T20 competition and the 50-over Ford Trophy, earning a return to the national side.

Offspin-bowling allrounder Michael Bracewell continues to recover from a calf injury that ruled him out of the T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, fast bowlers Adam Milne (ankle), Blair Tickner (ankle) and Will O’Rourke (back) were not considered for selection due to injuries.

Selector Gavin Larsen acknowledged that squad management played a key role in the selections.

He said the depth of talent across different skill sets allowed the team to rest some players while giving others an opportunity to push for regular spots as New Zealand begins a new T20 World Cup cycle.

Changes behind the stumps

Devon Conway is expected to keep wicket in the first three matches of the series.

For the final two games, Dane Cleaver of Central Stags will take over wicketkeeping duties. Cleaver recently returned to action after missing the Ford Trophy final with back spasms and scored 109 in a Plunket Shield match in Napier while keeping wicket during an innings victory.

Debut opportunity for Lennox

Central Stags spinner Jayden Lennox is in line to make his T20I debut after impressing in his first ODI series in India in January.

The 31-year-old troubled India’s right-hand batters with his inward angle and restricted aggressive scoring options. His performances helped New Zealand secure their first-ever bilateral ODI series victory in India.

Lennox is expected to become the team’s frontline left-arm spinner for the final two matches after Santner exits the squad.

Cole McConchie and legspinner Ish Sodhi have been selected for all five T20 Internationals.

New faces in the squad

Northern Brave opener Katene Clarke has received his first call-up to the Black Caps squad after an outstanding Super Smash campaign.

The 26-year-old topped the run-scoring charts with 431 runs in nine innings at a strike rate of over 170 during Northern Brave’s title-winning season.

During the tournament, Clarke became the fifth player to score multiple centuries in the Super Smash, joining Will Young, Brendon McCullum, Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips.

Bevon Jacobs also earned selection after smashing a record five consecutive half-centuries in the Super Smash.

Wellington pair Tim Robinson and Nick Kelly are also part of the squad and may feature in the top order.

Jimmy Neesham and Josh Clarkson provide seam-bowling all-round options, while Nathan Smith returns after recovering from injury. Smith, who is uncapped in T20Is, can also contribute with the bat.

Kyle Jamieson and Ben Sears, who were part of the reserve bowling group during the T20 World Cup, could also feature during the home series.

Series schedule

New Zealand will begin the five-match T20I series against South Africa on March 15 in Mount Maunganui.

The fixtures will be played as double-header match days alongside the New Zealand–South Africa women’s series.

Gavin Larsen said the series promises to be an exciting contest and highlighted the opportunity for fans to watch the team again so soon after the T20 World Cup.

He added that South Africa will be determined to respond strongly after their defeat in the World Cup semi-final.

New Zealand T20I squad

Mitchell Santner (capt) (1-3), Katene Clarke (4-5), Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver (wk) (4-5), Devon Conway (wk) (1-3), Lockie Ferguson (2-3), Zak Foulkes, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Nick Kelly, Tom Latham (capt) (4-5), Jayden Lennox (4-5), Cole McConchie, Jimmy Neesham, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi

Check out our review of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Final

Source: https://www.nzc.nz/