Southee to captain NZ in T20Is

Tim Southee 

Tim Southee has been named captain of New Zealand for its Twenty20I series against Sri Lanka, with Kane Williamson and Trent Boult rested.
Williamson and Boult are returning home after the two-Test series, which the Black Caps trail 0-1.

Despite the absences, New Zealand will have plenty of experience for the three T20Is in September, led by Southee, Ross Taylor, Colin Munro and Martin Guptill.
The Black Caps has opted to name three specialist spinners in Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner and Todd Astle.

“Following that amazing ride in the ODI World Cup, it’s exciting to begin setting our sights on another world event [the 2020 T20 World Cup],” selector Gavin Larsen said in a statement.
“The series in Sri Lanka will be a challenging one against a team who are tough to beat in their own conditions.

“Our T20 team has been pretty consistent over the past couple of years and we’re really happy with the power and versatility we have in this squad.”
“Kane and Trent played an enormous role in our recent World Cup campaign and with a big summer ahead, we see it as a good opportunity to give them a rest.”
The opening game of the T20I series is in Pallekele on September 1.

New Zealand Squad: Tim Southee (Captain), Todd Astle, Tom Bruce, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Colin Munro, Seth Rance, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, and Ross Taylor. (Agencies)