Milne, Henry Earn New Zealand Tri-Series Call-Ups; Key Players Absent Due to Injury, Rest

Milne and Henry Back in New Zealand's Tri-Series Squad

Adam Milne and Matt Henry have been named in the New Zealand squad for the upcoming T20I tri-series against South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Matt Henry poised for a comeback after recovering from injury. © Getty

Bevon Jacobs, an uncapped batter who was part of the squad that faced Sri Lanka in three T20s in December, has also retained his place in the 15-member squad.

Milne returns to the side for the first time since November, while Henry makes his comeback after recovering from a shoulder injury that sidelined him since the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Ben Sears is unavailable due to injury. Lockie Ferguson has been rested as part of workload management. Kyle Jamieson is unavailable due to the impending birth of his first child. Devon Conway and Mitch Hay are also absent, with Tim Seifert set to take the gloves. Kane Williamson is another notable absentee, having made himself unavailable for selection.

New head coach Rob Walter said, "I think we've got a really strong squad for this tour and I'm looking forward to getting the team together and getting into the work."

He added, "We've got some good experience in the side and it's nice to be able to welcome back a few of the players who missed the March series against Pakistan because of the IPL."

"It should be a great T20 Tri Series with South Africa who are a very strong side and Zimbabwe who play well at home in their own conditions."

Walter highlighted the opportunity for Jacobs and the importance of Milne's experience.

"Bevon's been an outstanding performer in domestic cricket and has gained some experience in franchise leagues around the world, so it'll be a good chance for him to get back into the squad and potentially play."

"Adam's a really skilled T20 bowler, he's particularly proficient with the ball up front and brings that extra pace and bounce. With the likes of Lockie Ferguson, Ben Sears and Kyle Jamieson out it's great to be able to lean on an experienced head in Adam."

Walter also emphasized the importance of the tri-series in the lead-up to next year's ICC T20 World Cup.

"With the T20 World Cup around the corner, all of our upcoming series are critically important to our build up. This series gives us the opportunity to test the breadth of our squad, explore different players and potentially different combinations against some quality opposition."

New Zealand Squad: Mitchell Santner (C), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchel, Will O'Rourke, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi