New Zealand Announce 18-Member Squad For Five-Match T20I Series Against South Africa; Santner To Lead, Latham Returns

New Zealand suffered a heart-breaking loss yet again in the final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 against India. They were outplayed by the home side and were handed a defeat by 96 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Chasing a mammoth total of 255/5 set by India, New Zealand could barely put up a fight and got wrapped up for 159. This is their sixth loss in an ICC trophy final.

Despite the loss taking a toll on their mind and body, New Zealand cricketers will barely get time to rest as they will host South Africa in a five-match T20I series starting on March 15 (Sunday). The series will kick-start New Zealand's preparations for the next ICC T20 World Cup in 2028.

Ahead of the series, New Zealand have named their extended 18-member squad for the South Africa T20I series. Two squads have effectively been selected for the series to help manage workloads after a grueling T20 World Cup campaign.

Mitchell Santner will lead the squad for the first matches and a total of eight players remain unchanged from the squad named for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra and Tim Seifert will miss the series as they will freshen up managing their workloads. Allen, Duffy, Mitchell, Phillips, Ravindra and Seifert will be away soon to join their respective franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Devon Conway and Lockie Ferguson will join Santner in the squad for the first three games, while Kyle Jamieson, Cole McConchie, Jimmy Neesham, Ben Sears and Ish Sodhi are available the entire series after comparatively lighter workloads during the T20 World Cup campaign.

Top order batters Katene Clarke and Nick Kelly are named in the squad along with Central Districts spinner Jayden Lennox, with Clarke and Lennox selected for games four and five.

This is Clarke's maiden New Zealand call-up after a breakthrough Super Smash season where the 26-year-old topped the competition run-scoring charts with 431 runs, including an unbeaten century, as his Northern Brave side claimed the T20 domestic title.

Josh Clarkson, Zak Foulkes, Bevon Jacobs and Tim Robinson get their chance to impress after being selected for the full five-game series, with Clarkson back in the side for the first time since playing eight T20Is in 2024.

Tom Latham, who was the top run-scorer for the Canterbury Kings in the Super Smash, makes his return to the national T20 set-up as a wicket-keeper-batsman and will also take over the captaincy reigns from Santner for the final two matches.

With Conway departing after three matches, Central Stags gloveman Dane Cleaver will join the squad for the end of the series. Michael Bracewell (calf), Adam Milne (ankle), Will O'Rourke (back) and Blair Tickner (ankle) were not considered for the series due to injury.

New Zealand Squad For T20I Series Against South Africa

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