Bracewell to lead Black Caps against Pakistan

Michael Bracewell (right) will lead the Black Caps in their T20 series against Pakistan, starting this Sunday. Photo: Getty Images

Wellington all rounder Michael Bracewell will take over the captaincy of the Black Caps for this month's T20 series against Pakistan.

Mitchell Santner along with Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra are unavailable because of their IPL commitments.

Bracewell, 34, has made 66 international appearances since debuting in 2022 and was a key member of the squad that made the recent Champions Trophy final.

Bracewell captained the Black Caps white-ball tour of Pakistan in April last year and said he relished the challenge of leading the side.

"I really enjoyed leading the side in Pakistan last year and we've got many players from that squad included for this series as well, which is nice.

"Mitch Santner's done a great job since taking over as white-ball captain and I'll really just be trying to build on his good work and create an enjoyable environment for the guys to perform in.

"Pakistan are always a dangerous short-form side with lots of power and pace and we know they'll be hurting after an early exit in the Champions Trophy.

Ish Sodhi has been recalled after missing the recent home series against Sri Lanka, while Ben Sears has recovered from the torn hamstring which forced him to return home on the eve of the Champions Trophy last month.

Kyle Jamieson and Will O'Rourke have been included for the first three games of the series only, as the selectors seek to manage the workloads of the pace-bowlers returning from the Champions Trophy.

Matt Henry, who finished as the leading wicket-taker at the tournament despite missing the final through injury, has been selected for games four and five, subject to further assessment once the ODI squad arrives home on Wednesday.

Finn Allen, Jimmy Neesham and Tim Seifert have also been included in the squad after confirming their availability, if selected, for the build-up series' to next year's ICC T20 World Cup in India (against India and Afghanistan in January and February).

The trio were unavailable for the recent home series against Sri Lanka in December and January due to their overseas T20 league commitments, but have since returned for their Major Associations in the Ford Trophy.

Tim Robinson continues his run at the top of the T20 order, while pace-bowler Zak Foulkes (games 4 and 5) and wicket-keeper Mitch Hay retain their spots in the squad after impressing in the recent series against Sri Lanka.

Daryl Mitchell and Mark Chapman, who were both part of the Champions Trophy campaign, will provide the top-order batting experience.

Bevon Jacobs, who was part of the squad for the recent T20 series against Sri Lanka, was unavailable due to IPL commitments, while Kane Williamson wasn't considered for selection after making himself unavailable.