Boult showcased his prowess with a remarkable performance, taking three wickets in a recent match against England in Southampton.This impressive display secured his spot in the 15-man squad, with Williamson at the helm, despite ongoing concerns about Williamson’s knee ligament injury.
New Zealand’s last appearance in the World Cup saw them finish as runners-up to England in 2019, with the final at Lord’s ending in a thrilling tiebreaker decided on boundary count after a Super Over failed to decide the winner.
New Zealand Cricket roped in the families of the selected players to announce the squad in an innovative style on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
In the battle for the opening batsman position, Will Young emerged victorious over Allen, a role that had been contested since Martin Guptill’s departure from the team last year.
“We just felt that we looked through what the potential game-plan was looking like in India, looked at the grounds, and also looked at the form of the two players as well,” head coach Gary Stead told reporters.
“We felt that Young was the right guy to go with.”
Jimmy Neesham, the all-rounder who played a pivotal role in almost guiding New Zealand to victory in the 2019 final, has earned his place in the squad as well. This is noteworthy as Neesham had chosen to opt out of his national contract last year, alongside Boult.
“I think you always have the need for all-rounders and I guess with Michael Bracewell dropping out, that also opened up an option for another all-rounder there,” Stead said of Neesham’s selection.
Boult, Williamson, Neesham, veteran fast bowler Tim Southee and the batting talents of Tom Latham form a formidable nucleus of seasoned campaigners with World Cup experience. However, the squad also boasts six promising individuals eager to make their debut in the 50-over showpiece tournament.
Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips have secured their maiden places in an ODI World Cup squad, having previously been part of T20 World Cup squads. Additionally, all-rounder Rachin Ravindra and the emerging talent Young are poised for their maiden appearance in any format of the World Cup.
(AI image)
New Zealand are determined to pursue their first-ever World Cup title, after being the losing finalists in the last two editions held in England and Australia in 2015 and 2019, respectively.
NZ Squad: Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young
(With agency inputs)
