Michael Bracewell to captain New Zealand for Pakistan T20Is

All-rounder Michael Bracewell is set to lead New Zealand for the first time at home when his side takes on Pakistan for the upcoming five-match T20I series. The 34-year-old's maiden stint as captain also came against Pakistan, away from home last year when the Black Caps fielded a largely fringe squad. It will be the case again as only seven players from the Champions Trophy squad will be part of this series.

Regular captain Mitchell Santner alongside Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra and Bevon Jacobs are unavailable due to their IPL commitments. However, the trio of Tim Seifert, Finn Allen and James Neesham are back in the mix after having missed the previous series due to their involvement in T20 leagues.

Meanwhile, veteran leggie Ish Sodhi has been recalled after being absent in the recent Sri Lanka series while pacer Ben Sears is also back after having suffered a hamstring injury that had ruled him out of the Champions Trophy. Pacers Kyle Jamieson and William O'Rourke have been picked but shall only feature in the first three game of the series, with the selectors keen to monitor the workload of the fast bowlers.

Understandably excited at having another crack at leadership, Bracewell is upbeat about the challenge of leading New Zealand against Pakistan, who he termed as a 'dangerous' opponent.

"It's a great honour and a real privilege to captain your country," Bracewell said.

"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.

"For the guys coming back from Dubai, there's obviously a level of disappointment, but also a lot of pride in the way we were able to perform and represent New Zealand.

"We've loved all of the support we've received from afar and are certainly looking forward to getting back home and playing in front of our own fans and in front of full venues."

NZ T20 squad v Pakistan: Michael Bracewell (c), Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes (games 4 & 5), Mitch Hay, Matt Henry (games 4 & 5), Kyle Jamieson (games 1, 2 & 3), Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Will O'Rourke (games 1, 2 & 3), Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi