Milne back, Jacobs included but no Williamson in New Zealand T20I squad

New Zealand have included Adam Milne and Bevon Jacobs in their T20I squad for next month's tri-series in Zimbabwe, but they will be without Kane Williamson and Lockie Ferguson as new head coach Rob Walter begins preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Williamson, who is currently with Middlesex as part of a deal that will also encompass playing for London Spirit in the Hundred, made himself unavailable for the tour, while Ferguson has been rested as part of workload management. Kyle Jamieson is also absent as he awaits the birth of his first child, and Ben Sears has a side injury.

Milne last played a T20I in February 2024 and missed the previous World Cup after undergoing ankle surgery. He has been in good form for Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket (MLC), with nine wickets from four appearances.

Uncapped Jacobs was first called up for the T20I series against Sri Lanka at Christmas, having been a surprise pick by Mumbai Indians at the IPL auction.

A number of players, including Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra and the captain, Mitchell Santner, are back after missing New Zealand's T20I series against Pakistan in March because of a clash with the IPL, although there was no room in the squad for Devon Conway.

"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," Walter said. "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, who was appointed as New Zealand coach across all formats earlier this month, will have Luke Ronchi, Jake Oram and James Foster as part of his coaching staff. He said the T20I tri-series would allow New Zealand to "explore different players and combinations", with the explosive Jacobs in line for a debut.

"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," he said.

"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.

"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's first game in the tri-series is against South Africa in Harare on July 16, which is two days after the MLC final. NZC said that replacements would be named nearer the time if any members of the squad are involved in a clash and unable to arrive into Zimbabwe in time.

After the T20Is, New Zealand will stay on for two Tests against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo.

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