Michael Bracewell to captain New Zealand for Pakistan T20Is

Michael Bracewell to captain New Zealand for Pakistan T20Is

All-rounder Michael Bracewell will lead New Zealand for the first time at home against Pakistan in the upcoming five-match T20I series.

This will be Bracewell's second stint as captain, having previously led the side against Pakistan away from home last year with a largely fringe squad. Only seven players from the Champions Trophy squad will be part of this series.

Regular captain Mitchell Santner is unavailable due to IPL commitments, along with Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra and Bevon Jacobs.

Tim Seifert, Finn Allen and James Neesham return to the squad after missing the previous series due to their involvement in T20 leagues.

Ish Sodhi has been recalled after missing the recent Sri Lanka series, while pacer Ben Sears returns after recovering from a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the Champions Trophy.

Pacers Kyle Jamieson and William O'Rourke have been selected but will only feature in the first three games of the series.

Bracewell expressed excitement about leading the side against Pakistan, whom he described 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