Top News

Tim Seifert has been ruled out for the T20I series against West Indies after sustaining an injury, with Mitch Hay called up to the squad as his replacement for the series.

The NZC has confirmed that Tim Seifert broke his right index finger while batting in the Ford Trophy for Northern Districts against Wellington Firebirds before a subsequent scan revealed a fracture.

Speaking on the injury, New Zealand’s head coach Rob Walter said, “We’re all feeling for Tim. He’s a key member of this T20 unit given his power at the top of the order and his role as keeper, so he’ll be missed over the next five matches.”

“We’re hoping Tim’s recovery will be quick and he’ll be back on the park as soon as possible,” added Rob Walter.

Mitch Hay has featured in 11 T20Is for New Zealand so far since debuting against Sri Lanka in November 2024. He also has the world record for the most dismissals (6) in an innings in T20 international cricket.

He has scored 87 runs at a modest average of 12.4 and a strike rate of 127.9. However, he was impressive in the ODI series against Pakistan, even scoring a glorious 99, and could play a crucial role with the bat for the home side.

“Mitch has shown in his international opportunities so far that he’s a top-quality wicketkeeper batter and is more than capable of contributing at this level. We’re lucky to be able to call on another player of his ability, which shows the level of depth we currently have in the T20 format,” Walter said.

Blackcaps are set to host West Indies on a multi-format tour starting on November 05. As per the West Indies tour of New Zealand 2025 schedule, the tour begins with a T20I format with the first match to be played at Eden Garden, Auckland.

New Zealand Updated Squad for West Indies T20Is: Mitchell Santner (c), Michael Bracewell, Rachin Ravindra, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Mitch Hay (wk), Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Tim Robinson, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi.