New Zealand release two players from T20I squad after series loss to India

After losing the first three T20Is against India, New Zealand have released fast bowler Kristian Clarke and top-order batter Tim Robinson from their squad ahead of the fourth T20I, which is scheduled to take place on January 28 in Vishakhapatnam.

Clarke, 24, made his T20I debut for New Zealand in the opening match of the series in Nagpur on January 21. He picked up one wicket but went for 40 runs in his four overs. Robinson featured in the same match and scored 21 runs off 15 balls.

Both players were replaced by Matt Henry and Tim Seifert in the playing XI for the second T20I. They were then left out of the team for the third match as well.

New Zealand Cricket on releasing Kristian Clarke and Tim Robinson

In a statement shared on social media, New Zealand Cricket said Clarke and Robinson were released after Jimmy Neesham, Lockie Ferguson and Tim Seifert joined the squad in India.

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The Black Caps also confirmed that opener Finn Allen will link up with the team in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, ahead of the fifth and final T20I scheduled for January 31.

“Kristian Clarke and Tim Robinson have been released from the BLACKCAPS T20 squad in India with Jimmy Neesham, Lockie Ferguson and Tim Seifert now in camp. Finn Allen will be the final squad member to join the side on Thursday in Trivandrum,” New Zealand Cricket said in a post.

Allen missed the first three matches of the series due to his Big Bash League commitments. The 26-year-old, who holds the record for hitting the most sixes in a single T20 match, was in fine form for Perth Scorchers. He scored 466 runs in 11 matches to finish as the tournament’s leading run-scorer.

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New Zealand’s updated squad

Mitchell Santner (C), Devon Conway, Tim Seifert (WK), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Zakary Foulkes, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, James Neesham, Kyle Jamieson, Michael Bracewell, Bevon Jacobs, Finn Allen (only for 5th T20I)