New Zealand's Santner, Ravindra return for England T20 series

New Zealand will be boosted by the return of regular white-ball skipper Mitchell Santner and all-rounder Rachin Ravindra in this month's three-match Twenty20 series against England, but will be without key batter Kane Williamson, the national cricket body (NZC) said.

Santner and Ravindra both missed the T20 series against Australia earlier this month, with Michael Bracewell captaining the team. Ravindra was out due to a facial injury, while Santner was recovering from a recent abdominal surgery.

Williamson has an unspecified minor medical issue, media reports said. The NZC said the 35-year-old aims to return for the One-Day International series against England starting on October 26.

Pacer Ben Sears is also out due to a hamstring injury, the NZC added, while Finn Allen, Adam Milne, Will O’Rourke, Glenn Phillips and Lockie Ferguson remain unavailable with injuries.

New Zealand play the first T20 against England on Saturday in Christchurch.

New Zealand squad: Mitchell Santner (captain), Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes, Matt Henry, Bevon Jacobs, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Robinson, Tim Seifert.