Ross Taylor left out of New Zealand T20 squad

Photo: @Blackcaps

Wellington: Wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi will return from injury to reclaim his place and Ross Taylor has been dropped from the New Zealand T20 squad for the South Africa series.

Ronchi will play in the one-off Twenty20 international against the Proteas at Eden Park on Friday and has been included in the New Zealand squad for the first two of five one-day internationals in a series which begins Sunday.

Hard-hitting middle order batsman Colin Munro has been dropped from the one-day squad after poor form in the recent Chappell-Hadlee series against Australia. His omission means allrounder James Neesham will likely be promoted to No. 6 in the New Zealand batting order.

New Zealand mainstay in the top order, Rossh Taylor has been ignored for the T20s, though Taylor has found a place in the ODI squad.

Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi has been included in both squads but senior batsman Ross Taylor continues to be overlooked for Twenty20 selection while remaining a key member of the one-day team.

Selector Gavin Larsen said he was happy with the performances of the Twenty20 team in the recent series against Bangladesh.

"It's an exciting team," he said. "There's a lot of experience but you also have the likes of Tom Bruce, Ben Wheeler and Lockie Ferguson who have made bright starts to their international careers.

"It will be great to have Luke back in the mix. He's the number one white-ball wicketkeeper in the country and brings considerable experience to the group."

Larsen said Munro "hasn't quite shown the consistency he would like in the middle-order and we feel Jimmy (Neesham) is deserved of an opportunity with the bat at six."

"Having two frontline spinners in the side (Sodhi and Mitchell Santner) gives us flexibility and Ish is an aggressive bowler who in the right conditions can be a real threat for us."

South Africa opens its tour on Tuesday with a Twenty20 warmup match against a New Zealand XI which includes Taylor and fast bowler Adam Milne who is returning from injury.

Squads:

Twenty20 squad: Kane Williamson (captain), Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Tom Bruce, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, James Neesham, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ben Wheeler.

ODI squad: Kane Williamson (captain), Trent Boult, Neil Broom, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, James Neesham, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor.