IPL 2024 has captured the attention of the entire cricket universe right now. Meanwhile, in the neighboring country of Pakistan, the Men in Green will return to action for a five-match T20I series against New Zealand. Pakistan have named a full-strength squad for this tour with the likes of Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim returning to international cricket.
The Blackcaps have decided to send a ‘B’ team on this tour. A majority of the Kiwi players are unavailable due to their commitment with the IPL franchises. Michael Bracewell will captain the team. Finn Allen and Adam Milne were named in the squad, but they have been ruled out of the series due to injuries.
Interestingly, the team management of the Blackcaps even reached out to some ignored players for this series. Despite being fit and not having an IPL contract, the following two names made themselves unavailable for the five-match series against Pakistan.
1. Colin Munro declined a return to the New Zealand team
Colin Munro has a lot of experience of playing in Pakistan because he is a regular participant in the Pakistan Super League. NZC reached out to him to include him in their team for the first time since 2020. They even mentioned that he would be in consideration for T20 World Cup 2024.
However, due to undisclosed reasons, Munro made himself unavailable for this series. He lost his central contract in 2020 and has not played for NZ since then.
2. Tom Bruce
Tom Bruce is a 32-year-old top-order batter, who played his last T20I for the Kiwis in 2020. In total, he has played 17 T20Is for the Kiwis, having made his debut in 2017. Bruce was approached for the series, but he declined the offer, citing personal reasons as well as his county deal with Lancashire.
